Tag Archives: values

Culture 2014, International Education, International partnerships

Letter from (North) America

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This is the first in a brief blog series highlighting how partners across the Commonwealth, and indeed the globe are using Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games as a context for learning.

Coinciding with the award of our first Game On Scotland plaque on foreign soil, we couldn’t resist the temptation to shine a spotlight on one of our Canadian school partners.

For Major Ballachey Elementary School in Brantford Ontario, participation in projects like Game On Challenge and Commonwealth Class provides a fantastically rich opportunity to foster a greater depth global awareness for students. Staff see it as a key component in their drive to cultivate a collective sense of pride and accomplishment for all students.

There is a real passion to share meaningfully with peers across the globe. Major Ballachey students decided the best way to do this was to create a series of short videos documenting life in and around the school. These provided the gateway to further collaboration with other Commonwealth schools.

Commonwealth Class has provided an unprecedented opportunity for students to interact directly with their peers across the globe. Participation in debates across international borders is invaluable as students strive to understand that the richness of our multiple identities are fundamental to the Commonwealth’s principles and approaches.

The Commonwealth is close to the heart for students at Major Ballachey. Located in Brantford, which itself is close to Hamilton, recognised as the birthplace of the British Empire Games, now the Commonwealth Games. This ensures students have a keen eye on the forthcoming games, the athletes and of course the VIP Baton event at which they were awarded their Game On Scotland plaque by Cabinet Secretary, Ms Shona Robison.

Games Legacy, Inspire>Aspire

Scotland’s Schools get ready to be inspired by Glasgow 2014

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On Monday 19th August, pupils at Grove Academy in Dundee were involved in a launch event with a difference. Not only were they joined Shona Robison MSP and local hero Liz McColgan to launch Character Scotland’s exciting new ‘Inspire>Aspire: Global Citizens in the Making’ programme – they also launched their own inspirations and aspirations in the form of over 220 helium balloons which took to the skies above Broughty Ferry.

Character Scotland is an emerging and rapidly expanding charity that aims to support the development of children and young people’s character and values. The charity’s vision is for all children and young people to develop as responsible, caring, ethical and engaged global citizens: people who aim to HELP OTHERS, GET INVOLVED, DO THE RIGHT THING and DO THEIR BEST.

Liz McColgan, former Commonwealth and Olympic athlete, said “the project allows pupils to believe in themselves. It doesn’t matter what people think or say about you, if you really believe in something you want to achieve you have to be dedicated to putting the time and effort into doing it. This project allows children to search at what they are good at”.

To find out more or get involved with the progamme please go to the Global Citizens in the Making section within Game On Scotland.

Award, Inspire>Aspire, partnership

Young people display Olympic spirit: The 2013 Inspire>Aspire Awards

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Some of the country’s brightest young people visited Glasgow City Chambers to receive medals for their work on the Inspire-Aspire programme from Olympic Gold Medallist rower, Katherine Grainger CBE, IOC member Sir Craig Reedie CBE and the Lord Provost of Glasgow Cllr Sadie Docherty.

The Inspire-Aspire Awards programme reached 25,000 young people this year by using the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the character qualities of Olympians to inspire young people to set personal goals and to develop future aspirations.

Winning a joint- Gold, 1st Level award at the event were Iona Robertson, Banff Academy and Dornie Burnett from Inverurie Academy.

Dornie chose Nadia Elena Comăneci as her inspirational figure as part of her work on the programme.  Expressing her reasons for her chosen inspirational figure, Dornie said:

 “How many future gymnasts did Nadia inspire? I don’t know the exact number, but it is at least one, because she inspired me”.

 Before presenting the awards, Olympian Grainger told an enthralled audience that it takes commitment and courage to reach the top. She spoke about how it was sheer determination that had helped her finish the race at the London Olympics in 2012. Grainger expressed how important using the Olympic and Paralympic values in everyday life can be, not just in sport.

Inspire-Aspire aims to help young people gain a better understanding of their own character qualities and values and inspire them to create a personal development plan. 

Iona explained how much of an impact participating in Inspire-Aspire has had on her: “The questions it asked me made me put my goals and targets into perspective.”

Games Legacy, Uncategorized

Brand new Game On Scotland materials!

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Three new exciting learning journeys as well as an additional three videos have been released this week on Game On Scotland.

Learning Journeys

The learning journeys have been developed around migration and  human rights issues with Community Learning in mind as well as in support of creativity and expressive arts:

Video releases

Three new videos have been released to support the case study about Calderglen High School’s successful Games Legacy programme.  The short clips feature members of the senior management team and pupils from Calderglen High school talking about the impact of the Games on learning, values education and overall school ethos.

Glasgow 2014, partnership

UNICEF, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games forge a new partnership for children

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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.