Thanks to a grant of £5,000, teenagers from Bedford have created their own TV show with the aim to entertain and inspire young people to stay away from trouble.
14-year-olds, Michelle Papworth, of Kempston Challenger Academy and Urban Judge from Goldington Academy, originally pitched for the funding in 2020 as part of Bedfordshire Community Policing’s Bid4Better initiative.
Bid4Better offers funding of up to £15,000 for community projects in urban areas of Bedford & Kempston to help engage, empower and support local youths against violence.
After much preparation, the first episode premiered online on the evening of Saturday 27 February.
The Show, a programme within YouthTV (in partnership with Groundwork East and Bedfordshire Police), includes games, celebrity interviews, discussions, cooking to encourage people watching to have a more positive attitude towards getting involved in the world around them.
Urban described his experience of being part of the YouthTV team: “It’s a great place to learn how to get into presenting but also work on something we love. My team and I are thrilled by the response it has got from the Bedfordshire residents.
“This sort of message is vital, particularly in these tough times, and hopefully many young people will get involved and watch the program to learn how they can live their life to the fullest.”
Michelle told the Bedford Independent: “Being a part of The Show allows me to connect with various aspects of the world around me and teaches me how to think quickly and creatively.
“It has really helped me grow my perspective of the world and taught me how to take control of my own life. I hope it does the same for everyone else involved, including our viewers.”
Chief Inspector Mo Aziz, from the Bedford Community policing team, said: “Last year two fantastic projects, Youth Time and The Show, were awarded funding through Bid4Better.
“It’s been really important for our officers to work with the winning projects and I’m really proud of the work they have managed to achieve, especially during a global pandemic.
“Engaging with young people in our community is vital for us and these projects are able to address serious issues in a way that is relevant to the youth in this area.”
The process was such a success that the community policing team are launching another event this April.
“I would encourage people living in the local Bedford and Kempston urban area with an idea to tackle serious youth violence, but that needs help funding, to apply for Bid4Better, just like Youth Time and The Show,” said the Chief Inspector.
“Bid4Better allows people living in the area to put forward an idea or project that can have a real impact in the area they live in.
“It also gives local people the opportunity to choose where they think the funding should go and where it will have the biggest impact.
“Working with local projects, picked by local residents to help tackle serious youth violence in these areas is something we are really passionate about and will support throughout the journey.”
You can catch The Show at 5pm on Saturday 27 March and the team would love to hear from you with suggestions for future episodes.
“If you want to get in touch with us or have an idea you would like us to feature in our programme, please get in touch,” said Michelle.
“You can check out our social media at @theshowUK on Instagram/Facebook and @tsukoffical for Twitter, or email us at theshow@youthtv.co.uk, we’d love to hear from you.”
