Raising the Game: Counting down to 2012

Wednesday 6 July 2005 was a remarkable day for all Londoners young and old when the announcement that London had been successful in its bid to host the 30th Olympic Games and Paralympic Games was made, creating excitement and euphoria throughout the capital and the UK as a whole.

With two years gone and five more to go, Creative Partnerships London East and South has begun to explore the possibilities and opportunities that the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games can offer young people in east and south London.

Six projects were commissioned in Spring 2007 to explore and model ways of working around the themes; of people and place; the relationship between sport and culture; how young people can be involved in the regeneration of their area and the idea of creating your own welcoming ceremony. Over 500 young people from 18 primary and secondary schools in east and south London worked on the six Olympic themed projects during the Summer term and the work produced including film, photography and artwork was integrated into a sports arena themed installation designed by visual artist Sophia Lovell Smith.

On Thursday guests including local authority representatives from Greenwich, Hackney, Islington, Lewisham, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest, teachers, creative partners, Arts Council England representatives and corporate guests were invited to listen to keynote speeches from Nick Fuller, Head of Education at LOCOG, Andrew Mutter, Art and Design Advisor for the London Borough of Newham and Charlie Tims from Demos. Guests were encouraged to discuss how to engage with Olympic opportunities whilst having the opportunity to watch a film, view artwork and photography created by the young people and fill out paperchains with their thoughts on the Olympics and 2012.

Friday was a fun filled day from start to finish, with over 150 young people attending poetry sessions led by Apples & Snakes poets; watching films in the Greenwich and Lewisham Young People’s Theatre StagesTruck; making and hanging medals on a colourful ceremonial arch with Emergency Exit Arts and finally writing their thoughts and aspirations about 2012 on paperchains which were joined together and displayed in the installation.

All in all Raising the Game proved to be a huge success for adults and young people alike and Steve Moffitt director, Creative Partnerships London East and South said: 'It's been fantastic seeing so many young people come to Stratford Circus to participate in Raising the Game - it's important to bring young people, their teachers and creative people together to prepare for how we can best engage with the Olympics in 2012.'

See also:

The Biggest Learning Opportunity on Earth
How London's Olympics could work for young people in schools
In 2006 Creative Partnerships London East and South commissioned Demos to explore and develop an understanding of the experience of previous Olympic cities, and identify how these cities have attempted to engage young people in school in different kinds of creative activity.