Full information on the 100 selected Young Leaders, and the overall programme, can be found at www.london2012.com/youngleaders. The selected Young Leaders gathered at a residential in Windsor, where they met each other for the first time and enjoyed inspirational talks from Dame Kelly Holmes, Olympic swimmer Adam Whitehead, World Champion extreme inline skater Jenna Downing and Paralympic skier Anna Turney. The Young Leaders also received briefings on the project and took part in leadership, communication and team building exercises. Pictures of the selected young leaders at the residential in Windsor with Dame Kelly Holmes are available to download here. Footage from the weekend for broadcast is available by request. Selected young leader Shahed Popal, 16, from Hillingdon said: “The residential was great in terms of teaching us new skills in the areas of leadership, team building and presentation skills. During our projects we will be able to use these skills to produce great projects, which have positive outcomes.” Seb Coe, Chair of London 2012, said: “As part of our original bid commitment, the London 2012 Young Leaders project fits clearly with our vision of engaging and inspiring young people. Volunteering is not only an integral part of creating positive change in communities and developing skills in young people, but also essential to the success of the Games. “Through this project we will be able to help develop the skills in these young people, taking them on a personal journey of development whilst benefiting the communities they live in.” The London 2012 Young Leaders Programme is designed to give young people, who otherwise would not have the opportunity, the chance to make positive change to their lives and their communities. This will be achieved by participation in a number of remarkable volunteering opportunities based around BP’s four main hub locations of Canary Wharf, Sunbury-on-Thames, Hull and Aberdeen. The residential is the start of an 18-month training programme designed to improve their communication and leadership skills, with training delivered at a local, regional and national level through workshops, mentoring programmes and events. The Young Leaders will develop and deliver a range of volunteering opportunities in their local community supported by the programmes’ delivery partners v, ‘The National Young Volunteers Service’, the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust and Aberdeen Foyer. They will receive leadership coaching from one hundred BP employees and a number of high profile athlete mentors many of whom are Olympians and Paralympians, to help them along their way. The intention is that the 100 selected Young Leaders will work to recruit and engage other young volunteers from their local area in order to support their community activities. They will also seek to promote London 2012-related activities in their local area. The selected Young Leaders who complete the programme will get the chance to put their leadership skills into action and play an important role as a volunteer in the London 2012 volunteer programme. The Young Leaders will apply their expertise gained through local volunteering experience and coaching by BP employees, playing their part in ensuring athletes, media, and spectators get the most out of the greatest show on Earth coming to the UK. Seb Coe added: “We were delighted to announce BP as our partner when we launched the London 2012 Young Leaders programme in January. It will bring lasting change for individuals and communities and would not be possible without mentoring support and guidance from BP employees.” Mike Sharrock, BP London 2012 Partnership Director, said: “The Olympic and Paralympic Games are all about inspiring people – especially young people – to raise their sights and fulfil their true potential. So as a London 2012 partner, we’re delighted to be involved in this programme, which aims to spread the spirit of the Games in a very practical way by helping to make a positive change to the lives of disadvantaged young people and their communities. “Working with our partners, we will offer the 100 selected young leaders a wide range of opportunities to develop their skills and support them as they engage in successful community projects. That way, London 2012 will inspire not only great achievement on the sports field but also a new generation of leaders.” Terry Ryall, CEO of v, said: “I never cease to be amazed by the energy and ingenuity of young people to lead positive change in their communities. The Young Leaders Programme is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the leadership potential of young volunteers, equipping them with the skills to make a positive difference to issues that matter to them. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to BP for investing in a new generation of young leaders, and look forward to working with the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust to deliver this exciting programme. “I am confident that our shared commitment to inspire these young people through the magic of the Olympics, and equip them with leadership qualities to make positive difference, will have a tangible and lasting impact on their communities and society as a whole.” |
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Media Enquiries: For further information please contact the London 2012 Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 100 or visit the website at www.london2012.com. Find out the latest from London 2012 HQ on our blog http://blog.london2012.com or follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/london2012 Notes to editors: The London 2012 Volunteer Programme The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games will recruit up to 70,000 volunteers to work across the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Young Leaders Programme - Selection A full list of the chosen Young Leaders can be found on the London 2012 Young Leaders Website Young people were selected in teams of five from a variety of local authorities, based on proximity to BP’s four hub locations of:
The delivery team worked with the Head of Children’s Services in the selected local authorities to agree a definition of disadvantage, which reflected the needs of each particular area. The young people were chosen by Local Authorities on the basis of their commitment to the programme and their potential to benefit from it. All young leaders will need to be 16 years old by 1 January 2010. v, ‘The National Young Volunteers Service’ aims to inspire a new generation of volunteers (aged 16-25) in England. It does this by funding voluntary organisations all over England to create inspiring, diverse opportunities and by helping to overcome barriers that stop people from taking action to improve lives, communities and the planet. v’s aim is to create a culture where volunteering comes naturally and where the benefits of volunteering are understood and celebrated. v is an independent charity launched in May 2006 as a result of the Russell Commission report, A National Framework for Youth Action and Engagement. See www.vinspired.com for more information on what we do and how we do it. LOCOG As it heads towards its £2bn budget for staging the Olympic and Paralympic Games, LOCOG has seven domestic Tier One Partners - adidas, BMW, BP, British Airways, BT, EDF and Lloyds TSB. There are seven domestic Tier Two Supporters – Adecco, ArcelorMittal, Cadbury, Cisco, Deloitte, Thomas Cook and UPS. There are eighteen domestic Tier Three Suppliers and Providers – Airwave, Atkins, Boston Consulting Group, CBS Outdoor, Crystal CG, Eurostar, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, GSK, Gymnova, Holiday Inn, John Lewis, McCann Worldgroup, Mondo, Next, The Nielsen Company, Populous, Ticketmaster and Trident. There is now one domestic Tier One Paralympic Games Partner, Sainsbury’s. The Worldwide Olympic Partners signed up for London 2012 are Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos Origin, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Samsung and Visa. |
