Last week Liverpool One hosted Talent Week; a “showcase and celebration of young peoples’ talent and their aspirations for the future”. By helping young people recognise their talents the event hopes that this can then be used as building bricks for their future. This is demonstrated by the ‘Talent Wall’ that has been created. Young people have had the chance to create a ‘Talent Brick’ on which they put their talents and ambitions, these bricks have then been put together to create the ‘Talent Wall’ which represent the talent and future ambitions for the young people of Merseyside.
There are two ‘Talent Walls’ in Liverpool, one at Chavasse Park and the other on Paradise Street. In addition to this all the ‘Talent Bricks’ from around England are showcased on the Talent Week Website.
Click on images to enlarge
The event ran throughout the week Monday to Friday with various performances, activities and demonstrations running throughout. I went down to Liverpool One on Friday to look at the Walls and see what was happening.
In Chavasse Park there were a group of street dancers from Page Moss based group ‘Morphine Dance Company’ performing on the podium. This was an excellent way to show other young people how accessible being a street dancer is no matter what age, gender, size and shape you are or where you come from. The dancers attracted a large crowd which in turn attracted more people to a marquee which had been set up.
Inside the marquee, there were various groups available giving out information on the demonstrations and how others can join in. The theme for Friday was healthy eating. The social enterprise ‘Not Just Cooking’ had stands up where chef were preparing healthy food with the help of anyone who was passing, showing how it can be done without spending a lot of money or taking a long time and having fun. These practical activities encouraged more young people to get involved and therefore increasing the chances of them taking enthusiasm and confidence away from the event. 
By creating a ‘Talent Brick’ young people are encouraged to state their skills, building self-confidence and say how they want to use their skills in the future. This also encourages the young people to think forward and consider that what they do now may affect their future. By writing this down and showcasing it alongside others it gives the young people the drive to accomplish their aspirations.
By integrating the ‘Talent Brick’ idea into the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Youth Engagement Programs, such as Prince Trust, students would be able to create their ‘Brick’ at the start of the program, staff could then channel their focus into the skills and aspirations that the students have. These ‘Bricks’ could then be used in the final presentation and students can comment on whether they feel they are now closer to achieving what they originally stated.
0 Response to “Liverpool One Talent Week”