Memorandum submitted by the New Millennium
Experience Company
THE NATIONAL PROGRAMME
THE ACTIVITIES
OF THE
NEW MILLENNIUM
EXPERIENCE COMPANY
ACROSS THE
UK
The terms of reference for the Culture, Media
and Sport's fifth inquiry include examination of "the activities
of the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) across the UK".
This written memorandum deals with those activities.
INTRODUCTION
Part of the remit the company was given by the
Millennium Commission in February 1997 was to "organise and
run a national programme across the UK, to support local events
and provide a link to the Millennium Experience at Greenwich."
The aim was, and is, to bring the Millennium Experience to as
wide and as inclusive an audience of participants as possible.
As indicated in the company's published Annual Report and Financial
Statements about £50 million of the Millennium Experience
cash-limited budget of £758 million was earmarked for this
aspect of the project. Additionally, in order to achieve effective
development, implementation and promotion of the National Programme,
the company established 12 "regional" offices throughout
the UK. The company's staff in these offices, in addition to their
work on the National Programme, have provided a local focus for
Millennium celebrations and for bringing different local groups
and resources together.
NMEC's programme of initiatives throughout the
United Kingdom under the umbrella of the National Programme encompasses
a comprehensive Learning Experience, other non-school/education
establishment initiatives and the company's participation, in
partnership with the 11 National Lottery distributors, in the
Millennium Festival. Many aspects of the Programme are linked
to individual exhibit zones at the Dome and are showcased at the
Dome. All have been developed and implemented with the support
and involvement of the sponsors and partners of the Millennium
Experience.
THE NATIONAL
PROGRAMME
The National Programme is the largest and most
inclusive community-based initiative ever developed in the UK.
Through the broad range of projects that comprise the National
Programme, millions of people across the country have the opportunity
to take part, to make a difference to their lives and to their
communities, and to leave a positive, long-term legacy for the
new Millennium. The Programme has been specifically designed to
give as many people as possible the opportunity to participate,
whatever their ages, interests or aspirations for the 21st century.
An unprecedented range of partnerships, between
the private, public and voluntary sectors has been created. Companies
have developed truly progressive initiatives, extending far beyond
the traditional forms of corporate support for social and community
projects. Charities have also worked together, many for the first
time, as collective partnerships with the aim of achieving more
as a result.
INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS
OF THE
NATIONAL PROGRAMME
Children's Promise, is linked to the Self Portrait
Zone at the Dome and is made possible by Marks & Spencer.
It is one of the most ambitious fund-raising initiatives ever
attempted in the UK. Her Majesty The Queen is patron of the Children's
Promise charity. The premise of the initiative is to encourage
as many individuals as possible to give one hour's earnings to
create a legacy for the children of the new Millennium. Seven
charities have come together for the first time under the Children's
Promise banner and will use their expertise to allocate the money
raised to agreed new projects. The seven charities are:
— The Children's Society (working with
Aberlour Child Care Trust in Scotland; and EXTERN in Northern
Ireland)
— NCH Action for Children
— NSPCC (working with Children 1st
in Scotland)
The project has created a revolution in payroll
giving, with £18.5 million donated to date. This figure includes
a personally signed cheque from pop superstar Sir Cliff Richard,
who raised money through the sales of his Number One hit single
"Millennium Prayer" and announced this significant contribution
at a ceremony in the Dome.
More than 5,600 organisations representing over
10.3 million employees are committed to participating in the appeal.
Leading Government figures and MPs, including Tony Blair and Gordon
Brown, have also donated. The bulk of donations to date represented
the last hour's wage of the last Millennium and plans are agreed
to promote a similar payroll donation programme for the last working
hour of the year 2000.
Common Purpose Citizen's Connection, is linked
to the Shared Ground Zone at the Dome and is made possible by
Camelot Group plc. It launches in September 2000 and is another
ground-breaking initiative, which aims to revolutionise the relationship
between individual people and their local community via access
to the Internet; creating a new generation of active citizens
for the new Millennium. (The pre-launch website can be accessed
at www.czc.net). It is an interactive resource, which inspires
people to make a difference in society and gives them the tools
to do it. Using technology developed within the voluntary sector,
content falls within four sections: "How Society Works",
"Using Your Voice", "Taking on a New Role",
and "Joining the Debate".
Citizen's Connection is featured in the Active
Citizens Quiz showcased in the Dome and has challenged thousands
of visitors to find out how much they know about how society works
and suggests ways in which they can make a difference in their
communities.
MPs, senior representatives from the voluntary
sector and journalists attended a Citizen's Connection forum at
the Cabinet Office earlier this year. Lord Falconer, the Shareholder
of the company, chaired the discussion, which sought to share
information and ideas about how to ensure the success of Citizen's
Connection when it launches.
Reach for the Sky, is linked to Skyscape at
the Dome and is sponsored by BskyB. It was launched in May 1999.
The Internet site (www.reachforthesky.co.uk) recently received
acclaim from the Daily Mail as one of the top sites in its category.
Featuring online interviews with the Prime Minister, live monthly
"Career Clinics", a resident Agony Aunt, and regularly
updated information about what life is really like in hundreds
of jobs, the Reach for the Sky website is fast becoming the first
stop for Britain's teenagers seeking guidance about their futures.
Reach for the Sky Community Awards have taken
place in Liverpool, Leeds and Newcastle. Workshops in science,
technology and journalism have successfully inspired young people
to consider the work opportunities available in the new Millennium.
Fifteen Awards Workshops are scheduled to take place this year.
These awards have been designed with the help of the Reach for
the Sky Award Partners—School of Media, London School of
Printing, the BRIT School, Weston Spirit, CREST Awards, Activate
(UK), and the Imperial College. Sky Television employees are acting
as mentors at these workshops, providing expertise in their specialist
areas.
Manpower National Skills Festival 2000, is linked
to the Work Zone at the Dome and is an initiative developed in
partnership with UK SKILLS and the Prince's Trust and the Department
for Education and Employment. The project aims to help young people
to succeed by promoting excellence in practical skills.
The Festival has already featured major launch
events in Wales, Northern Ireland and the North East. Live, interactive
skill demonstrations in public places were the theme of Skills
Week (May 22-26). Skills week was launched on 22 May as part of
the Work and Learning Week in the Dome, where celebrities were
asked to tackle new or long dormant skills. A major event took
place in Manchester on 26 May, where the Skills Festival took
over the whole of Albert Square with over 1,000 local schoolchildren.
Regional Steering Groups, comprising key figures
in skills development, have come together to co-ordinate more
than 70 skills events across the country, expected to involve
100,000 participants. Skills Week was supported with more than
£250,000 in sponsorship from regional and national bodies,
in addition to the £50,000 funding from the Skills Festival.
The Skills Show takes place at Birmingham NEC
between 5 and 9 July and is expected to attract 50,000 visitors.
The centrepiece of the show is the national finals of more than
40 skills sectors' competitions, accredited by UK SKILLS. Birmingham
City Council have awarded the Skills Show "Major Event Status".
The Skills Festival reaches its conclusion at
a celebration event at the Dome on 16 November 2000 to mark the
success of the Skills Show winners and to wish them well in their
campaign to bring back medals from the World Skills Championships
in Seoul, South Korea in 2001.
BAA Millennium Youth Games, is part of the Millennium
Festival, and is the world's largest sporting event for young
people, including those with disabilities. The programme spans
three years and will attract some 250,000 participants. (BAA,
together with BA, are sponsors of Home Planet at the Dome).
During the spring and early summer, 43 area
youth games will take place across the UK, culminating in a spectacular
Grand Final in Southampton during August 2000.
The Games provides categories for under 13s
and under 15s in athletics, tennis, hockey, netball, swimming,
basketball, rugby (including mixed and girls' teams) and football
(including girls teams). These sports were chosen to complement
Sport England's new Active Sports programme to encourage young
people to become more involved in sport.
THE NATIONAL
PROGRAMME'S
LEARNING EXPERIENCE
The Learning Experience focuses on events and
initiatives involving schoolchildren of all ages, and others,
and assists the company in delivering the "educational"
aspect of the remit from the Millennium Commission and the Government.
It offers the largest education resource outside the education
establishment in the UK throughout 2000—including the opportunity
for up to one million schoolchildren to visit the Dome free of
charge and over 500,000 the opportunity to visit at special rates.
The Learning Experience adheres to five key
principles:
— Education is for everybody, not just
for children in schools.
— Initiatives and projects within the
programme will be innovative and creative.
— Quality matters—the aim is
to raise standards and develop skills.
— Initiatives will leave an enduring
legacy.
— Technology will be key to delivering
projects.
Within the Learning Experience team there are
12 Education Managers and a dedicated team located in the Learning
Experience Centre at the Dome. Additionally, the Learning Zone
within the Dome (sponsored by Tesco) includes the school of the
future and the skills needed for the 21st century, and many of
the other zones have an educational content.
Projects developed and implemented at local,
regional, national and international levels within the Learning
Experience are:
McDonald's Our Town Story, is a unique project
which allows schools and communities throughout the country the
opportunity to perform on the Our Town Stage in the Dome, telling
the story of their town's history throughout the last Millennium,
and looking to the future. Over 200 schools and communities will
appear throughout 2000. There have already been 80 performance
days, involving 76 LEAs and over 8,000 schoolchildren from all
over the UK.
The performances incorporate music, dance, street
theatre and drama in energetic and innovative productions, which
have received overwhelmingly positive responses from participants,
visitors and VIPs alike. Behind the scenes, a large proportion
of the participating communities (such as parents, teachers, non-performing
students and local media) have dedicated tireless hours to bringing
these projects to life. The project has captured the imagination
and galvanised communities in celebrating the new Millennium and
taking part in the Millennium Experience.
The local and regional news coverage has been
widespread and extremely positive. Over 397 media representatives
have attended shows and promotional press and TV events. This
coverage has promoted the Dome to potential visitors and brought
local communities together—thus adding to the legacy. Legacy
records are being collected in the form of performance videos,
media coverage, guest lists and performance summary notes.
McDonald's Learning Experience Centre. The Centre,
at the Dome, enables up to 100 schoolchildren per session to visit
the classroom of the future. The installation of new technology
software, including 24 state of the art computer terminals in
two futuristic classrooms, enables students to design their own
websites; send and discuss work via webcam to anywhere in the
world, and participate in video-conferencing with schools all
over the world. Students e-mail their work in progress back to
their schools, to continue on return. Students can also take away
their materials on CD-ROM.
The Centre has played host to prestigious and
special educational projects, including US Vice President Al Gore's
Globe Project and a live video link-up to students in America
and the first live, uncensored link between students in the UK
and China.
BAE Systems' Engineering Our Future: (learning
science, technology and engineering in the Dome). This project
aims to provide resources, activities and events for schools and
colleges to experience science and technology from an engineering
perspective.
The first academic term of science and technology
lessons in the Mind Zone has now been completed. Between 29 February
and 13 April, 63 schools, 1,900 students and 135 teachers from
around the UK participated in sessions. Bookings for the summer
term are full and are now being taken for the autumn term. The
schools' responses to the project have been 100 per cent positive.
Feedback forms show that students particularly enjoy the inter-activity
of the performance (featuring robots) and teachers appreciate
the innovative interpretation of zone content and the manner in
which the sessions set the educational tone for their students'
day at the Dome.
Millennium Science and Technology Experience.
Two of the 12 scheduled Science Fairs have been successfully completed,
again with very positive feedback from students and teachers alike.
The next Fair is being held at Canary Wharf on 22 May, which is
being attended by BAE Systems Chief Executive, John Weston. Two
schools from each of the Fairs will be invited to attend a huge
celebration of their achievements in science and technology at
the Dome in October 2000. These events will reach and encourage
over 2,500 young people.
As part of the initiative, more than 50 engineers
have been trained and will go into schools for up to five days
throughout the summer and autumn terms to relate industry and
engineering to the classroom.
Tesco SchoolNet 2000. Since 1 January 2000,
young visitors to the Dome have contributed 1,700 articles to
the Tesco SchoolNet 2000 website. These children have given us
their thoughts on the past, present and future in a fantastic
electronic Domesday Book for the new Millennium.
In the Tesco SchoolNet 2000 classroom at the
Dome, children from as far away as the Falkland Islands and China
have created web pages. Many schools in the UK are continuing
to put children's work on the site, which is open for new web
pages until December 2000. To date, 16,500 schools have registered
with the project, 132,000 pupils have filed their personal accounts
and 47,000 web pages have been published—making this the
largest educational website in the world.
BT FutureTalk. This project involves performance
in schools by CragRats and ARC Theatre Companies, aimed at improving
the communication skills of young pupils.
More than 2,000 schools have been visited to
date and 262,000 pupils have seen the performances.
Each school digitally photographs the event
and a member of staff is given ICT training to help display the
children's work electronically.
The programme is being evaluated by NFER and
the latest report provides a strong endorsement from teachers
of the project's impact and success.
Curriculum materials have been produced, which
are proving popular with the schools and a pack has been issued
on the Education Programme for schools visiting the Dome.
Voices of Promise, supported by Marks &
Spencer, Roland and Boosey & Hawkes. "The songs we listen
to tomorrow will be written by the people we encourage today"—Phil
Collins. This is the vision behind the Voices of Promise, a groundbreaking
song writing project organised throughout the UK. Children were
invited to compose and sing songs expressing their hopes and aspirations
for the next Millennium.
As a result, Voices has developed the music
curriculum throughout the UK and enabled teachers to explore new
skills while students were given the opportunity to write and
perform their own songs.
7,000 schools registered and received the song-writing
pack. 2,000 schools composed songs. 500 schools received a "Song-Writer
in Schools" workshop. 140 schools performed in 14 regional
concerts. 22 schools recorded their songs at the prestigious Air
Studios in London and later performed them at the Dome in front
of an audience of 3,500 people.
The project has captured the imagination and
generated significant local and national TV and press exposure
in recognition of the schools' achievements.
The support of major companies, Marks &
Spencer, Boosey & Hawkes and Roland in particular, has been
excellent.
Marks & Spencer have reached the final stages
of the Business in the Community Awards due to their involvement.
Roland has supplied state of the art music equipment as prizes
to the 22 finalist schools, as well as discount vouchers for further
equipment. They organised a weekend retreat for the teachers of
the finalist schools, in order to learn how to operate the specialist
equipment. The final 22 songs are also included on the Roland
website. Boosey & Hawkes has published a songbook featuring
each of the 22 finalist songs.
Faith Zone Poster Project. This initiative has
invited church schools throughout the country to produce their
message for the new Millennium, for exhibit in the Faith Zone
in the Dome. Each month an NMEC Regional Office runs a competition
with the Local Education Authorities to select the best posters
to be displayed. Once again, excellent local media coverage has
been generated.
Keepwell Project. This initiative enabled some
800 schoolchildren around the UK to produce designs for inventions
or games, which could promote the improved health of the nation.
The judges felt that so many of the designs were of such a high
quality that, instead of selecting one winning design, several
designs were selected for display as part of the Body Zone, sponsored
by Boots with L'Oreal and Roche, on a rotating basis.
MILLENNIUM YOUTH
COUNCILS
The company established the country-wide Millennium
Youth Councils in 1998. Members of Councils have acted as ambassadors
and researchers for the Dome and its associated projects. Many
MYC members are on other Youth Councils and local forums and pass
views and thoughts from their peers to the NMEC staff and Board.
The 12 regional Youth Councils have advised
on the Dome content and the Millennium Show. They have also participated
in national NMEC projects such as Voices of Promise, Tesco SchoolNet
2000 and Our Town Story steering groups.
The MYCs are doing presentations and exhibitions
in schools to youth groups and even to Local Education Authorities.
All MYC members have been media trained by the company and have
participated in numerous TV, radio and print interviews. The London
MYC have visited the BBC and advised on their new education programmes.
The National Youth Council is currently participating
in a Statement of Achievement, endorsed by the Rt Hon David Blunkett
MP. Each region has "adopted" a zone of the Dome and
is writing a "Young Person's Guide to the Dome" which
will be published on the MYC website—myc2000.co.uk.
The Department for Education and Employment
and the UK Youth Parliament Steering Group are consulting the
MYCs as part of the Connexions Strategy and the 12 Youth Councils
will form the basis of the UK Young Persons Network in 2001.
THE MILLENNIUM
FESTIVAL
The Millennium Festival is a UK-wide celebration
of the Millennium. A rich and diverse collection of carnivals,
pageants, exhibitions and sporting activities, these events are
organised by people coming together in local communities to plan
their own unique ways to mark the Millennium. Over 15,000 local
and regional events will take place throughout the year 2000,
celebrating the talents, imagination, culture and diversity of
the UK's population.
The Festival activities are made possible by
the Millennium Festival Fund. The Fund brought together for the
first time all 11 Lottery Distributors, which were then in operational
existence. The Lottery distributors have worked in partnership
with NMEC to create and promote a £100 million grants fund.
There were two levels of activity to the grants
programme—Large Grants over £5,000 and Small Grants
between £500 and £5,000. The Large Grants programme
ran from May 1998 to February 1999. The Small Grants programme
has run to a varied timetable in the different countries within
the UK, following on after the Large Grants programme and in some
cases still running.
NMEC's role has been to promote and market the
Millennium Festival across the UK to the widest possible range
of stakeholders, potential applicant organisations, media and
general public. NMEC was also tasked with attracting commercial
sponsorship for the Festival.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Sponsorship
In addition to the funding from the 11 Lottery
Distributors, NMEC has attracted commercial support from:
— Coca Cola—direct sponsorship.
— BAA—support for the Millennium
Youth Games element of the Festival.
— Associated Newspapers (London Evening
Standard).
— Capital Group—to support Festival
activities in London and Wales.
— Bank of Scotland—to support
Festival activities in Scotland.
In addition, the Festival has attracted the
substantial added value of PR and media activity via opportunities
for all groups to carry the endorsement of Coca Cola branding
on their publicity materials, and for Millennium Festival branding
featuring on London Evening Standard "Hot Tickets" materials
and publications.
Promoting Partnerships
The Millennium Festival has generated and sustained
partnerships through its developmental and advocacy role in the
regions. For example, in the South West region local authorities
in Gloucestershire, which had not worked together before, joined
forces to discuss their respective Festival activities and this
has led to a long-term commitment to joint working arrangements
and improved cross-authority and cross-boundary working. There
has been a similar increase in collaboration and co-operation
by local authorities in the Eastern region.
The Millennium Festival has forged a number
of distinctive partnerships with the BBC. One of the keynote Millennium
celebrations was the BBC Music Live between 25 and 29 May 2000.
The Festival worked closely with the BBC to promote an extensive
programme of street festivals throughout the country and to ensure
that local community organisations knew of the opportunity to
participate in the final celebrations of the "Perfect Day"
charity recording.
The Millennium Festival also has a dedicated
day within the BBC's Proms series on 12 August 2000 when young
people making music will be the focus of five hours of concerts.
The Festival's Small Awards schemes have been
instrumental in increasing access to Lottery Distributors' funding.
In England, under the Awards for All scheme, 75 per cent of applicants
are receiving funding for the first time. An effective and widespread
PR campaign, combined with the general appeal of the Millennium
Festival enabled those new to applying for Lottery funding to
access the gateway with ease.
These local networks will provide a long-term
legacy of partnership working across regions and communities.
Increasing Social Inclusion
The Millennium Festival has succeeded in its
remit of supporting fully inclusive celebrations. Increasing access
and participation have been key criteria for support from the
Festival and a significant proportion of funding has been received
by groups, which for one reason or another, have previously been
excluded from funding, ie groups representing ethnic and religious
minority groups, and small rural community groups.
The Large Grants scheme made 76 awards to Black
and ethnic minority managed groups worth over £3 million.
Another 100 projects that have been supported have a strong multi-cultural
element in planned celebrations or education events and this funding
comes to over £15 million.
Funding of over £2.5 million was received
by 57 disabled groups, including local Mind groups and those covering
physical disabilities. Another 150 projects have made specific
attempts to encourage and facilitate the participation of disabled
people.
MILLENNIUM FESTIVAL
FUND—LARGE
GRANTS—AWARDS
OVER £5,000
Across the whole of the UK 1,149 awards were
made worth over £53.7 million. These can be divided by country
as follows:
— England—866 awards worth £33.3
million.
— Northern Ireland—60 awards
worth £2.8 million.
— Wales—78 awards worth £3.5
million.
— Scotland—106 awards worth £5.6
million.
— UK wide—39 awards worth £8.5
million.
Expenditure across England can be sub-divided
as follows:
— London—119 awards worth £4.9
million.
— South East—118 awards worth
£3.7 million.
— South West—81 awards worth
£2.4 million.
— East—74 awards worth £2.3
million.
— East Midlands—113 awards worth
£4.1 million.
— West Midlands—64 awards worth
£2.7 million.
— North East—75 awards worth
£2.5 million.
— North West—92 awards worth
£3.3 million.
— Yorkshire & Humberside—87
awards worth £2.4 million.
— Cross regional—43 awards worth
£3 million.
Plus £2 million from Sport England for
the 38 BAA Millennium Youth Games events.
CONCLUSION
By any standards the National Programme has
been and continues to be an outstanding success delivering all
that had been hoped from it in terms of coverage across the UK,
numbers of people participating, inclusivity, variety, scope and
legacy. It has also constantly received very positive regional
media coverage.
June 2000
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