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This idea looked at how to unlock the often unrecognised potential in young people who are at risk of commiting crime/ anti social behaviour. The idea of a dragon’s den format in which young people who have shown themselves to be talented in a self-taught or informally learned discipline are invited to access unique mentoring opportunities. We match the young people with the most open minded and life-experienced CEOs who are willing to work with them to unlock and develop latent talent for future good.
I’m a fan of this idea. Matching talented/passionate young poeple with limited opportunity with successful mentors from ‘attractive’ and perhaps ‘new’ and/or ‘unusual’ professions feels like a solid start.
The TV format provides an impactful and mainstream profile for participants and their ‘transformitive’ journies. It certainly feels like Talent Match would excite and inspire audiences too. I guess the question that follows is…well what happens next..? What about the broader audience..? How can they get inviolved…
In this respect – my one flag would be that the proposed format for Talent Match may be a little ‘too TV,’ for 4IP at the mo…?? Just a thought..?
In terms of ‘Next on Four’agenda and the current tone of the 4IP service, It might be worth thinking about the following elements of Ch4’s vision when fleshing out the idea a little further…
* Nurture new talent and original ideas
* Champion alternative voices and fresh perspectives
* Challenge people to see the world differently
* Inspire change in people’s lives
In a way, Talent Match also chimes quite neatly to Matt Lockes areas of interest in social technology. The ability of networked technologies to ‘let people get together.’ And the ability of television to ’stimulate broader social action and different scales of participation online’
So – I offer some quick thoughts to get the idea development ball rolling…[get set for a bumpy ride]
*How might Talent Match draw on existing networked technologies to ‘find’ and ‘match’ young talent and inspiring MDs/CEO’s/Mentors. e.g. bebo/myspace/youtube/flickr/facebook/linked In/blogger/wordpress/current TV/school of everything/twitter etc…?
* Could Talent Match exploit existing networked spaces to generate buzz around participants and mentors before (and as) the series is being filmed? I.e. engage audiences online before the TV series is broadcast…from the very beginning…in real time?
* Could the online element call audiences to action and provide opportunities to steer their own transformative experience in similar (albeit less dramatic) ways. ‘Join the Talent Match network and find the people who can help you develop your talent…? ‘Can you inspire young people? become a professional mentor online..’
that sort of thing… … what do you think..?
Just some thoughts…Feel free to do with them what you will…
-claire welsby-
Illumina Digital
Hi Claire – I think you’re absolutely right that:
“the proposed format for Talent Match may be a little ‘too TV,’ for 4IP at the mo…??”
I think there are real possibilities around how to use social software to do this, but the whole 121 mentoring thing doesn’t feel quite right for this.
How about this as an idea?
1) ‘Tutors’ create a page all about themselves and how they could help young people develop a talent in a particular area.
2) Auditions are opened online through YouTube and the ‘tutors’ choose six top people with potential to try and nurture them.
3) The mentors open up an online class where they tutor the ‘talent’ in real time and everyone else can watch this happening online and benefit from the session too – they can post in comments suggestions etc.
4) Elimination and filtering is done by the online viewers
5) Top person wins a place to be formally employed by their mentor for three months amazing, paid work experience.
You could then link into a talent mentoring network around this using something like schoolofeverything or horsesmouth as a backdrop site/resoruce.