our work

a message to the world

A Message to the World

A Message to the World is an Olympic-themed project which explores the seven Olympic and Paralympic values of: ‘Friendship’, ‘Courage’, ‘Equality’, ‘Determination’, ‘Excellence’, ‘Respect’ and ‘Inspiration’ by focusing on issues that young Londoners feel passionately about through a variety of art forms. The project challenges young people to consider their role in creating a stronger community and to create personal messages about what matters to them ahead of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Schools began by selecting an art form they felt they would most like to develop. Options included (but were not restricted to) poetry, storytelling, debate, monologue, film, podcast, photography, graphic novel and animation. Through a process of exploration and debate, students and teachers decided on the format of their message, frequently involving the whole school community. Working in small teams under the guidance of a creative practitioner, the participants then explored the themes to create the material for their messages to the world. The young people's messages have been compiled together on a dedicated website and will continue to provide a resource for young people during the 2012 Games.

The project was part of A New Direction’s London-wide Olympic project ‘The Biggest Learning Opportunity on Earth programme’.

A Message to the World website