Zahra has been the director of YWMP since 2009, an educational charity that offers free workshops for young people aged 14-25, which provide an inclusive and supportive space for young women, trans and non-binary people, to make music together, learn new skills, express themselves, and grow in confidence.

Her relationship with the project has evolved over more than a decade; she entered as a participant first, before beginning training on the project at just 16 under the guidance of her mentor Kate Garett and, eventually, coming to run it herself. 

The multifaceted nature of Zahra’s role allows her to progress towards other forms of youth and community work outside of YWMP. She mentored young artists and musicians via her label BG Records (2010-2015) which focused on giving a voice to mainly rappers from often forgotten parts of Oxford. She also facilitated workshops on song writing, performing and producing in hospitals and schools, as well as regularly working with Crisis (2012-2015). 

Coming from a multicultural, working-class background in Oxford, Zahra saw from an early age how inaccessible music was to many young and/or vulnerable people. Not only more formal kinds of music education, but also spaces to experiment and play. She sees music as a potential access point, or a stepping stone into a place where young, marginalised or at risk people can express themselves, as part of a recovery process or a discovery process. Music is undeniably therapeutic, but it also helps to build confidence, trust and agency. 

As well as pursuing her own musical projects she is trained as a sound engineer, has run collaborative projects with museums like Modern Art Oxford, Ashmolean and Pitt Rivers. The community-based aspect of her practice continues to influence and inspire her.