BALTIMORE — A former BSA student has set up a space for other young people to showcase their talents in the community, but it's also a way for them to give back.
For the third time, Zion Gyenyame has put together a talent show in Liberty Heights.
I caught up with a few of the acts at a rehearsal for the upcoming show on December 14th.
Zion says the idea of putting on a talent show comes from him wanting to show off his own talents, like skating and playing the cello.
"Elders come, the youth come, and they all seem to love it, and the purpose of these talent shows is just to inspire and to unite through the arts, and that seems to be what it's been doing, so I plan to keep going," says Zion Gyenyame.
Zion's peers are also eager to show their talent; Ronald Johnson says he is excited to be a part of the show for the first time.
"Immense pride to see someone, especially from not only our age group but from our same race, put on a talent show and things like this to bring the community together," says Ronald Johnson.
And Timothy Jackson says he agreed to do the talent show because of the exposure.
"I'm trying to find some more exposure, so I figured that this will be this will help me out," he says.
Timothy says as an aspiring actor, he seeks out any opportunity to perform in front of people.
"You need to get all the exposure that you want so you can just get to your one big goal, and you don't know who is going to be able to see what your art is," says Timothy Jackson.
But this talent show isn't just about the artists; it's also something Zion is using to help the community.
"So 100% of the donations are going to be going towards the Faith and Works Enterprise Winter Coat Drive. We take donations in almost any way: cash, electronic payment, Zelle, PayPal, or Cash App," he says.
And giving back is what Johnson says makes this talent show better than others.
"I want them to be inspired to do more, to sow more, to give more to Zion and his projects, because what he is doing isn't really just, you know, event for event, but I believe deeper than that it can be a movement of, you know, transforming our youth, giving them something to do rather than stand on these blocks," says Johnson.
