Most folks have pleasant associations with the school or community talent shows of childhood. Possibly you spun a basketball on your fingertip to the recorded strains of "Sweet Georgia Brown." Maybe the Dance Club recreated the finale of "Footloose." What about the third grader garage band kicking out a raw but committed take on The Who's "My Generation"?

And, of course, out in the auditorium lobby, when it was all over, the Parents Spirit Association sold cupcakes and soft drinks and sweatshirts while an energized, post-performance buzz crackled in the air.

That whole idea is by definition inclusive and charming — and there are certainly many of those elements on display in the annual New London Youth Talent Show, the seventh production of which takes place Saturday at the Garde Arts Center. But, since its inception, this talent show has had much larger themes at its heart. For all the artistic skill and desire, this is not just a group of kiddos taking their respective turns onstage for five minutes of glory.

"Even at the start, we realized that to live in a small community with so many diverse cultures and political views, there was tremendous opportunity to bridge gaps and bring change in our community," says Curtis Goodwin, a graduate of New London High School, a rapper and business owner, and one of the talent show's co-founders and co-coordinators. "There are so many dynamics at work, and we knew that if we turned this into a cooperative and supportive event, with kids helping each other regardless of their backgrounds, that would have a lasting influence."

The show was originally inspired as a way to bring divisive factions in New London together after the murder by five teens of local resident Matthew Chew. The crime rocked the city along class and race factions and, as Goodwin says, New London was at a cultural nadir. Along with Goodwin, musician/youth advocate Frank Colmenares, New London police officer Anthony Nolan and New London attorney Susan M. Connolly came up with the idea of the city-wide talent show to help heal and shift energies in a positive direction. It was an instant success.

Then, after a fight broke out in 2014 following the high school football game between New London and Plainfield, the parameters of the talent show expanded geographically: Organizers of the talent show reached out to Plainfield citizens with an invitation to take part and, ultimately, perfrormers and families from across the region have become regular participants. Typically, by now, over 80 kids participate from over 15 towns and cities.

"It continues to get bigger and better," Goodwin says. "The talent has evolved, and more communities are involved. That brings different cultural components and experiences — and that's invaluable. We don't always know what the future will bring for these kids, but we have a lot of great stories."

A great deal of the magic of the show comes from the interaction between the kids and what Goodwin calls an amazing and committed group of mentors, coaches and volunteers — many of whom are local arts professionals, teachers or even former talent show participants. The pairings between mentor and talent often cross all sorts of cultural lines, and that's exactly by design.

Goodwin describes a new student to the area whose native language is German. He showed up at a talent show audition and essentially delivered a quasi-hip hop version of a German karaoke song.

"I don't think he knew quite what he was doing, but there was something clearly there," Goodwin says. "We reached out to a past rapper to come and mentor him, and what happened was amazing. And you can tell how much the experience meant to both of them." 

This year's sold-out, two-hour show is packed with an amazing array of artists and will include special guest appearances by, among others, former "The Voice" star Braiden Sunshine, the New London High School Marching Band, personalities from Jammin' 107 radio and the Poets Reflection collective.

Over 26 acts will perform in two sets, and the disciplines include dancers, singers and rappers, instrumentalists and poets — with participants ranging from seven to 19 years of age.

"You know, to just sit in the Garde lobby and watch the energy on the night of the show is amazing," Goodwin says. "You see how all of these parents and friends and relatives react to what they're seen — and then interact with each other — and it's just something so rewarding you almost can't explain it."

To that end, Goodwin is working on a documentary about the talent show that would encapsulate the message and essence of the whole thing that he hopes could be a tool for schools, corporations and communities everywhere. "It's easy to look at what's happening in the country and the world right now and think of it all as being so divided," Goodwin says. "But whether you're talking about America or a single family or a city or whatever, what we're doing is proof that you don't have to let things reach a breaking point to effect change. The idea is to be ahead of that. We tell the kids, 'All we have to do is rise together.'"

Seventh Annual New London Youth Talent Show, 6 p.m. Saturday, Garde Arts Center, 325 State St., New London; sold out; (860) 444-7373.