SOU SOM (I’M SOUND) — Music, Memory and Community Dialogue Lab
Centro de Dia do Centro Comunitário da Paróquia da Parede
Portugal
SOU SOM is a participatory music and dialogue lab developed at the Day Centre of Centro Paroquial da Parede (Portugal), engaging 60 older adults in collective sound creation, storytelling and public sharing.In a context of increasing social fragmentation and generational distance, older citizens are often excluded from cultural participation and democratic dialogue. This project transforms a care structure into a space of active citizenship, where seniors become creators rather than passive beneficiaries.
SOU SOM (I’M SOUND) is a community-based participatory music lab implemented at the Day Centre of Centro Paroquial da Parede, involving 60 senior participants in a structured process of collective sound creation, memory sharing and public dialogue.Europe is facing demographic ageing alongside growing social polarisation and declining trust between generations. Older adults, particularly those attending day centres, are frequently positioned as recipients of care rather than active contributors to civic life. Their narratives, memories and social experience remain underrepresented in public discourse. SOU SOM addresses this democratic gap by transforming a local care institution into a laboratory of cultural participation. Through approximately 20 weekly sessions, participants engage in vocal practices, accessible instrumental exploration, collective composition and autobiographical storytelling inspired by sound healing methodologies. These practices stimulate memory, attention, emotional regulation and social bonding while fostering active listening as a civic competence. The project culminates in public sharing events.