How old is young?

What do terms such as a youth, young person and young adult really mean? What ages would you have to fall between to be classified as one of these? And if it is based on being a particular physical age, should it be this that is used as a quantifier?

Ask a hundred people in the street these questions and I am sure you would get an absolute myriad of answers on what defines you as being young. I know some people who think being young means being in your early teens but I also know people who still see you as a young person if you are in your twenties.

I think personally that being young is about your intelligence, your experience and your maturity. I have known some very mature teenagers with a ton of life skills but on the other hand I know some people in their twenties who aren’t ready to leave home yet and have the same attitudes and maturity that you would associate with a young person.

I don’t think an age range should be put on the term young person although I would like to see some unified clarification on the term. I think that people should be treated as an individual and not be forced in to a new stage of life just because they have reached a certain age.

One organisation trying to do a lot to make sure people in their early twenties get support and aren’t just expected to fend for themselves at 16 is Catch 22 and they currently have a “Ready or Not?” campaign that I urge you to get behind, to support it follow the link below:

www.catch-22.org.uk/ready-or-not-campaign

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

Tuition Fees

This week the Government in England has announced that Universities will be able to charge students up to £9000 in tuition fees to attend their University and get a degree. This is the latest change to University costs and funding over the last twenty years or so. It just seems there is no end to the spiraling costs of attending University.

The first attack on Higher Education was when the grant system was taken away, this forces students to take out loans and overdrafts to cover their costs. This however was still affordable as the Student Loans Company gave out loans which you only paid back at a small rate when you were earning a high figure and tuition fees were relatively low.

After this we had Top-Up fees which lead to some universities increasing the cost of a degree by raising tuition fees. This added to the recent recession then made it even harder for students to afford to go to University. Now to hear that Universities will be able to charge £9000 must send shivers down the spine of any prospective student and this could only be the beginning.

Universities have evolved over the year and are now more business driven than ever with course places really turning in to supply and demand. Currently there are more people applying for University than there are places which means Universities can afford to bump their prices and can make more money than they would by opening more places and courses for everyone.

I think society and education are to blame for this current demand for University places which has lead to the rise in costs. I think money needs to be invested in showing people that there are other successful roots than University because if you did this the value of a degree would go up for people who do one and you would have less unemployed young adults with a mountain of debt to pay back.

Don’t get me wrong I am proud of my degree but only because it has helped get where I wanted to go in life. In today’s world with the spiraling cost and the decrease in value of a degree I am not sure if I would do one. I just think it is the madness that the value of something can go down but the price can go up, to me in any other business as a customer which the students are in this situation you wouldn’t buy it so I don’t know why so many people are.

You can share your thoughts by going to:

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=839


Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

The Commonwealth Games

Over the last few weeks you will have probably heard, read or seen something in the news about the Commonwealth Games. The competition has got a lot of press this year, a lot of which has been very unfavourable which it wouldn’t have received in previous years.

The Commonwealth Games cost a lot to host and this year it was Delhi who got the pleasure of being hosts but they soon came under fire when in the weeks running up to the event the standards of the accommodation and sporting facilities for the athletes was brought in to question.

The Commonwealth games falls behind the Olympic Games in the pecking order and in many sports World and European Championships are regarded as more prestigious. This has got the press asking whether the games are worth the money the hosts have to pay out and after seeing low attendances to events at the Commonwealth Games in the opening days this year whether the interest is really there.

I personally think it is a shame that the press are spending more time talking about these issues that the people who matter - the athletes taking part. I think any place where an athlete can compete and test themselves against fellow athletes is important. Every chance a person gets to represent their country at an event should be seen as important.

To get good athletes for the Olympic Games in 2012 to represent their country they need to be regularly competing at the highest level possible in the run up and I think the Commonwealth Games are a great chance to do this as I think it is the closest thing to the Olympics you can get and there is no shame in playing second fiddle to the Olympics. By having the Commonwealth Games countries in the Commonwealth have a chance every two years to compete in a major sporting event which can only be a good thing.

I do hope that the events of this Commonwealth Games makes all sporting bodies sit up and take notice. When a country gets awarded to host an international event more should be done to make sure they have the finances and infrastructure to host the event at the standards they require. The sporting bodies should also manage the preparations a lot better so that situations like what happened in the weeks before the Commonwealth Games don’t happen to another sporting event.

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

Must be the Music

Recently I have really taken an interest in a new TV series in the UK called ‘Must be the Music.’ We have had TV talent shows for years here in the UK but I really enjoyed the subtle changes this show made to the concept.

The series finished last weekend with Emma’s Imagination a female singer from Scotland winning the final. Unlike X-Factor the show was open to singers, musicians and bands, not only this but performers were allowed to play their own compositions.

These weren’t the most exciting difference though. The way they really innovated the market by making all performances from the semi-final round all the way up to and including the final available for download on iTunes straight after the performance. Not only this but the acts were given 100% profit of the sales from their performances with two acts cracking the UK top ten and four UK top forty hits.

Instead of giving the winning act a record deal the winner got a £100,000 cash fund to develop their music instead of the usual record contract. This was done to make sure the winning act had more control of their career instead of a record company which I thought was an interesting idea.

I just wish the show had mean on a terrestrial channel as if this format had the backing of one of those channels I think it could have been huge. The programme has however I think given a shot in the arm to TV talent shows and show other channels how it should be done.

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

Youth Olympic Games

In August we had the first ever Youth Olympic Games with Singapore chosen as the nation to host it. The event spanned twelve days and saw thousands of young athletes aged 14 to 18 competing in a wide range of sports.

When I heard this was happening I couldn’t believe that we hadn’t had this before! But I am very glad that we have it now. It is so great for young people to be able to have the pride of representing their country, being able to meet people from different cultures and to get to compete against the best in the world in their age group.

Having a huge event like an Olympics for young people will also help the media attention and coverage that these youngsters get as many of these young athletes will have been doing amazing things for years with little recognition. The event like the regular Olympic games will be held every four years with China being the next host country. Hopefully with every Youth Olympic games the press coverage will grow even bigger.

I think by having a Youth Olympic Games it will give countries a great opportunity to prepare their young talent for when they are ready to compete in the full Olympic Games. It will also help the Olympic teams spot talent and to give them a test. The Youth Olympics will also help the young athletes prepare themselves to compete at the main Olympic Games.

I can’t wait to see what it is like in four years time!

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

Life is a destination not a journey

I heard someone say “life is a journey” earlier this week and it really set something off inside of me and got me thinking. Why do people say this? Yes the journey can be fun and interesting but surely the most important thing in any journey is getting to your destination. It’s like when you go on holiday you may enjoy going on the plane but the thing you are most looking forward to is going to the country you are visiting.

To me life is a series of destinations and those destinations are the dreams and things I want to achieve. If you don’t set yourself these destinations and don’t do everything you can to get to them then you are never going to achieve what you want to out of life. To me life without dreams would be a life that I wouldn’t want to lead.

The journey may be long and the journey may take you all over the place but it should always have direction. It is important we don’t get consumed or lost in the journey forgetting what our destination actually is.

It’s like when people say ”the most interesting people I knew were the people who didn’t know what they wanted to do with their life in their forties” sorry to me that doesn’t ring true. The most interesting people I know are the ones who have big dreams and are passionate about achieving them. I think statements like these are cop-outs for people who never really achieved anything or tried hard in life.

Don’t just see where life takes you, if you think life is a journey never forget that you are the driver and it’s about time you came up with a destination.

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

It runs in the family

There was a story in the news this week where research had found that in some areas of the UK young people who had parents that were unemployed are more likely to be unemployed themselves.

This started me thinking about whether there was a correlation between young people who achieve their dreams and what their parents achieved in their lives. The other factor to look at is how much a family’s wealth effects the likelihood of their child going on to be successful.

Some people would say that young people from less privileged families can be more motivated to achieve their dreams as they want to change their life, their surroundings and their lifestyle. Then there is the flipside that it is also a damaging effect to be brought up in less privileged circumstances as they don’t have money to buy equipment or attend special lessons in their area of talent and don’t have the contacts in that area, on top of this they can be more exposed to crime and due to their circumstances can be susceptible to ill health.

If you look at young people from privileged backgrounds they can have the money to pay for all the equipment and lessons they need. They have less pressures in the way of money & crime, they can also have access to a better education. It is said however that young people from a privileged background may have less motivation as they have a more comfortable lifestyle.

I know this issue generates some very strong opinions and heated debate. I would like to see some research on this to see what correlations could be drawn if any. I still like to think myself that none of this matters and that success is based on the individual and not on the situation as I have seen young people from all walks of life achieve great things.

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

Another talent show enters the fray

I meant to sit down and give channel Five’s first major attempt at a talent show “Don’t Stop Believing” a watch on Sunday night but other events transpired against me. It is being sold as a ‘Glee’ inspired talent show with each act having to put on a song and dance routine similar to those you see on Glee and performed by Show Choirs or Glee Clubs across the globe.

I think it is ingenious of Five to cash in on the success of Glee and is another twist on the talent show format but really underneath it all it is again a talent content based on singing and dancing. I am interested to see a show for myself as I want to see how they are handling the format compared with the likes of the BBC and ITV.

The one question I start to ask myself is are we in danger of everyone getting sick of TV talent shows as it only seems like the other day that “Over the Rainbow” and “Britain’s Got Talent” were ending and I am sure it won’t be too long before X-factor is back. I am sure we will get to the point soon where on every week on a major TV channel there will be a talent show of some description.

I myself am a big fan of ‘Glee’ and if it is encouraging people to set up similar groups and to sing and dance I am all for it. It will be interesting to see how the UK talent matches up to that of the US. I am glad that Five is giving things like this a go and are doing things to promote talent as it is only by trying these things that they will be able to find out if they can do it or not.

Will the ‘Glee’ phenomenon be a fad? Are we just copying the US? And if we are should we be? We would love to know your thoughts and you can do that by joining in our topic of the week:

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=823

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

Graduate Jobs

It has been officially reported today that it is even harder than ever before for Graduates to find work. Now to me this comes as no surprise as I am sure the job market is affecting everyone whether you are a graduate or not. The report I heard said that there were in the region of sixty applications for every Graduate post and that the minimum grade they would accept was a 2:1.

I do however think these findings are slightly floored as they only seem to discuss graduate jobs but if you are a graduate you can apply for other jobs other than graduate positions. Graduate jobs are only a small section of the jobs market. I think the days of going to University with the aim of getting a Graduate position at the end are over.

I think this could be a good thing in the long term as there are many skills a graduate has that will benefit the non graduate jobs market. On the flipside this does it make harder for non graduates who are already finding it hard to get work but for companies and employers it is a really good time as they will have higher level applicants applying for roles.

Another thing I hope this does is to get Graduates thinking about starting up their own companies and enterprises. I think this is something that not enough graduates do but the state of the job market could push more people towards.

If you are a graduate or about to graduate just remember to keep positive about work and to think outside of the box.

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

How are young people going to be affected by the Budget cuts?

Since the new coalition came in to force in UK Government I have been wondering to myself what effect it would have on young people?

With this government looking to reduce the budget deficit with an aggressive strategy on spending it is only natural that services that affect young people will be hit in some way. With the government cutting budgets for vital services like the Police I am worried for youth services.

It’s not only services for young people that are backed by government spending that we have to worry about. It is also industries that young people with talent want to get in to like media and art that will more than likely be affected to.

Yes the government need to sort out deficits and save money where they can but they also need to think of the long term and the effect it will have on today’s young people who in ten, twenty years could be running this country themselves. Not only that but what will employment rates be like? And will young people be given the chance to exceed and fulfil their potential?

I strongly advise anyone to keep to their eyes open and their ears to the ground on where cuts are going to be made and to really engage with this process.

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

Turning up on the day

Last weekend I was involved in a thrilling game as a coach as the football team I coach was competing in a county cup final. My team put in an amazing performance and overcame the odds to pull off a win against a very good and respected side. The whole experience got me thinking of how its not just talent which is important in things like sport and performance art but the ability to turn up on the day.

I have seen some very talented players in my footballing career who can do amazing things in training but when it comes to a competitive game they freeze up or just can’t perform at the same standard they do in training. These people are great when things are relaxed but as soon as there is some pressure on it seems their talent disappears for a minute.

To succeed in area which involve you having to give a performance you have to learn that ability to deal with the stress of performing and how not just to be able to deal with it but to do even better when the pressure is on.

In football when a team that should win a game fails to do so the manager will more often than not say their team didn’t turn up on the day and that it was the difference between winning and losing. If you are good at something people expect you to be able to deliver on a regular basis which is another pressure in itself you need to learn how to deal with but if you can do that you have the potential to go far.

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

The World Cup

In a little under four weeks the football World Cup kicks off in Africa. The tournament will be watched by millions around the world. Millions upon millions will be ploughed in to hosting the event and millions of pounds will be made from sponsorship and TV rights. The question I ask is – for all this hype and investment what lasting difference will the tournament have on South Africa and the rest of the world?

The one thing the World Cup is good at is capturing young people’s imagination from all parts of the globe and getting them in to football. I think any event which inspires young people to take up sport can only be a good thing. As I m sure many young people will kicking a ball around the streets during the tournament.

I hope the World cup as well as inspiring young people to play football will encourage young people to find out more about the countries playing in the world cup and the cultures of those countries. I think every year it becomes even more important for young people to have an understanding and knowledge of the world around them.

I think this World Cup is going to be more special than most. I just hope that the World Cup can have a positive effect locally to the people of South Africa and really impact the local communities. If the money is invested correctly it could have a long lasting effect and legacy but we will have to wait a few years to see what difference the tournament made.

Are you looking forward to the World Cup? Who do you think is going to win? Share your thoughts by going to:

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=813

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

The Elections

At the moment you can’t open a newspaper switch on the TV or listen to the Radio in the UK without somebody writing or talking about the elections. We are now a week away from polling day now so the media coverage is only going to intensify as the days tick away.

Everyone is talking about the elections you can’t escape it. People who rarely discuss politics suddenly have a strong opinion and are getting in to robust debates with friends, family and colleagues on who the right party is to lead this country.

The one thing which has really encouraged me for this election is not the parties, the leaders or the media coverage. That one thing is the amount of young people really getting involved and taking an interest in politics.

Politics normally isn’t the coolest thing to talk about in schools or amongst friends for young people but over the last few weeks so many of the young people I work with have started conversations about politics with me. They have been sharing their opinions but more than that they have been asking questions and trying to find out more. It always encourages me to see young people get so interested especially when they can’t even vote yet. Its not today’s political parties which give me hope for the future of the company but it is the young people who will be our future leaders and future voters which really inspire me.

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

The Blind Side

Last night I managed to get a rare outing to the cinema to see The Blind Side and yes to all my American friends I know it was out ages ago over there but we have only just got it over here.

My friends that go to the cinema on a regular basis gave it mixed reviews but for me I thought it was awesome. I love feel good films where you come out feeling happy, empowered and thinking the world is a better place.

The film really showed you that no matter how bad your situation that if you keep on moving and doing the right thing you can make it and that your luck can change through the main character of the film Michael Oher. In our own lives we start thinking about how bad our situations are and use it as a reason for not succeeding but then when you contrast your life with someone like Michael Oher its not that bad and its not impossible to achieve.

The other side of the film I really enjoyed was the educational side. Michael in the film had problems writing his answers down on paper so tested badly and people thought he wasn’t intelligent but when a teacher gave him a test verbally he excelled. The film also proved that someone’s worth and someone’s skills should not be judged on their ability in class but by their character. Michael in the film before he gets help is marked as very unintelligent but has a protective spirit which is unmatched and its his protective spirit of other people around him which get him to where he goes in life and achieving a scholarship to college.

I would highly implore people to watch this movie as you can’t help but be inspired by it.

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

BT Seen and Heard Awards

It was my honour this week to be invited back to the Houses of Parliament for the second time in six months. I was there to pick up a BT Seen & Heard award and to participate in a day of leadership, politics and debating. Notable names that were in attendance were MP Ann Widdecombe and Olympian Leon Taylor to name but just a few.

It is so great to get recognized by big organizations for the work we do and to be recognized in such a prestigious building makes it such more memorable, it is a day I won’t forget. It is so humbling just to be invited in to a building like that, let alone pick up an award.

I also had the pleasure of meeting some other amazing young people who are making a difference in this country. Sometimes it is just so easy to get focused on your project and not realize how many other great projects there are out there so I love these events as I get to find out what is going on and network with other youth organizations.

It is events like these where one connection that can be made that can change everything for your organization and if it hadn’t been for the event you would have never have made that connection. If you email or write to an organization or person you want to network with they may not reply to it but if you can meet them in person and show your passion for your project you are more likely to get them on side.

So a big thanks goes out to the BT Seen and Heard team for an amazing day out.

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

Lighter Evenings

Finally we are getting to that point in the year where it starts getting warmer and the evenings start to draw out. Only a week or so away from moving the clocks forward and everyone’s mood seems to lift. Its amazing what extended daylight dos for the morale of this country.

The dark cold days are gone well for a few months at least. This is the time of year where people start thinking of booking a last minute holiday somewhere and start making their summer plans. If you are young this is the time of year you have been waiting for as it means you can stay out longer playing in the street or in the park.

All I want to do is to implore as many of our viewers as possible to use this positive feeling and channel it in to your drive towards your dream. Its amazing how much more you can get done or what you can achieve with extra positivity.

Also now the nights are drawing out make the most of them. Go and do the things you couldn’t do in the winter. Go and enjoy and do things in the evenings in the great outdoors. Go and do some jogging, cycling, adventuring just make this summer the summer where you really make the most of it.

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

One Medal

Whenever the Summer Olympics are on there is always great talk and debate about team GB’s medal Haul, whether they didn’t do as well as people expected or if they do better than people expected. Its always front-page news. So why is this not the case for the Winter Olympics?

Yes it is great to see Amy Williams getting all the attention which is what she deserves but at the same time there should be front-page coverage and debate about our lack of medals. If we had come home from the summer Olympics with just one medal there would be an outcry but instead we seem to just be happy we got a medal at the Winter Olympics.

If this isn’t an alarm bell that more money needs to be spent on winter sports I don’t know what is. All I can hope is that over the next four years more money is spent on winter sports and that we see the fruits of it at the next Winter Olympics. If there is already a lot of money being thrown at it then someone needs to sit down and look at what we are doing wrong and how that money could be used more wisely.

Great Britain maybe a small island but it’s a proud island and we didn’t come back with much pride from the Winter Olympics.

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

Winter Olympics

I am going to go out on a limb here and say I prefer the Winter Olympics to the Summer Olympics. I have enjoyed watching the Ice Skating and Snowboarding events and can’t wait for the Bobsleigh.

One thing which I find impressive is when countries who aren’t famed for their snow, ice or winter conditions do well at the winter sports like, China, Germany etc. the Winter Olympics also give the chance for smaller countries who may not do well at the summer Olympics to excel like the Scandinavian countries.

In British schools as part of PE youngsters get taught track and field events in the summer but in the winter its team sports like Rugby / Football / Hockey and Netball that get taught, I can’t think of many schools that would offer skiing or ice skating. Now I know this is because we don’t have the conditions and these sports can be very expensive to deliver but I think more needs to be done to encourage young people in to winter sports. This can be done through the use of ice-rinks, dry ski-slopes etc. I personally would have loved to have had the chance at school to do Snowboarding.

I hope the Winter Olympics can capture the imagination in this country and encourage more young people to give winter sports a try. I also hope that sporting bodies, education bodies and the government can put more money in to the development of winter sports in the UK, now that I care about how many medals we win any Olympics it would just be great to see young people getting the chance to participate in winter sports and excelling in them.

The Winter Olympics is the subject of our weekly topic, and you can share your views on the games by going to:

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=804

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

Monetisation

I read a great article last week on monetisation in the music world. I am always a fan of people and industries who when faced with a problem think of a way around the problem or new avenues in which they can go down. The music industry has the problem of dwindling music sales so musicians and labels have had to diversify and find new ways to make money and to survive.

Back in the boom of the music industry it was record sales, royalties and sales of tickets to gigs which were in its bread and butter. Then in the late twentieth century other avenues of revenue were opened up like sponsorship and commercials following on from this in the early part of this century we then had reality TV which provided another way to make money.

Now however with the rise of the internet, the way we get hold of music and our attitudes towards paying for music artists and labels are having to be even more innovative with their ideas as they become entrepreneurs. What a lot of music acts are doing is instead of putting money in to trying to attract a bigger audience they are working hard to get their hardcore devoted fan base to fork out more money. Successful ideas have been artists writing personalized songs to their highest bidding fan, artists selling the ability to remix their songs and artists recording a version of any track the fan wanted them to cover to the highest bidder.

Now as a business model it is dangerous as if you are only marketing towards a small group of hardcore fans they are eventually going to run out of money but for the short term these ideas can generate a good sum of income. The best idea along this vein I have seen is bands selling the live recordings of their concert to their fans at the gig to take home on a USB pen drive as a memento of the experience.

I for one can’t wait to see or hear about the next innovative idea in the music world.

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

It’s All About Image

This week in the entertainment world in the UK there were two interesting stories. The first being that presenter of popular BBC 1 evening programme “The One Show” Adrian Chiles has been asked to shave off his beard by BBC executives. When Adrian started on the show he was clean-shaven but since the show’s return after its Christmas break he has been sporting a well-developed beard. Now this could just be one big publicity stunt for the show but if it isn’t it raise an interesting point.

As a nation or a culture do we need or expect our TV hosts to be clean-shaven? Is it right that people should be asked to remove their beards in order to present on a TV show? As a viewer do we react differently to people with beards or without beards? What this has underlined is how image conscious the media world is, that is just incase you weren’t already aware.

The second story was about Susan Boyle being snubbed by the Brit Awards when they announced the nominees for this years awards this week. In my opinion any awarding body has the right to put forward any nominee they like as at the end of the day the awards are their awards. There is all this news about Susan Boyle but there have been other big acts this year that have done well this year like Chipmunk, Kelly Clarkson, Cascada etc. and nobody is asking why didn’t they get nominated for awards? The press are putting the story out that it is because of her image that she hasn’t got nominated and she is getting the headlines but if it wasn’t Susan Boyle no other artist would get as much press attention for not being nominated.

Susan Boyle not getting nominated could totally be an image thing and the press may very well have hit the nail on the head but it could also be a case of the media just again using image as a news story as like I say before it is what the media world revolves around.

I think image will continue to play a part in media and entertainment for many years to come and although this is very hard to change I think it is important that it is documented as much as possible and discussed as it is the only way we will ever change the situation. If we can’t change it in the short term we need to make sure there is a constant high awareness of it.


Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

Completing a Project

Now all of us at some point have an idea for something big we would like to do, like write a book, start a business move to a different country, the list is endless. Now for some it will remain just that, an idea. For some they will get the motivation to start the project towards achieving their dream and not get any further. Then finally for a small few they will see the project through and achieve their goals and there is no feeling like accomplishing what you set out to do.

I had that feeling this week as a book I wrote on coaching youth football became available to purchase. It started as an idea, I then sat down and wrote the book, got it edited and got it all the way through the publishing phase so that now anyone anywhere across the world can buy it. That moment when I went on to Amazon and saw it there was worth all the work I had put in to the project and made me feel so proud.

The project took me over a year from idea to publishing and there were plenty of problems to overcome and plenty of times where I could have given up but I kept going and got myself in to the elite few who can say they have finished a project.

So this blog is for anyone out there who has an idea for something they want to do but hasn’t started trying to achieve it or for anyone feeling like giving up. The idea is only half of the fun it’s completing it which gives you the real buzz. Just remember when you get an idea make sure it is something you are passionate about because you are going to have to be passionate about it to see you through.

Once you have completed one project it gives you the motivation and the belief to complete another. This is why later this year another book of mine will be hitting the bookshelves as I near the completion of a book on youth motivation.

If you want to buy my first offering to the literary world go to:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Guide-Surviving-Youth-Football/dp/1445203480/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263420777&sr=8-1

Do you have an idea for something you would like to achieve? Are you currently on the path towards achieving your goal? Let us know by going to our topic of the week:

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=800

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

Don’t let the snow slow you down

First I would like to start by wishing all the readers of the blog a Happy New year. I know its been a while since I last wrote something but here we are back in 2010 with a bang. So have you made New Years Resolutions? Have you made plans for 2010? Well then this blog entry is directed at you.

For the last couple of days the UK has been gripped by snow, ice, wind, storms and every other type of extreme winter weather you could think of. This has meant a slow start to 2010 for many. Lots of people have been unable to go to work, lots of schools have been closed and lots of people have just decided to stay at home and not brave the elements. This has meant you may have already lost a couple of days of 2010 whilst you wait for the snow to thaw.

When you make plans or resolutions you want to hit the ground running whilst that enthusiasm is still fresh and with some people when they come up to the first hurdle it can put an end to their plans. Say if you have committed to doing something daily whether that be writing, running or something else after you have been doing it daily for sometime it makes you more determined to keep doing it and not miss a day but if you have only just started and you miss a day it can be much harder to get back in to it. The longer you can go without a hurdle the better but if you are someone that is easily distracted by hurdles you need to be resolute and find a way around that hurdle.

I know the snow can be fun and a big distraction as it brings out the big kid in all of us but it is important that we don’t let this temporary weather affect our long term plans. On the other side the snow can be annoying as it stops us going places or doing things we want to do so we have to adapt and make the most of not being able to go to work or school by using that time to achieve something that we normally wouldn’t have had the time to achieve.

So I hope you are making the best of the situation and that you are going to make 2010 your year.

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com