Four months after the devastating Astroworld tragedy, Travis Scott has announced a new project that will provide “real solutions” to “make all events the safest spaces they can possibly be”.
At least 50,000 people had gathered for the Astroworld music festival at the site of the former Houston Six Flags park in Texas on 5 November 2021.
As soon as 29-year-old Scott started to perform his set at 9pm, the crowd surged toward the stage leading to attendees as young as nine years old being crushed underfoot.
A total of 10 people died from compression asphyxia, while other survivors described not being able to breathe, passing out and only managing to stay upright with the help of people around them.
After taking “the time and space to grieve”, Scott announced Project Heal on Tuesday (8 March).
“Over the past few months, I’ve been taking the time and space to grieve, reflect and do my part to heal my community,” he wrote on social media. “Most importantly, I want to use my resources and platform moving forward towards actionable change. This will be a lifelong journey for me and my family.”
“While it’s easy for corporations and institutions to stay in the shadows, I feel as a leader in my community, I need to step up in times of need,” he wrote.
“My team and I created Project Heal to take much-needed action towards supporting real solutions that make all events the safest spaces they can possibly be,” he added.
“I will always honour the victims of the Astroworld tragedy who remain in my heart forever.”
“Giving back and creating opportunities for the youth is something I’ve always done and will continue to do as long as I have the chance,” Scott added. “This programme will be a catalyst to real change and I can’t wait to introduce the rest of the technology and ideas we’ve been working on. See you all so soon.”
Project Heal will address challenges faced by today’s youth, especially those from marginalised and at-risk communities, according to Scott.
Formed in collaboration with his Cactus Jack Foundation, Project Heal will host a range of initiatives such as academic scholarships, free mental health resources, a creative centre and a tech-driven solution to event safety.
The programme is set to develop over time but the above are the key pillars that it says it will build on.
To know what exactly happened at the 2021 Astroworld festival, click here.
