Borough's young Wokingham people have got talent!
The Wokingham borough’s young people will show off their talents this month (April) when 11 acts take part in a multi-cultural charity youth event being organised by local youth group Aum Shakti.
The event has been almost one year in the making, starting last May, when the group, which is based in Lower Earley, successfully bid for £1,100 worth of funds from the youth opportunity fund, in order to host the event at Bearwood College on Friday April 25. Street dancing, singing, beat boxing, poetry and musical recitals and Bollywood folk dancing are just a few of the acts that will perform on the night.
Within the Wokingham Borough, the youth opportunity fund is run by the borough council’s youth forum known as Y10. The youth opportunity fund, financed by central government, is used to deliver more things to do and places to go for young people aged between 13 and 19. Placing trust in young people from Y10, they have the responsibility to decide what activities are needed and how the funds will be allocated in the Wokingham Borough.
Aum Shakti youth group put together a proposal to host the event, outlining how they planned to pull it all together and this was presented to Y10 last year. And in May 2007 Aum Shakti youth group learnt they had been successful and it is was all systems go to start turning the plans into reality. They quickly created flyers and posters advertising the auditions, which were circulated to schools and youth clubs throughout the borough.
They held auditions in January and there was a good take-up with 18 acts performing. The judges, comprising two of the youth group Hina Bhatti (18) and Aashish Kachwaha (16) plus Wokingham borough council’s arts development office Jane Clark, had a tough time on their hands to short-list the acts to 11. They developed criteria in order to judge all acts fairly. The 11 acts are now busy perfecting their performances. Other volunteers have also been recruited to work behind the scenes on the night.
The youth group have selected Peapods as their chosen charity. It is a locally based charity that supports families of physically disabled children, and will receive all profits from the night. Tickets are on sale now available by emailing aumshakti@hotmail.co.uk or by calling 07932 278482. They are priced at £5 for adults and £3 for concessions. On the night there will also be a raffle.
Aum Shakti youth group have also approached a number of local companies to seek additional financial support for the event. Kaushal Jewellers in Reading have donated a pair of 22 carat earrings for the raffle, and Reading-based Ayurveda Retreat have donated beauty treatments. Elite Interfaces from Reading have also sponsored the programme along with Valpee Printing and many more local sponsors. The youth group has been supported by the Hindu Society Reading.
Aashish Kachhwaha from Aum Shakti youth group said: “We are very excited and are looking forward to bringing local young talent to the forefront!”
Wokingham Borough Council’s arts development office Jane Clark, said: “Aum Shakti youth group have worked very hard over the past year to pull this event together and have developed a very professional approach to it. It promises to be a great night showcasing many youngsters’ talents and I hope that many local people will come along. Tickets can be purchased in advance and all monies raised will go to a very worthwhile local charity – Peapods.
“It is good to see Y10 also helping to support this event. Y10 organise the entire local grant scheme and do a good job in supporting many local projects, which ultimately benefit many of the borough’s young people.”
The event has been almost one year in the making, starting last May, when the group, which is based in Lower Earley, successfully bid for £1,100 worth of funds from the youth opportunity fund, in order to host the event at Bearwood College on Friday April 25. Street dancing, singing, beat boxing, poetry and musical recitals and Bollywood folk dancing are just a few of the acts that will perform on the night.
Within the Wokingham Borough, the youth opportunity fund is run by the borough council’s youth forum known as Y10. The youth opportunity fund, financed by central government, is used to deliver more things to do and places to go for young people aged between 13 and 19. Placing trust in young people from Y10, they have the responsibility to decide what activities are needed and how the funds will be allocated in the Wokingham Borough.
Aum Shakti youth group put together a proposal to host the event, outlining how they planned to pull it all together and this was presented to Y10 last year. And in May 2007 Aum Shakti youth group learnt they had been successful and it is was all systems go to start turning the plans into reality. They quickly created flyers and posters advertising the auditions, which were circulated to schools and youth clubs throughout the borough.
They held auditions in January and there was a good take-up with 18 acts performing. The judges, comprising two of the youth group Hina Bhatti (18) and Aashish Kachwaha (16) plus Wokingham borough council’s arts development office Jane Clark, had a tough time on their hands to short-list the acts to 11. They developed criteria in order to judge all acts fairly. The 11 acts are now busy perfecting their performances. Other volunteers have also been recruited to work behind the scenes on the night.
The youth group have selected Peapods as their chosen charity. It is a locally based charity that supports families of physically disabled children, and will receive all profits from the night. Tickets are on sale now available by emailing aumshakti@hotmail.co.uk or by calling 07932 278482. They are priced at £5 for adults and £3 for concessions. On the night there will also be a raffle.
Aum Shakti youth group have also approached a number of local companies to seek additional financial support for the event. Kaushal Jewellers in Reading have donated a pair of 22 carat earrings for the raffle, and Reading-based Ayurveda Retreat have donated beauty treatments. Elite Interfaces from Reading have also sponsored the programme along with Valpee Printing and many more local sponsors. The youth group has been supported by the Hindu Society Reading.
Aashish Kachhwaha from Aum Shakti youth group said: “We are very excited and are looking forward to bringing local young talent to the forefront!”
Wokingham Borough Council’s arts development office Jane Clark, said: “Aum Shakti youth group have worked very hard over the past year to pull this event together and have developed a very professional approach to it. It promises to be a great night showcasing many youngsters’ talents and I hope that many local people will come along. Tickets can be purchased in advance and all monies raised will go to a very worthwhile local charity – Peapods.
“It is good to see Y10 also helping to support this event. Y10 organise the entire local grant scheme and do a good job in supporting many local projects, which ultimately benefit many of the borough’s young people.”
Wokingham Borough Council
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