LYFE, the Linwood Youth Festival Experience, is gearing up to organise and produce its fifth extravaganza and co-ordinators are looking for young people who want to get involved.

The event is unique and successful because it is a youth festival run by youth for youth. This year LYFE is on Sunday, 3 November. If it goes off as in past years, thousands of young people and adults will crowd Linwood Park to celebrate youth pride, diversity and achievement in a uniquely Linwoodfocused way.

But LYFE is not just about the big day. The scheme is designed to put young people in the driver’s seat and allow them to imagine, plan, organise and create their own show.

So, if you have ambition to be a promoter, stage manager, if you are interested in catering, decorating, or security, or see yourself as an sound engineer, or a future health and safety worker, LYFE offers an opportunity to get experience, learn, work together and create something great.

To get off the ground, the event needs people to plan or take responsibility for publicity and sponsorship, the technical and performance sides of entertainment, refreshments and decorations, security and health and safety, activities and stalls, and support and supervision.

Co-ordinator Isabelle Boigelot says LYFE can handle whatever level of effort young people can put in. There’s also things adults can do to support the young people.

“At the really committed end we have LYFE members,” she says. “These guys attend meetings, help to organise and are really hands-on. On the other hand, and just as important, there’s people who help on the day and between now and then we need lots of people to get the word out and tell friends and relatives about LYFE.”

Originally called Extravaganza, the festival was set up in 1998 by the Linwood Liaison Group. Acting Community Recreation Advisor for the City Council’s Hagley-Ferrymead Community Board, Diana Saxton, says it was created to raise community awareness of how talented our young people are and to show off their positive attributes.