Yes They Can! Voices of the Future Powered by the Past
Led by the British Library, Campaign! Make an Impact is a unique programme that uses history to inspire young people to run campaigns about issues which affect them today.
(PRWeb UK) May 22, 2009
Led by the British Library, Campaign! Make an Impact (http://www. bl. uk/campaign) is a unique programme that uses history to inspire young people to run campaigns about issues which affect them today.
Launched today (21 May), the programme is being rolled out nationally over the next two years (2009-2011) by the British Library and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, following the successful completion of its three year pilot. Schools that took part in the regional pilot included Immanuel College in Bradford, Skinners' Company's School for Girls in Hackney and Endeavour High School in Hull.
New online resources give schools across the country the opportunity to explore the British Library's historic collection, learn about different types of campaign media and discover practical advice on how to run a campaign: www. bl. uk/campaign (http://www. bl. uk/campaign)
Campaign! Make an Impact is based around a three step model (http://www. bl. uk/learning/resources/pdf/campaignbookletfinal. pdf):
1. Encouraging schools, local museums and archives to work together, using museum collections and classroom resources to help young people understand historical campaigns such as votes for women and the campaign for abolition of the slave trade.
2. Students explore the creative techniques used by historical campaigners to get their message across.
3. Using the skills they have learnt, students run a modern-day campaign on a subject of their own choosing such as bullying, knife crime or the environment.
Using an online tool called the 'campaign grid', students and teachers can break down a historical campaign into manageable sections through a series of seven questions examining the goal of the campaign, how campaigners organised themselves and how they got their message across. Completed grids link to original source documents for the abolition of the slave trade, suffragettes, chartists and public health reform held in the British Library. Museums and archives can also use their own collections to inspire projects.
Roger Walshe, Head of Learning at the British Library, said:
"Campaign! Make an Impact is a unique and empowering learning programme that equips young people with the advocacy tools they need to make a difference in today's world. Our heritage collections can really illustrate the parallels between historical and modern campaign tactics and I encourage more schools and museums to go online and get involved."
The programme has already been a great success, for example, students from Endeavour High School explored racism through the abolition of the slave trade act, using Hull Museum's collections. They looked at how campaigns use visual, verbal and written communication and created an exhibition campaign 'What's Your Story' about diversity and social cohesion using film and a series of large scale photographic portraits. Opened by Sir Keith Ajegbo, Government Advisor for Citizenship, the project was a joint-winner in the cultural places category at the Yorkshire and Humberside Local Government Awards and shows how projects can fit with Local Government Agreement Agendas.
Chris Straker, Head Teacher of Endeavour High School, said:
"Campaign! Make an Impact had a very positive effect on the school and the young people involved. It gave pupils a medium (film) to voice their stories in a powerful and explicit way. The impact of their films on the school, and the community around us, has led to a greater understanding of young people and their lives."
This cross-curricular programme is the first of its kind as it uses museums, libraries and archives to delve deeper into historical campaigns to inspire students and teach them communication skills. Campaign! Make an Impact enables young people to choose and run their own campaign which tackles issues that matter to them in their community. Participants are encouraged to be as creative as possible and to campaign through poems, short plays, graphic novels, films, radio ads, art work, posters, t-shirts and events.
Justine Reilly, Strategic Commissioning Project Manager, Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, said:
"Campaign! Make an Impact shows how our heritage can illuminate in the classroom and prompt action in the community. This is a great opportunity for schools, museums, libraries and archives to work together to inspire young people to take positive action and I urge more organisations to join the initiative."
For more information please contact
Julie Yau, Arts Press Officer, British Library
020 7412 7237 / 07870 489 510 / julie. yau(at)bl. uk
Miki Lentin, Head of Media Relations, British Library
020 7412 7112 / 07976 793 666 / miki. lentin(at)bl. uk
Notes to editors
1. Campaign! Make an Impact is funded jointly by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Children, Schools and Families as part of the Strategic Commissioning Programme for Museum and Gallery Education. It was piloted with Hull Museum Education, The Thackery Medical Museum, Harewood House and the Holocaust Survivors Friendship Association all working with local schools and creative practitioners 2006-2009.
2. The Campaign! Make an Impact model is extremely flexible and can be used for:
key stage 2 - 4 personal, learning and thinking skills (PLTS) new Citizenship GCSE history and citizenship curricula enterprise education cross curricular days Every Child Matters extended services (e. g. after school clubs) Government Local Area Agreements, especially NI 110 Young people's participation in positive actions
3. The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and one of the world's greatest research libraries. It provides world class information services to the academic, business, research and scientific communities and offers unparalleled access to the world's largest and most comprehensive research collection. The Library's collection has developed over 250 years and exceeds 150 million separate items representing every age of written civilisation. It includes: books, journals, manuscripts, maps, stamps, music, patents, newspapers and sound recordings in all written and spoken languages www. bl. uk.
4. The MLA is government's agency for museums, libraries and archives. Leading strategically, we promote best practice to inspire innovative, integrated and sustainable services for all. www. mla. gov. uk
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