Dreams and Teams Events - British Council



		Citizenship Education Programme


		Dreams and Teams


		Bridges Programme


		Premier Skills


		Global Xchange

	Dreams and Teams Events and Success Stories

		Sports Relief Day

What happened in 2006
On 15 July at 10.00a.m, 500 participants sprinted, walked and meandered their way from the new "Wonder of the World", the beautiful Bibliotheca to gleaming white fortress of Qait Bay on the Alexandria seafront. And let's not forget the red socks...

This was the Egyptian version of International Sports Relief Day in which runners of various ability (and fitness!) ran their hearts out for local charities. Corporate sponsors like Coca Cola and Vodafone supplied vital sponsorship and the local council gave us the permission to take up the pavement, one lane of traffic and they even provided police motorcycles to take care of the traffic. But most impressive was the combined effort of all the Egyptian Young Learners from our five groups (Alex, Giza, Cairo, Heliopolis and Ismailia) to put the whole event together. Marvelous!

The Egyptian weather didn't let us down and 500 Local Alexandrians, some fit Young Leaders and a contingent of rosy cheeked British Council teachers from Cairo put on their Reebok to help the good causes as everyone made their way alongside the shimmering Mediterranean Sea.

Although the official length of the event was a mile, more adventurous runners had the choice of continuing all the way round the bay. Runners refueled on the way at water stations provided by the hardworking Egyptian Young Leaders.

The winner was an adult who ran the two and a half mile course in 12 minutes - Super fast! At the awards ceremony Young Leaders kept the VIP's entertained as times for all the entrants were processed. All the competitors got to wear their pair offered socks on finishing, one emblazoned with DOING IT and the other with DONE IT.

This is another feather in the cap for all our leaders and a very new kind of event for them. Everybody enjoyed a three day camp paid for by the Sports Council for Egypt and there was delicious fish, prawns and squid for lunch and dinner. Well done everybody, you deserve it.

		March for Peace International Festival

On 28 February 2007, a number of Young Leaders from Dreams+Teams participated in the March for Peace event in the city of Aswan. Again, under the Auspices of Her Excellency, Mrs Suzanne Mubarak, the second March for Peace event was even more interesting than the first event which took place in Sharm El Sheikh in December 2006.Thousands of people from different ages and backgrounds were out on the streets walking by the Nile, for the same purpose of promoting Peace. After the event, D&T Young Leaders went sightseeing on a boat in the Nile and enjoyed the beauty of the ancient city of Aswan. The event was extremely successful and gained a lot of media attention. Two more March for Peace events took place in Cairo and Giza, after the Young Leaders came back from Aswan.

		Local Tutor Training and Young Leader training course

A new Dreams and Teams Local Tutor Training took place from 27 to 29 March 2007, followed by a one week Young Leader Training Course. Four new Local Tutors were identified and 20 new Young Leaders now are part of our Dreams and Teams network in Egypt. The Young Leaders worked together during the week to organise for a mini festival in Misr International School 2000. Despite the sand storm on the day, and having to cancel some of their planned activities, the young leaders still managed to entertain all attendees. They combined sports with arts through competitions, games and plays demonstrating different values.

		Four Young Leaders linking with schools in NewCastle

On 1 May 2007, four Young Leaders travelled to visit Whickham School, our link school in NewCastle. Together with Young Leaders from this school, they gave presentations to 3 other schools in Gateshead trying to build new links with them. Over a period of one week, Young Leaders gained more confidence, networking skills and communications skills as they met young people from different cultures and backgrounds. Through their presentation, Young Leaders talked about Dreams and Teams project in Egypt, the benefits of joining the programme, and what they are willing to gain through linking with new schools in the UK. They also talked about the upcoming Global Camp and Festival which are planned to take place in Sinai in November. Students as well as Heads of Sports departments in Ryton school, Joseph Swan school and Lord Lawson of Beamish school, expressed extreme interest in joining Dreams and Teams programme. Besides the work the Young Leaders had to do, they also enjoyed their time in the UK by visiting major attractions like Alnwick Castle (where movies like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings were shot), and The Angel of the North (which is one of the largest British sculptures found in Gateshead). Determined to share their experience with other Young Leaders, those four Young Leaders will prepare a presentation about their visit to their colleagues sometime in July.