In 2006 ipoweri introduced a brand new talent to the stage. His name is Karl Griffiths. Karl is a 13-year old singer songwriter from Weston-super-Mare.
Karl can easily be mistaken for a young man well above his years, he is a talented, mature young man who won the 2006 ipoweri national anti-bullying music competition. Karl won this competition in the face of stiff competition from young people based all over the country. Singing from the heart about some of his experiences of bullying that he faced at school, Karl won over the hearts of judges and audience members alike.
Karl was chosen as the winner by a unanimous vote of the ipoweri young people at the Barcode Youth cafe in Weston
Karl said: "It was a great evening at the Barcode, I was very pleased to win as I didn't expect it. Playing in front of all those people the next day at the ipoweri natioanl anti-bullying conference in the Winter Gardens was awesome, I really enjoyed it and met some really nice people. The whole day was amazing". Karl spent his £250 prize money on buying a new guitar.
Since winning the ipoweri national music competition Karl has gone on to record his own CD what is available to buy (e-mail sally.henry@virgin.net for a copy). The CD costs £3.50 and profits go to charity
Karl has gone on to do several gigs, including another one at the Winter Gardens in front of the Mayor.
Karl is an unasuming young man who has his feet firmly on the ground. His songs are deep, sung from the heart with very clear messages that don't preach or condescend. In his single 'Picked On', he talks about suffereing bullying, and that it is alright for boys to cry.
This fantastic talent is a great role model and a wonder to work with. I have offered Karl several opportunities since the ipoweri event, including touring with Actionwork delivering some anti-bullying creative workshops to schools in North Somerset. Karl assists in running the sessions, sings to the students and offeres advice on how to stop bullying. Karl is also happy to talk about his own experiences of bullying so that it may help other people
Karl is a joy to work with and an extremely talented person. he will go on to do great things. He has fantastic support from his family, who are very proud of his successes to date.
If you want to support Karl, then please buy his CD. Karl is a great talent for the future.
I suggested to Karl a new stage name, based upon his initials K.G. So to some he is now known as Kaygee.
By Andy Hickson, Director of Actionwork
Above and below. Karl Griffiths singing at the 2006 ipoweri national anti-bullying conference for young people
