Tag: Coram Voice

Peter Capaldi to host Voices 2021 creative writing competition for children in care/care leavers

The charity Coram Voice will celebrate the awards ceremony of Voices 2021, its national creative writing competition for children in care and young care leavers, virtually again this year due to ongoing pandemic restrictions.  

The ceremony will be streamed on the Coram Voice YouTube channel from 5pm tomorrow (14 July) and will be co-hosted by award-winning Scottish actor and former Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi, a long-standing supporter of the competition, and Voices 2019 winner Sophia Hall.

It will also feature members of the competition judging panel announcing this year’s winners, including the children’s authors Abi Elphinstone and Cynthia Murphy, novelist Kirsty Capes and the poet Joelle Taylor.  

Peter Capaldi said: “It is an honour to host the Voices awards ceremony again this year. The competition is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the creativity and talent of care-experienced young people and builds greater understanding around their lives and experiences.”  

Sophia Hall said: “I am delighted to be co-hosting this year’s award ceremony with Peter. I’m a proud care experienced person, but that wasn’t always the case. I used to hide the fact I was in care, and never really spoke about it when I was a teenager.

“Today, after being encouraged by organisations such as Coram, my peers, and the wider community, I embrace my experience as an important and integral part of my identity. The Voices competition means a lot to me because it’s all about encouraging young people in care to use their voices, and encouraging non-care experienced people to listen”.  

This year marks the sixth anniversary of the Voices competition, which is sponsored by UK management consultancy Cadence Innova.

The competition received over 250 entries on the theme of ‘What Makes Life Good’ submitted from across the country. Just 24 of these have been shortlisted over four age categories: primary (age 4-10), lower secondary (age 11-14), upper secondary (age 15-17) and care leavers (age 18-25).  

Brigid Robinson, Managing Director of Coram Voice, said: “The uncertainty and disruption of the pandemic has made the past year incredibly challenging for many children and young people in and leaving the care system.

“But reading the competition entries, we have been so inspired by the stories and poems that show how children and young people are using their strength and creativity to deal with these difficult experiences. Their motivation and resilience is an inspiration to all.  

“I want to congratulate all the young people who entered this year’s competition. This is your night, and we are delighted to be able to host the awards online so that we can all celebrate together and share the talents of every young person who took part.”  

Gary Ashby, Founding Partner at Cadence Innova, the Headline Sponsor of Voices 2021, said: “It is our third year sponsoring the Voices competition and we are delighted to be working with Coram once again. The Voices Awards champion children’s creativity and development and we are immensely proud to be a part of this inspiring contest. We hope that the artistic exploration of this year’s topic – What makes life good – will not only help the participants explore their creative sides, but also grow their confidence for the future.”   

To find out more about the Voices 2021 competition and how you can tune in on 14 July, please visit coramvoice.org.uk/voices.  

Peter Capaldi returns to host Voices annual creative writing competition for children in care

Coram Voice is excited to announce that actor Peter Capaldi will return to host the sixth annual edition of Voices, the creative writing competition for children in care and young care leavers across the country. The competition is now open for entries until 31 March 2021. 

Coram Voice, a charity that ensures the voices of children and young people in and around the care system are heard, first launched the competition in 2016 as a platform for care-experienced young people to express their creative talents and share their stories. 

Peter said: “It is an honour to host the Voices awards ceremony again this year. The competition is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the creativity and talent of care-experienced young people and builds greater understanding around their lives and experiences. 

“I really hope that lots of young people will be inspired to put pen to paper and share their words with us. I can’t wait to read your pieces and wish you the very best of luck!” 

The theme of this year’s competition is ‘What Makes Life Good’ and entries can be in any written form including poems, short stories, raps or newspaper articles, with a 500 word limit.

There are four age categories: primary school, lower secondary school (age 11-14), upper secondary school (age 15-17) and care leavers (age 18-25).  

Entries will be judged by an expert panel of authors and poets, some of whom are care experienced. The judges are due to be announced shortly, alongside a group of young judges who were finalists in previous years of the competition. 

Previous competition entrants have said that participating had inspired them to write more, made them feel appreciated and valued for their talents and helped them to express their emotions about being in care.* 

Ryan, winner of the Voices 2020 Primary School category, said: “This brilliant competition gives young people the opportunity to express themselves. I’ve dealt with lots of difficult feelings to be the person I am today and writing helps to clear my head.

“Without entering this competition, I wouldn’t have discovered how much I enjoy writing. We all have a poet inside us – we just need to have a go and write from our hearts.” 

Brigid Robinson, Managing Director of Coram Voice, said: “We are delighted to open the 2021 edition of the Voices creative writing competition. The competition has grown year on year, and we are always impressed by the remarkable entries that we receive. 

“This year’s theme of ‘What Makes Life Good’ is guaranteed to see more creative and inspiring written pieces from care experienced young people. It is a chance for young people to express what really matters to them and an opportunity to showcase their talents. It is also a reminder that the voices of care experienced children and young people should be centre stage as we learn about their experiences and celebrate their achievements.” 

Entries can be submitted online at coramvoice.org.uk/voices until 31 March 2021.  

For more information on the competition, please visit coramvoice.org.uk/voices.