Behind the scenes with YP Productions for the #ChildFriendlyLeedsAwards
The beginning of February, Leeds City Varieties will play host to the Child Friendly Leeds Awards 2017. It’s a celebration of people, places and organisations that make Leeds a great place to be a young person, and the whole ceremony is designed and run by a group of young people, the group call themselves ‘Young People Production’. The nominations for the child friendly Leeds awards 2017 closed in December 2016, with hundreds of fantastic entries and we have now revealed the names of the children, young people, adults, organisations and businesses that have been shortlisted – have a read here… I caught up with some of the members from YP Production a couple of weeks ago before
YP Productions With Councillor Smart
the big night, to see how it’s all been going.
Hello YP Productions! Firstly, what made you want to get involved with the awards to start with?
James: ‘I wanted to apply for a role on the Child Friendly Leeds (CFL) team because I like meeting new people and learning new skills that I will be able t
o use in the future.’
Elizabeth: ‘The planning of the awards was not how I expected it to be and that’s good because I got into the awards to try something new.’
That’s fab, that’s what it’s all about! What roles were you guys assigned during the planning process?
Elizabeth: ‘I have helped pick the acts and also the theme of the event – ‘James Bond meets red carpet.’
James: ‘I am the financial manager so I have been planning how we spend our budget.
I have also been involved with producing ideas for merchandise.’
So, plenty of challenges then! After all that planning, what will you be doing on the night itself?
Poppy: ‘I will be taking on the role of the ‘selfie’ corner, as well as working backstage organising things.’
James: ‘I will be escorting VIPs such as ambassadors of Leeds to their seats and answering any questions they may have. I’m feeling good about it, but also nervous as it’s so close!’
Wow, all important stuff! It sounds like there won’t be much sitting around and watching the awards for you guys! Reflecting back on your time involved with the awards, what’s been your favourite aspect of being part of Young People Productions?
Lucy: ‘Having a lot of fun, making new friends and meeting new people who I never would have met without it [CFL].’
Do you have any advice for other young people who might want to take part later this year organising the 5th CFL Awards in 2018?
Poppy: ‘I would advise people to not be afraid and just get involved. It is an opportunity to meet new people, take part in planning and have fun.’
Wise words! Thank you very much for your time to answer these questions and giving people some insight into how much work and planning has been going into this whole operation. You’ve really demonstrated what Child Friendly Leeds is all about – getting involved with a great cause, meeting plenty of new people and reinforcing Leeds as a fantastic city for young people to grow up in.
To find out more about child friendly Leeds and who has been shortlisted, visit: www.childfriendlyleeds.co.uk or follow us on Facebook and Twitter @Child_Leeds for all the latest news.
