London 2012 blog

I started working at LOCOG a month ago as project manager on ‘Welcoming the World’.  I know, it sounds like a big responsibility. 

While it’s inspired by a big idea - of showcasing the uniqueness of East London to the rest of the world - it’s actually a film and photography project involving 20 schools in the five Host Boroughs of Greenwich, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest. 

Welcoming the World is the first education project we’re launching, to coincide with the start of the Cultural Olympiad in 2008. At the end of the Beijing Olympic Games and Paralympic Games there will be formal Handover Ceremonies in which the Mayor of Beijing will present the Olympic flags to the Mayor of London. These will be the moments when the eyes of the world will turn to London and the lead up to the London 2012 Games will begin.

In Welcoming the World, we’re asking young people to consider what they would like the world to see from their local area, and providing an opportunity for communities to be part of the Games experience.  

It is a privilege to work on this project. The idea of asking people to make the most of activities surrounding the 2012 Games and finding ways of creating a sense that the Olympiad is their own is very much a part of my own ethos.

I have a background in performing and choreographing dance and aerial work for theatre, commercial events, community shows and in schools.  I have also worked in education, with teachers and students and education providers to make the learning experience more engaging. 

Originally from Australia, my work has taken me all over the world - from India to Vienna and Tanzania. The world is a beautiful place and I have been lucky enough to travel - it will be a wonderful to welcome the richness and diversity that's out there into London and the UK.