International Inspiration schools competition winners visit Olympic Park
01 June 2011
Three schools from across the UK have been given an exclusive tour of the London 2012 Olympic Park after winning a competition as part of International Inspiration, London 2012’s international legacy programme.
The winning schools - Ysgol Pen-y-Bryn in Gwynedd, Stourport High School and Sixth Form Centre in Worcestershire, and Arbour Vale School in Slough - sent in the best examples of how International Inspiration has inspired them, and included photos of school exchange visits, participating in sport and play, welcoming delegations from partner countries and project work.
In the UK, more than 200 schools have been linked with partner schools in 15 International Inspiration countries through the British Council and the Youth Sport Trust, enabling the programme to reach over 100,000 UK pupils. Through these partnerships, children are taking part in life-changing exchanges, helping them to gain a new and deeper understanding of each other’s cultures. Teachers across the UK are also collaborating directly with their counterparts in International Inspiration countries to help develop more inclusive sport and physical education around the globe.
The competition was an opportunity for schools that have used their International Inspiration work in their applications to join the Get Set network, the London 2012 reward and recognition scheme for schools and college across the UK. Members of the Get Set network are granted the right to use the London 2012 education logo and are also given priority access to exclusive rewards and opportunities such as tours of the Olympic Park.
Whilst on the visit, pupils got the opportunity to see first-hand the work that is progressing on London’s Olympic Park, where the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be hosted in 2012. As part of the Park tour they saw the major venues being constructed by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) including the Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre, Velodrome and Handball Arena, and learnt about the environmental and community programmes running on the Olympic Park.
Liz Quinn, Headteacher at the Stourport High School and Sixth Form Centre, said: ‘International Inspiration has really engendered the Olympic values of mutual respect and friendship. It’s given us a fantastic opportunity to get involved with our partner school in India, and to learn about Indian sport and culture. Some of our students are even learning Punjabi via Skype now.’
Farhaad, a 15 year-old pupil at Arbour Vale School, said: 'It’s been a real pleasure to visit the Olympic Park. Not many people get this chance, so we’re really lucky. Hopefully I’ll be back here next year to watch the Games. Through International Inspiration, we’ve helped people to get involved in sports. A few weeks ago we had some visitors from our partner school in Pakistan, which was a good chance to learn about each other.'
Seb Coe, Chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), said: 'Our vision is to use the power of the Games to inspire lasting change and we took a very clear promise to Singapore – to encourage the youth of the world to choose sport. The work these winning schools have been doing on International Inspiration and their link with International Inspiration countries is another key step towards delivering that promise. I’m delighted that they won the opportunity to visit the London 2012 Olympic Park - I hope it has inspired them even more to continue their great work on International Inspiration.'
International inspiration is the official international sports legacy programme of London 2012 – delivered as a partnership between UK Sport, the British Council and UNICEF. The vision for the programme is to enrich the lives of 12 million children of all abilities, in schools and communities in 20 countries across the world - particularly in developing countries - through the power of high-quality and inclusive physical education, sport and play. It is the first time in the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games that an international legacy on this scale has been implemented.
The school partnerships are managed by the British Council, which has long experience of linking schools internationally, working in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust, which utilises its expertise in developing teachers and young leaders through sport.
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Notes to editors:
International Inspiration is a unique partnership of public and private organisations. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has joined forces with the programme’s key delivery partners, UK Sport, UNICEF UK and the British Council, to bring International Inspiration to fruition as a core strand of the London 2012 international education programme. Other partners and funders of International Inspiration include the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Department for International Development, the Premier League, the British Olympic Association, the British Paralympic Association and the Youth Sport Trust. International Inspiration is governed by an independent charitable foundation.
To enable longer-term impact, the programme is developed jointly with the governments, National Olympic Committees and National Paralympic Committees, where appropriate, of participating countries. The programme is supported and welcomed by the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee.
As it heads towards its £2bn budget for staging the Olympic and Paralympic Games, LOCOG has seven domestic Tier One Partners - adidas, BMW, BP, British Airways, BT, EDF and Lloyds TSB. There are seven domestic Tier Two Supporters – Adecco, ArcelorMittal, Cadbury, Cisco, Deloitte, Thomas Cook and UPS. There are now nineteen domestic Tier Three Suppliers and Providers – Airwave, Atkins, Boston Consulting Group, CBS Outdoor, Crystal CG, Eurostar, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, GSK, Gymnova, Holiday Inn, John Lewis, McCann Worldgroup, Mondo, Next, The Nielsen Company, Populous, Technogym, Ticketmaster and Trident.
There is one domestic Tier One Paralympic Games Partner, Sainsbury’s.
The Worldwide Olympic Partners signed up for London 2012 are Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos Origin, Dow Chemical Company, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Procter and Gamble, Samsung and Visa
