CHANNEL 4 EDUCATION AND LIVITY ANNOUNCE OUTREACH ACTIVITY FOR CULTURAL OLYMPIAD PROJECT
PRESS RELEASE
Date: 10th December 2010
Six regional partners appointed around the UK to open up spaces to young people
The first wave of regional partners to deliver outreach for somewhereto have been recruited this month, tasked with connecting 16-25 year olds and space-holders across the UK as part of Olympic Legacy project somewhereto.
The partners, who are skilled in both speaking to young people and utilising spaces, make up the first six of what will become a total of 24 regional coordinators to be appointed to this project over the next two years. They are based in various regions and include Young Scot from Scotland, PLACE from Northern Ireland, Fundamental and Louisa Fearnley who are both based in London, and NE Regional Youth Work Unit and Michele Deans from North East England.
somewhereto is a key project of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad, with a focus on the arts, culture and sport, and is funded by Legacy Trust UK, an independent charity set up to create a cultural and sporting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games across the UK.
Delivered by youth communications agency Livity in collaboration with media partner Channel 4 Education, somewhereto aims to connect young people with space-holders in their region to enable them to access free space where they can do the things they love.
The six partners are now working towards building relationships with numerous categories of space-holders in their regions to encourage them to unlock unused and under-used spaces such as empty shops, garages, roof-tops, car parks, gyms, allotments and other land to name just a few.
Sam Conniff, Co-Founder of Livity said, “It was important that the regional partners we appointed had strong local connections and were able to speak to two audiences who would not usually connect without an initiative like somewhereto.
“I believe we have kicked off this project with some of the best delivery partners around the country and look forward to hearing about the numerous journeys that are helped along by somewhereto.”
Jo Twist, Commissioning Editor at Channel 4 Education said, “We are delighted with the first appointments because it’s so important for this project that we work with people who already have fantastic relationships with young people in their local areas. The regional coordinators are key to the success of somewhereto and we can’t wait to see what they do.”
To get in touch about the project and/or opening up your space to young people, please contact Kate Harwood, Regional Support and Outreach Coordinator for the somewhereto team on 020 7326 5979 / kate@somewhereto.org.
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For further information or images regarding somewhereto please contact: Mira Jessani on 020 7326 5979 / mira@livity.co.uk.
N.B somewhereto is always spelt with a lower case s.
Notes to Editor
somewhereto, a key project of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, is funded by Legacy Trust UK, an independent charitable trust established with a £40 million endowment from the Big Lottery Fund (£29m), Arts Council England ((£5m) and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (£6m). Legacy Trust UK is an independent charity whose mission is to support a wide range of innovative cultural and sporting activities which celebrate the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and which will leave a lasting legacy in communities throughout the United Kingdom.
With a focus on the arts, culture and sports, somewhereto aims to enable 16-25 year olds across the UK to find spaces to do the things that they love, by working with them to secure access to spaces they often find that they don’t or can’t have access to. somewhereto aims to find a solution to this by connecting young people with space-holders who can help unlock spaces in their area. The interim website can be found at www.somewhereto.com
Livity
Livity is a youth-specialist, multidisciplinary communications agency that mentors young people from a broad range of backgrounds to co-create campaigns, content and communities for brands, government, charities and broadcasters, benefiting businesses, individuals and society. For more information, please visit www.livity.co.uk
Channel 4 Education
Channel 4 Education delivers interactive digital projects aimed at young people in the UK, helping them to understand the world they live in, achieve their personal potential and make the decisions that affect their lives. As the first generation to have grown up with the web, Education’s projects recognise how young people use media and technology to discover, share and learn from their families, friends and social networks. They expect to engage and control their media experiences, and to share experiences with friends across platforms and technologies. For more information please visit www.c4education.wordpress.com
Giving social enterprise a bigger voice
It’s confirmed; the biggest social enterprise conference in the world is to be held at the biggest entertainment venue in the world.
Voice11 will take place on 29th and 30th March at The O2.
It’s all set to be an amazing event that will give Social Enterprise the exposure it needs and deserves.
Being part of the dedicated group of people who’ve worked hard to turn a vision into reality is something Livity is extremely proud of.
For more on this historic announcement for the social enterprise sector please click here
Laughing all the way to the Bank
Grameen Bank is a microfinance social business in Bangladesh that makes small loans to people who can’t get credit, to enable them to get out of poverty.
Grameen means ‘village’, and yesterday, we visited one of thousands of villages transformed by Grameen Bank.
My prejudices of a ‘poor’ village’ in rural Bangladesh, meant that no matter how well briefed I was, an air ‘poverty tourism’ accompanied me into the village,
Until a group of women ‘borrowers’ shattered my preconceptions and taught me a lesson in entrepreneurship that I will never stop learning from, for as long as I live.
These women are not just borrowers, but also members, shareholders and ultimate owners of Grameen bank.
Of a profitable multi-million dollar bank, the borrowers own 96.65% of shares and occupy 9 of the 13 seats on the board.
We joined a weekly ‘centre meeting’ where ideas are explored, proposals presented, deals done, and loans repaid, with a 98% successful repayment rate.
But, it’s the human transaction taking place that is more significant than money. Women amass interest on their dignity deposit. Ideas and experience are traded across the earth floor. Women make withdrawals of confidence, pride and energy to spend on their homes, families and businesses. (more…)
Dubplate Y Mexico 4/4. Don Televicion.
The final meeting before retuning to the two presidential re pitches was with a celebrated social entrepreneur, creative thinker, senior TED fellow and something of an angel on earth.
She’s introducing us to Mexico’s advisor to the UN on youth issues and when it came to TV channels… she voted for scale and significance!
Which was lucky, because of the two presidents, one became a conference call booking and the one who squeezed us in was the big guy, the very last meeting of the very last day.
And so, we’re in the waiting room of El Presidente of the space station that is the channels sprawling HQ and studios, on what is arguably Dubplate Drama’s biggest day out, at 6pm on our third and final day in Mexico, with hours left, feeling a bit nervous.
A bow tied butler arrives to take our drinks order and I fight against every nerve to resist ordering a Vodka Martini.
Our vantage point of being on the top floor with huge windows means we can see the helicopter swoop in and feel it land on the roof directly above our heads and see El Presidente walk down a short flight of stairs and into the meeting room. And then we’re beckoned in….
Don Televicion aka TV God enters the room, white haired, broad shouldered, perfect teeth, a fair face (but one that you’d never fuck with) a deep voice that didn’t say much but didn’t get disobeyed, ever. All immaculately turned out, in a monogram tailor made shirt.
As I noticed a hand shaking as it picked up its glass, I decided not to drink any more water, and we began.
As we explained the interactive aspect of the show and talked through our favourite dilemma ending (season two, episode 6) his perfect poker broke a smile.
He talked about which option he would have voted for and we began to discuss values, morals and principles, and how best to encourage these debates amongst young people, he talked about his vision for the station and of it’s role in civil society, and their responsibility to educate and empower.
Anyone can do a values speech, but this wasn’t anyone speaking, we talked of exciting future plans and of the social, cultural and philosophical programs the channel fund, all, obviously balanced with their competitive and commercial imperatives.
Good talk, for the head of an entire network.
We talked of our ambitions for a Spanish speaking locally produced version of Dubplate Drama and the effect it could have, we discussed the business end of a deal and we left shaking hands and agreeing to talk over the next few weeks with a view to potentially making something happen.
We drove away watching the sunset over Mexico City and it felt a little bit like it was Mexico City was making the decisions for us.
None of this would have been possible without the British Council and they’re amazing teams in both London and Mexico. In particular Angelica Atristain and Claire DeBraekeleer.
Dubplate Y Mexico 3/4. A Tale of Two Channels.
Being stopped during a pitch so the commissioners of the TV station you’re presenting to can go and get the president of the channel, doesn’t happen often.
And it’s never happened to me before, until this week.
Which made it even crazier when the same thing happened again, the next day, on the other side of Mexico City at a rival channel.
Neither president was present, so second meetings were set up and a tale of two channels began.
The second largest Spanish language TV network on the planet renowned for it’s world conquering Tele Novella’s Vs the pioneering public service broadcaster, borne out of a university, radical, socially principled, but quite a bit smaller, rival.
Trying to weigh up the pro’s and con’s of each, we zig zagged across Mexico City meeting the other key players and components needed to make Dubplate Mexico a reality, with a few pavement restaurant meetings along the way.
We sounded out brand partners and sponsors and met everyone from the world’s largest handset manufacturer to the planets most popular sportswear brand and a few more in between.
Luckily the one we were most excited about was the one most excited about us.
We met with the head of the British Council and have never been left so open jawed by a vision for cultural and social
improvement achieved through creative and social enterprise. If he pulls it off, his plans will be a lesson for Social Enterprise
around the world.
We asked everyone we met to vote on the right TV station for us in the great big Dubplate channel debate.
Vote A to reach all of Latin America vote B to keep it real.
And everyone surprised us with his or her answers.
Global trainer brand say go with the little guys it’s about perceptions.
Awe inspiring Social Entrepreneurs with hands on experience working with kids on the street say go with the big guys, it’s social change at the greatest scale that is required.
We were incredibly lucky with the access, interest and opportunity we had, and we tried to make the most of it.
The only meeting we didn’t get to have was with someone who’d recently decided it was time to leave Mexico City when their five year old children were given ‘Getting away from Kidnappers’ training at school.
That stopped us in our tracks.
As did the Chocolate Social Entrepreneur who made and sold chocolate shaped grenades and bombs to raise awareness and money to help heavily exploited cocoa farmers.
We also had our preconceptions of the Telly Novella challenged. There are strong social and moral messages core to the Telly Novella and a significant history of them focussing on specific social issues and raising awareness and working in partnership with relevant advisory and support networks.
Not entirely unlike Dubplate Drama, just a lot, lot longer.
We were further put in our place as we were reminded about the validity of the simple escape of the Telly Novella if you travel four hours round trip to work a 12-hour shift every single day.
Our cynical assumptions and hesitations about Big Broadcaster were beginning to shift.
If you took the proven change Dubplate achieved in the UK, in terms of behavioural change in young people and the complete shift in audience we achieved for Childline, and then magnified it to a country of 122 million with a average age of 25…. Just as your starting point…?
If you add to this the discovery made during our research that Big Broadcaster has for five years run a daily show dramatising real life stories sent in anonymously by women who can’t speak about them elsewhere, tackling issues from abuse and rape to anorexia and alcohol abuse and then promoting the services, around the show, that these women need to break the cycles they’re caught in…
Our choice of channels was beginning to sharpen.
Less than a day left and a deal to be done…
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None of this would have been possible without the British Council and they’re amazing teams in both London and Mexico. In particular Angelica Atristain and Claire DeBraekeleer.
