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