Written evidence submitted by Gaynor Nash
OLYMPIC LEGACY:
CHILDREN AND
YOUNG PEOPLE,
EAST MIDLANDS
Submission from Gaynor Nash, 2012 Legacy Coordinator,
Children and Young People, East Midlands on behalf of nine Local
Authorities in the East Midlands.
I began my five year post in June 2009. The five
areas I am supporting are:
— educational opportunities provided by
London 2012;
— cultural activities for and involving
children and young people; and
1. It is of particular significance that
the nine LAs in the East Midlands have placed key importance upon
the Legacy from 2012 for Children and Young People. Leadership
in this initiative was provided principally by John Sinnott, Chief
Executive of Leicestershire County Council and recently honoured
with CBE in the New Year's Honours List.
2. The post links to that of Tracy Croft,
2012 Regional Coordinator based at emda and is strongly supported
by CYPS within each of the authorities and by the 5 County Sports
Partnerships.
3. The post holder has over 25 years of
experience within teaching and a further seven years at Leicester
City Council leading on Study Support and then Extended Services.
4. The post holder has linked effectively
with staff at Loughborough University and has devised an Inspired
by 2012 project called Musubi which builds upon the link between
Loughborough University and the Japanese Olympic Committee which
will use the University for a pre-Games Training Camp. Led by
young people from South Wolds Community School the project creates
a series of Musubi Days at LU for Specialist Language Colleges
across the region. The South Wolds students lead on Japanese culture,
customs, sport and language and the Day includes sushi making
(good for the weight management agenda) and Taiko drumming. One
College per term will attend Musubi Days with a grand Musubi Festival
in summer 2012.
5. Each College will run a Musubi Day for
its neighbouring schools so that Musubi has the potential to create
Legacy for thousands of East Midlands children and young people.
There will be direct involvement for 450 schoolchildren and approximately
50 University students over the two and a half years. The first
Musubi Day was on 13 November 2009 for Campion School, Northamptonshire
and was hugely successful. The next is on 10 March 2010 for Aldercar
School in Derbyshire.
6. The Legacy Coordinator organised an event
for Head Teachers on 19 November 2009 entitled "London 2012:
What's In It For Me and My School" which was attended by
200 people from schools and LAs across the region. This was well
received and judged by Get Set staff from London 2012 to be the
biggest such event outside London so far. The Coordinator is planning
subsequent events in Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Derbyshire
in 2010.
7. The Coordinator is supporting recruitment
to Get Set and the creation of Get Set Networks in the region.
There has been an upsurge in both in recent months.
8. The Coordinator is planning further major
projects including a Values Heptathlon to start in summer 2010,
hopefully endorsed by Jessica Ennis.
9. emda is providing great support for the
Coordinator who is also backed by the Creative Programmer, the
Igniting Ambition team and the Inspire Programmer.
10. Plans are in draft for Sport and Culture
Festivals in the summers of 2011 and 2012. These will be for semi-sporty
young people and introduce them to sport and physical activity
which is new to them. We will look to link to International Inspiration
projects which have been running successfully in the region (Seb
Coe visited Notts schools in May that have wonderful links to
NE Brazil) and also to all things Japanese (and any other nations
that run pre-Games Training Camps in the region. The Coordinator
is supporting International Inspiration in the region and has
attended briefings for schools around links with Nigeria.
11. The region is very strong in terms of
Young Ambassadors, some of whom have been platform speakers at
national Youth Sport Trust events alongside Baroness Campbell
(Debbie Foote from Lincs and Oli Hooper from Derbs are excellent
examples. The Coordinator is working with these YAs as role models
for other young people in the region. The Coordinator is supporting
the Loughborough Flames Inspired by 2012 project and linking with
all 27 FE Institutions in the region through the FE Regional Coordinator
as well as direct contact with many Colleges.
12. The Coordinator produces regular newsletters
to keep all partners informed of developments linked to London
2012 and also serves as a conduit for information by forwarding
news of Conferences, competitions and events related to Legacy.
13. The Coordinator is involved in discussions
relating to the Torch Relay in the region and will ensure that
the aspirations of the region's Children and Young People are
reflected in the planning.
14. The values underpinning the Olympics
and Paralympics are strongly reflected in the East Midlands approach
to legacy for children and young people. To that end, where possible,
children and young people will be consulted in the creation of
opportunities specific to young East Midlanders.
15. Freer access to resources and sporting
icons as role models would be a huge boost to ensuring a powerful
lasting legacy for children and young people in the East Midlands.
January 2010
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