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UNICEF, the CGF and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games have announced a unique collaboration that seeks to touch the lives of children in Scotland and in Commonwealth countries across the world.
This partnership brings together UNICEF, the world’s leading organisation for children, with the biggest sporting and cultural event ever to take place in Scotland, with the aim of inspiring and enabling children to be the best they can be.
The partnership was unveiled last week by the first Olympic female boxing gold medallist, Nicola Adams, at Swinton Primary School in the east end of Glasgow – a Rights Respecting School that is supported by the UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK) and an example of grass roots level activity in Scotland.
The event was hosted by pupils who demonstrated their hopes for a better future for children in song, poetry and pledges before asking Nicola, Glasgow 2014 Chief Executive David Grevemberg, UNICEF UK Executive Director David Bull and CGF’s Bruce Robertson, to add their opinions to the wall.
Ewan McGregor and David Beckham have also given their backing to plans to put children at the heart of Glasgow’s 2014 Commonwealth Games legacy. The Scottish Hollywood star and England footballer are ambassadors for United Nations children’s charity Unicef . Actor McGregor, who is from Perthshire, said the link-up “opens the door to helping transform children’s lives”.
David Grevemberg, Chief Executive of Glasgow 2014 said:
“The children of Swinton Primary in Glasgow have a powerful message for children throughout Scotland and across the Commonwealth. Put simply, they want to be the best they can be. I am thrilled that through our new and bold partnership with UNICEF, the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games aims to help them and hundreds and thousands of other children achieve that.
David Bull, UNICEF UK Executive Director, said:
“The Commonwealth Games taking place in Glasgow in 2014 provides us with a unique opportunity to harness the immense power of sport and culture for the best possible outcome – to improve the lives of children in Scotland and across the Commonwealth.
“We are delighted to be working in partnership with Glasgow 2014 and with the CGF, and look forward to making history together.“
Mike Hooper, Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation, said:
“We are very excited with this new partnership with UNICEF and Glasgow 2014. The Commonwealth Games movement embraces all 71 nations and territories across the Commonwealth and UNICEF works in a great many of these, helping children to have healthy, happy futures by ensuring they have access to education, healthcare and other practical assistance that will support their future development.”
Olympic boxing champion, Gold Medallist, Nicola Adam, said:
“I am absolutely delighted to support this partnership and be part of the event this morning. It was great to meet the children and hear about their aspirations and what they need to be the best they can be. This is a fantastic collaboration which will reach out to every child in Scotland and much further afield.
“I believe that every child has the right to reach their full potential and to be the best they can be and it was great to be able to tell the children my story and how I fulfilled my own potential. Hopefully there will be some inspirational messages they can take from that but I know I have definitely been inspired by the young people I have met here today.”
Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport Shona Robison said:
“UNICEF improves the lives of millions of children in Scotland and around the world, and this is a groundbreaking partnership that will reach far and wide. Physical activity and sport are a powerful force for good and the Games will help to inspire children to fulfill their potential and, through this partnership, give children around the Commonwealth a better future.”
Councillor Archie Graham, Executive Member for the Commonwealth Games at Glasgow City Council, said:
“The power to inspire young people in Glasgow, Scotland and throughout the Commonwealth will be one of the great legacies of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Education and access to other opportunities can transform the lives of young people, giving them the chance to reach their potential, and I would like to wish this fantastic partnership every success.”
UNICEF reaches children in Commonwealth countries through its global network of country offices and National Committees working to promote the rights of every child to health care, water, nutrition, education and protection with a focus on the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. In Scotland, UNICEF UK has child rights education campaigns for children in schools, health settings and local government.
The partnership, with the CGF and Glasgow 2014 aims to raise funds for UNICEF’s work in Commonwealth countries around the world.
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Young people across Glasgow are being given the chance to share a piece of the Commonwealth Games action. Glasgow and Cube Housing Associations, both part of the Wheatley Group, have joined forces with the council and launched a £55,000 fund to help schools run projects which will inspire pupils to try a new sport or get involved in cultural activities.
Primary, nursery, secondary or special needs schools are being invited to bid for a slice of cash from the Gold Medal Programme, which is being run in partnership with Glasgow City Council. Bids have to be for projects which involve youngsters from GHA or Cube neighbourhoods in the city.
GHA Chair Gordon Sloan said: “It’s hoped that by joining in a new activity, youngsters will feel part of the buzz of the Commonwealth Games and help build a lasting legacy for the city.”
The Gold Medal Programme was launched in Govan High School at the Dance Festival – a show put on by pupils from nine primary schools who have taken part in an Active Schools Dance programme. The project, which was part funded by GHA’s South Area Committee, is an example of the type of project which could benefit from the Gold Medal Programme.
Bids can be submitted by secondary schools on behalf of any school in their learning community. The closing date for bids is Monday, 29 April.
Details will be sent to headteachers in all Glasgow schools.
Projects should fit with one of the Commonwealth Games legacy’s key themes which are: International, Active/Healthy Living and Culture.
For more information go to Glasgow City Council
Sport Your Trainers for Glasgow 2014!
Register with SportYourTrainers@glasgow2014.com and you will receive your free downloadble ‘Digital Toolkit!
From 27 July – 3 August 2014, the best athletes from 71 nations and territories will come to Glasgow to compete in Scotland’s biggest-ever sporting event, the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. The Games presents a unique opportunity to create positive and engaging learning experiences for children, young people and communities.
You should already have received an email inviting you and your school to Sport Your Trainers on Commonwealth Day, 11 March 2013. Sport Your Trainers is a national campaign which asks people to wear their trainers as a symbolic gesture of support for Glasgow 2014. So far a huge number of schools across Scotland have signed up to the campaign so don’t miss out. This is just the first step: the Games provides a platform for learning across the curriculum, with a range of potential activities to best suit your teaching and learning needs.
Sport Your Trainers can be used as a catalyst for learning about the Commonwealth. Your school could learn about a Commonwealth country and focus on its history, culture and place in the world. It could also be a springboard for healthy activities and sporting participation – why not try a Commonwealth sport or even hold a Commonwealth-themed assembly? On signing up for Sport Your Trainers you’ll receive a Digital Toolkit filled with facts about the Commonwealth Games, art activity sheets and promotional materials.
Over half of the people of the Commonwealth are under 25 years of age and we want to make sure that the children and young people of Scotland have every chance to engage with Glasgow 2014. We have 10,000 Glasgow 2014 laces that will be distributed equally across all local authorities for them to allocate and Clyde, the Glasgow 2014 mascot, might even pay your school a visit.
Show your support for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and Sport Your Trainers!
Register now: All you have to do is email SportYourTrainers@glasgow2014.com and you will receive a link – simply click to download the Digital Toolkit.
Please note pupils are encouraged to wear their trainers to school on Sport Your Trainers day, Monday 11 March. However, it is not compulsory. Local Authorities/school senior management should use their discretion as to whether this is appropriate footwear for their schools.
Game On Scotland
If you are interested in getting your school more involved in the Games, our education programme, Game On Scotland, has been devised in partnership with the Scottish Government and Education Scotland, with support from Glasgow City Council. The programme will launch in mid-March and we’d encourage you to pre-register at http://www.gameonscotland.org/
We look forward to sharing the Glasgow 2014 experience with you and your school.
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Through the £5 million Legacy 2014 Young Persons’ Fund, up to 2,500 young people will be given the opportunity to gain employment experience related to the major events Scotland will host in the years to come. The fund, managed by Skills Develoment Scotland, will be split between two initiatives: The Legacy 2014 Employment Recruitment Incentive and the Legacy 2014 Scotland’s Best volunteer programme.
The first element of the fund is now up and running, with up to 1,550 Employer Recruitment Incentive (ERI) payments available to employers who want to recruit Modern Apprentices. The Legacy 2014 Employer Recruitment Incentive (ERI) is a cash incentive of £1,500 to assist employers (with fewer than 150 employees) with recruitment costs of 16-19 year olds undertaking a Modern Apprenticeship in selected frameworks.
The list of eligible MA frameworks that will attract a payment of £1,500 – staged over two payments are:
The frameworks will be delivered by SDS’s contracted National Training Programme Providers who are delivering the above frameworks.
There are a limited number of places available – interested employers or young people should contact the Skills Development Scotland Employer Recruitment Incentive mail box at ERI@sds.co.uk.
MoreThe chance of winning a visit from Clyde proved highly popular with over 380 schools across Scotland who entered the f
ree draw. From Aberdeenshire to West Lothian 24 winning schools are getting ready to welcome Clyde from March onwards. Many of the schools like St Cuthberts’ Primary School in Hamilton are excited about this unique opportunity and are already making plans for the great event.
From March onwards many more opportunities to get involved in the Games will become available through Game on Scotland, the education programme around the Commonwealth Games. If you want to be one of the first to know when new materials, competitions, draws etc. become available then sign up to Game on Scotland now: http://www.gameonscotland.org/
More The deadline for applying to become a Glasgow 2014 volunteer is fast approaching! There is only
one week left to apply, but don’t worry, it’s a straightforward process – just be sure to give yourself plenty of time to complete your online application by 28 February. Take a chance on volunteering and you could be part of the biggest sporting event in Scottish history!
Volunteers are at the heart of the Games. You’re the people who will help make this one-off event something that people will be talking about for years to come. Whether you’re trackside at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome watching the venue’s namesake fly by, or are part of our medical support team, your role will be vital!
There are loads of roles to apply for and previous volunteering experience isn’t necessary. Just visit our website to find out more and watch our ‘In a nutshell’ video that gives you all the info on volunteering you’ll need. If you’re concerned about covering the cost of volunteering, the Legacy 2014 Volunteer Support Programme could help. The programme has been created to provide practical and financial support to those that wouldn’t otherwise be able to apply, like travel, accommodation and childcare funding. We can provide you with more details if your application is successful or visit www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/Scotland for the latest news.
Don’t put it off – apply today.
Glasgow 2014 loves Volunteering.
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The application process to volunteer for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games has now officially opened! Keen to take your chance to be involved with the UK’s next big sporting event? Get started now.
If you want to know more about just how special an experience volunteering is and learn about the types of roles that are available, just visit our site. There you can watch our ‘In a nutshell’ video and find all the information you might need.
So put your hand up and let Glasgow 2014 know that you want to be part of what’s sure to be an unforgettable experience! Imagine being able to say you helped deliver this amazing sporting event. And who knows? You might even get to rub shoulders with a world-class athlete or two.
You’ll have up until midnight on 28 February to apply. All applications will be treated equally, so it doesn’t matter if you’re first out the blocks or the last person over the line – as long as you submit your application in full before the closing date you’ll be in with a chance of making your mark on Scotland’s biggest ever celebration of sport – the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games!
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Brig O’Doom, Broken Biscuits and Clyde Climb were among the standout winning entries in a schools competition to name features of the soon-to-be-opened Cathkin Braes Mountain Bike course. The venue is being developed by Glasgow City Council and will be a permanent facility. It will be Glasgow’s first international standard mountain biking course.
The competition was a partnership between Glasgow City Council, South Lanarkshire Council and Glasgow 2014 and was used to inspire children and young people to participate in a project that is close to their local community.
Glasgow 2014’s HQ Commonwealth House hosted an awards ceremony on Wednesday, 5 December which saw the winners announced for eight distinctive features of the course which will host Mountain Biking at the Commonwealth Games. The naming competition invited 17 schools across two local authorities within 1.5 miles of the venue to submit suggestions after being given a description of the look of each individual aspects of the course deemed its most interesting and challenging. Inspired by the challenge young people submitted 800 suggestions for the naming of the eight unique features that are on the course.
The schools were aided both by an information pack that detailed the eight features with images and supporting text alongside help from active school co-ordinators and had the option of a guided walk of the site by Glasgow City Council Cycling Officer Allan Maclean.
The entries were scrutinised by two separate judging panels that each had representation from all partners and Scottish Cycling, who selected the following winning entries:
Feature 1: Propeller Point, Cathkin High School
Feature 2: Double Dare, Cathkin Primary School
Feature 3: Clyde Climb, Castleton Primary School
Feature 4: Rest and Be Thankful, Cathkin High School
Feature 5: Broken Biscuits, Castlemilk High School
Feature 6: The Jouk, Miller Primary School
Feature 7: Brig O’Doom, Trinity High School
Feature 8: Boulder Dash, St Bartholomew’s Primary School
David Grevemberg, Glasgow 2014 Chief Executive, said:
“Through this competition, schools were offered the opportunity to take their place in the history of mountain biking. By naming the eight fantastic features that are on the course, schools will have its chosen names used during Glasgow 2014. More importantly the names will be used in the years to come after the Games as the course is used by riders of all experience.
“The Mountain Bike event offers a fantastic opportunity to get more people involved in cycling through the inspiration of seeing the world’s best riders cycling at XX Commonwealth Games on a brand new mountain bike track. I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the judging and am confident the names will prove popular among riders for years to come.”
Councillor Archie Graham, Executive Member for the Commonwealth Games at Glasgow City Council, said:
“For many kids, getting on a mountain bike will be their first taste of cycling – and we are building a facility that is going to give generations of young Glaswegians a chance to go as far in that sport as they want to.
“Local children have been involved right from the start and, in coming up with these names, they have really put their stamp on the course. These are names that will be on the lips of spectators and athletes in 2014 – and the thousands of riders that will enjoy the venue in years to come.”
Councillor Brian McKenna, South Lanarkshire Council, said:
“2014 promises to be another exciting year for the world of sport. Our young people are the future and the innovation and creativity they shown in this competition is of the highest order. They deserve this recognition and our thanks for all their hard work.”
Brian Devlin, Executive Director Land Environment Services, said:
“I’m really proud of what we are building at Cathkin Braes and, taking part in the judging, it was great to see how the kids have responded to the project. They were among the first people to get out on site with our team and see the features they named coming to life.
“We’re creating a top class facility for Glasgow and these names, which are full of humour, will help to capture the imagination of riders in the city and well beyond.”
Alistair MacLennan, President of Scottish Cycling, said:
“I thoroughly enjoyed my involvement in the selection process and must admit that the quality of all the finalists’ submissions made for some very difficult decisions.
“However, I’m certain that when the names of these features will be broadcast around the globe during the Mountain Bike events at Glasgow 2014 the winning schools will feel a great sense of pride of having played their part in what is going to be a fantastic Commonwealth Games.”
Rab Wardell, Scottish international cyclist, said:
“To have such a world class mountain biking facility so close to the city centre is unique. There’s already a buzz around track cycling on the back of the Velodrome opening a few months ago.
“There is a fantastic club structure in place and a great group of volunteers working across the country so I think it’s just a matter of time until people are coming down to this world-class facility.”
Read the full article under here
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The project Edinburgh Gets Set for the Games, an inspirational project providing an exciting context for interdisciplinary learning in schools, won the Children & Families Award for Partnership Working. The links included partnerships between a wide variety of organisations such as Eco Schools Scotland (‘Country in a basket’), Edinburgh Zoo (‘Animal Olympics’), the Royal Botanic Gardens (special tours), National Museums of Scotland (‘Create your own exhibition’), Sport Scotland, Edinburgh University and Heriot Watt University (foreign student placements), all helping to enrich the initiative.
In 2011 all primary and special schools in the city were invited to take part in a range of activities round the Olympic and Paralympic Games, covering topics including sport, global citizenship, art, music, language and culture throughout the academic year. The programme culminated in a celebration event at Meadowbank Stadium in June this year with over 1,000 pupils participating in a wide range of sporting activities.
Clare Soper, International Unit Manager City of Edinburgh Council explains how this successful project will be carried forward for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
She said, “For us the games coming to Glasgow represents a great opportunity to structure learning in schools around different Commonwealth countries and work with people from other nations. We are looking forward to having people from around the world visiting Scotland and we intend to help schools match children with their peers in other countries to learn about different lifestyles, music, dance, culture and art. Where possible we will also match them to a student from the commonwealth currently studying in Edinburgh. We will also include the values of the Commonwealth Games and build the new programme around how children can share these with the athletes taking part.
“Working with sport colleagues to ensure children participate in new sports and link sport with the arts will remain a key element of the Edinburgh gets Set for the Games initiative. The Commonwealth Games will help to create extra interest in sport amongst children and it will be great to get access to motivational speakers to help inspire kids.
Claire continues: “I think that it’s fantastic that the Commonwealth Games are coming to Scotland. We’ve already had a great reaction from schools and it’s going to make the games a lot more accessible to children who will have more opportunity to be part of it and actually see some of the events. “I also hope that the games will also help to decrease racism in Scotland and challenge people’s views on other countries. It’s a chance to open children’s eyes to the rest of the world, confront stereotypes and highlight some of the achievements of other nations.”
Image courtesy of ‘Grounds for Learning’
MoreKatherine Grainger will deliver the RSE Christmas Lecture 2012 to senior school students at Lochaber High School
, Fort William at 1.15 pm on Tuesday 11 December. This lecture will be webcast live across the UK by BBC Scotland. You are invited to watch this free webcast from your own computer or a computer near you.
Glasgow-born Katherine Grainger MBE first took up rowing during her student days at the University of Edinburgh. Since then, she has gone on to win six rowing World Championships, three silver Olympic medals and, most recently, a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games. These remarkable achievements make her an inspiration to all, and the RSE is delighted to have Katherine deliver the RSE Christmas Lecture 2012, in which she will talk about the challenges she has faced along with the successes over the past 12 years.
TO BOOK
Register in advance via the website or by email or telephone the RSE Events Team on 0131 240 2780. Once you register, you will receive an email with full details on how to join the RSE Christmas Lecture 2012 and how to get the most out of the experience.
In the build up to live RSE Christmas Lectures, we are always on the look out for questions that will get our speaker to reveal some fascinating insights into their life and work. So, when you register there will also be an opportunity for you to send in your questions. The more brilliant and original your questions, the more chance they will have of being asked during the live event!
Get your family and friends together to take part in this exclusive UK-wide event
OTHER WAYS TO WATCH THE LECTURE
Register in advance on the website
Please book early to guarantee your seat!
For further information and updates: RSE website I BBC website
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