Following on from last year's success, the Foyer Federation organised 'Foyer Voice Live 2006- Bigger and Better' on the evening of 19 July at the MAC theatre in Birmingham. The event showcased Foyer residents' multiple talents and was attended by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham. It formed part of the Foyer Annual Practice Event, which brings together the 136 Foyers around the country to share best practice.
The idea of showcasing young people's talents first came about after resident representatives on the UK Foyer Council wanted an opportunity to highlight the varied and high-quality skills present in Foyers. This idea culminated in 'Foyer Voice Live', which was staged during last year's Practice Event. The event was such a huge success (one young person described it as the "best experience of my life") that the Foyer Federation decided to do it again this year. By setting up a young people's planning group, the Foyer Federation consciously involved young people's input from the beginning. Six residents, supported by a Young People's Co-ordinator, met several times during the past few months to discuss the format and performances of this year's event.
In total, 50 young people from 22 different Foyers around the country took part in 'Foyer Voice Live 2006 - Bigger and Better'. From comedy and dancing to poetry and video performances, the Foyer residents showed their abilities to express themselves in a positive way. Feedback from the young people has been amazingly positive, with one describing how the performances brought the "WOW-factor to a completely new level". A member of the Planning Group described how the event had given him a real sense of achievement and showed him how to handle problems in life.
The Foyer Federation is now planning to build on this experience by setting up a 'Young People's Convention' next year where Foyer Voice Live 2007 will feature.
Two young people living in UK Foyers will travel to Cape Town, South Africa, to report on the Homeless World Cup tournament, which takes place from 24 - 30 September. Five hundred players from 48 countries will take part in the street soccer tournament played on the Grand Parade, under Table Mountain.
Kate Wilson, age 22, from Torbay Foyer and Lee Dixon, age 26, from Market Rasen Foyer in Lincolnshire were selected from over 50 applicants from Foyers across the UK. They will be the lead live match reporters from the pitch side for the official Homeless World Cup website.
Kate Wilson got down to the last 20 in the trials for the England squad, and is a part-time coach for Exeter City FC. She has set up a football team at Torbay Foyer and hopes to have a career in football. Kate is extremely excited about going to South Africa as she hasn't had a holiday in eight years, although she knows that reporting on the tournament will be hard work.
Lee Dixon recently took part in a placement at Lincoln City Football Club and is Chair of his Foyer's Residents Committee. Lee hopes that doing this will give him the experience needed to get a full-time job in the media aspect of football.
Kate and Lee will be helping to fund their trip to South Africa with their own fundraising activities over the next two months. For more information, and to follow Kate and Lee's progress, please visit the Official Homeless World Cup website: www.streetsoccer.org.