International Inspiration Communications Toolkit for schools
Contents
1)International Inspiration key messages and Q&A
2)How to deal with the media guidelines
3)Materials: How to gather and use materials guidelines
4)Image guidelines
Annex
i)Image permissions form
1. International Inspiration key messages and Q & A’s
The International Inspiration vision
International Inspiration uses the power of sport to enrich the lives of millions of children and young people of all abilities, in schools and communities across the world, particularly in developing countries, by offering them the opportunity to access and participate in high-quality and inclusive sport, physical education and play.
Key messages
- A first from the Olympic and Paralympic movements for children and young people
- Through sport it is going to change the lives of 12 million children in 20 countries from Azerbaijan to Zambia
- This is a unique undertaking which will become the world’s largest sporting movement for children in history
Key facts
- Launched in January 2008 in India
- Already changing lives in 12 countries – by providing opportunities for children and young people, many in difficult situations, to participate in PE, sport and play activities that build their confidence, self esteem and lifeskills, helping and encouraging them to realise their ambition and full potential
- Being rolled out in next group of countries – Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia
- UK children and young people benefit – by learning about and sharing experiences with their peers around the world on how PE, sport and play can benefit both themselves and those around them
- UK shares the experiences – by linking schools and other bodies in the UK with those across the other countries, the UK shares experiences and is immeasurably enriched by what it learns from its engagement with counterparts overseas
Organisations
- Uniquely funded by public and private organisations. Delivery is led by UK Sport, in partnership with the British Council and UNICEF. The Government Olympic Executive, part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), the British Olympic Association and the British Paralympic Association are central to the programme, with International Inspiration forming a core strand of the London 2012 International Education Programme. The Department for International Development (DFID) is also a key partner providing funding and other support. The Premier League has also provided funding. Delivery in country is supported by UK expertise from the Youth Sport Trust and by local implementing partners and the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee in each country.
- UK Sport is the nation’s high performance sport agency. Its mission is to work in partnership to lead sport in the UK to world class success. Primarily this means working with partner sporting organisations to deliver medals at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Its Royal Charter responsibilities also extend to encouraging and assisting sports education and development overseas. This remit includes supporting programmes that seek to use sport as a tool for human and social development.
- British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. Celebrating 75 years in 2009, we work in over 100 countries worldwide to build engagement and trust for the UK though the exchange of knowledge and ideas.
- UNICEF is the world’s leading organisation working specifically for children and children’s rights. We provide emergency relief and run long-term development programmes. Mandated by the United Nations and working in partnership with national governments, NGOs, other United Nations agencies and private sector partners, UNICEF protects children and their rights by providing services and supplies and by helping shape policy agendas and budgets in the best interests of children. UNICEF uses sport in its programmes for children, valuing sport and play as a tool to help achieve development goals, particularly in education, health and child protection.
Boilerplate
“International Inspiration uses the power of sport to enrich the lives of millions of children and young people of all abilities, in schools and communities across the world, particularly in developing countries, by offering them the opportunity to access and participate in high-quality and inclusive sport, physical education and play.”
“Delivering the ambitions promised by the London bid team in Singapore, the programme aims to ‘reach young people all around the world and connect them to the inspirational power of the Games so they are inspired to choose sport.’
“Already making a difference to young people’s lives, £25 million of funding has been committed. Projects are underway in 12 countries: Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Jordan, Mozambique, Palau,Zambia, TrinidadTobago, South Africa, Nigeria and Malaysia. Projects are also due to start inTurkey,Pakistan and Indonesia in 2010. The aspiration is to reach 12 million children in 20 countries by 2012.”
“International Inspiration has received the formal support of the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee as a core strand of the London 2012 International Education Programme.”
Questions and Answers
Q1.Why is a specific programme necessary?
A. This is an important legacy of the 2012 Games. We made a promise in Singapore to “reach young people all around the world and connect them to the inspirational power of the Games so they are inspired to choose sport.” This programme will deliver on that promise.
Q2.Why is the UK Government heading up the programme, with its agency UK Sport?
A.London 2012 bid stakeholders made the promise, with Prime Minister Tony Blair joining Lord Coe as a key part of the presentation in Singapore. The Government is the Olympic Board partner with the most obvious experience and expertise to deliver it – in particular through the work already being done over many years by its lead agency, UK Sport.
Q3.Who are the other partners?
A.Delivery is led by UK Sport, in partnership with the British Council and UNICEF. The Government Olympic Executive, part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), the British Olympic Association and the British Paralympic Association are central to the programme, with International Inspiration forming a core strand of the London 2012 International Education Programme. The Department for International Development (DFID) is also a key partner providing funding and other support. The Premier League has also provided funding. Delivery in country is supported by UK expertise from the Youth Sport Trust and by local implementing partners and the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee in each country.
Q4. Which countries are involved?
A.Projects are underway in 12 countries; Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Jordan, Mozambique, Palau, Zambia, TrinidadTobago, South Africa, Nigeria and Malaysia. Projects are also due to start in Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia in 2010. The aspiration is to reach 12 million children in 20 countries by 2012.”
Q5. How were these countries chosen?
A.Countries have been selected based on criteria including sport development, child development and educational indicators as well as a range of other indicators including population, the Human Development Index and the existing acknowledgment of sport and PE as a tool for development within national strategies. Consultation was also undertaken with delivery partners and other stakeholders including the FCO, DFID, the BOA, Olympic Solidarity, the Council of Europe and the Australian Sports Commission to determine priority countries. Consultation was also undertaken with partners from UK Sport’s existing International Development Programme.
Q6. How many countries will be involved?
A.We would like to take International Inspiration to 20 countries, primarily focusing on those in development, positively touching and enriching the lives of 12 million children by the time the Olympic and Paralympic Games are hosted by London in 2012.
Q7. Will it run beyond 2012?
A.We hope that International Inspiration will continue to reach out to young people worldwide as more funding and opportunities are made available. It is the case that some of the bidding cities for the 2016 Games are looking at II and how they might incorporate it in their proposals.
Q8.Can you reveal which other countries will be involved at this stage?
A. Not at this stage. We will be able to announce further information on this in due course.
Q9. Who is funding this programme?
A.DFID, DCMS, UNICEF, the British Council and the Premier League have contributed £9 million to the first phase of the programme. In addition the British Council have pledged to match fund from future private income up to a further £10.2m and DFID has committed an extra £5.4m towards the development of the programme. We continue to talk to other organisations including the private sector about getting involved and details on this will be announced in due course.
Q10. How much money is needed to fund the programme?
A.The final budget for the programme is still to be confirmed and will be dependent on the number of countries included. If 20 countries are reached then the budget will be approximately £50million.
Q11. What happens if private sector organisations do not contribute the sum of money required to ensure this programme goes ahead? Who will the deficit fall to?
A.There will not be a deficit. If this scenario were to occur then the programme would be scaled accordingly to the funds that we do have.
Q12.Does this programme have the support of the IOC?
A.The IOC has confirmed their support and approved the link between the programme and London 2012, essentially allowing for the use of the LOCOG brand to be associated with the Programme. The IPC has also confirmed its support.
Q13.Is this just about giving other countries footballs/cricket nets?
A.No. This is a wide ranging programme that will focus on sport as an important positive social development tool. We are working with partners in-country to ensure any work done is sustainable and has a lasting benefit. Simply giving handouts of equipment without supporting human and physical infrastructure, and resources, would be a waste of time.
To that end, we will seek to provide opportunities that foster strong and sustainable sports systems, and that also integrate important sport, education, health and lifestyle cultures, working with local communities and governments to build local capacity and support policy changes at national level to help bring about long term change.
This is about providing access to sport so that children and young people can participate in and enjoy sport; and to assist their social skills and state of health.
Q14. Why are you spending all of this money on sport when many of the countries that you are talking about have much greater issues affecting them? I.e. HIV and AIDS in Zambia, violence involving children in Brazil, malnutrition and gender disparities in India, etc.
A.It is well documented that sport is a powerful tool that can complement existing activities designed to support the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. International Inspiration has been designed on this basis that inclusive and high quality sport programmes lead to wider health and social outcomes that impact positively not only on the individual but also on the community in which they live.
Q15. What is the added value that the partnership in country is delivering (above and beyond what they would be delivering individually)?
A.The partnership of UK Sport, British Council and UNICEF delivers a programme which is far greater than the sum of its parts. Individually the three partner organisations would be limited to working with defined target groups, focusing on delivering specific aspects of sport or physical education. Together the partners can reach beyond these limitations and ensure that activities are not isolated and, for example, that those delivered in schools are also linked to those in the communities around them. (For example in Brazil, young athletes and coaches that have been trained to deliver sport specific coaching supported by UK Sport, volunteering in their community in sport activities organised by UNICEF, alongside young leaders trained in the local schools by British Council). Furthermore, through the engagement of stakeholders and beneficiaries at all levels, best practice in schools and communities can be showcased, and this local involvement in the design and development of the programme, including the engagement of policy makers, ensures sustainability and long-term legacy beyond the life of the programme.
II is also supporting the education of the future leaders of sport in the countries where it is operating. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office has agreed to fund up to 12 sport-related Chevening Scholarships each year across International Inspiration countries. UK Sport manages the Chevening Scholars Enrichment Programme that brings the II students who are studying at UK universities for additional learning, knowledge-sharing and recreational activities during their time in the UK.
Q16. How do you measure progress towards the target of reaching 12 million children in 20 countries?
A. Data is collected by the delivery partners through their established monitoring and evaluation systems. In addition, an external evaluation of Phase One is being undertaken by the Loughborough Partnership (an evaluation team from the Institute of Youth Sport and the Centre for Olympic Studies and Research) who have developed an over-arching evaluation framework. Visits to the first five countries were undertaken in 2008 and a second round of country visits will take place in 2010 to look at the impact and legacy of II programmes and partnerships, with a final report on Phase One to be produced in March 2011.
Q17. Why has approval from the IOC for the II brand taken so long?
A. International Inspiration received the formal support of the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee as a core strand of the London 2012 International Education Programme in November 2008. Approval of the II brand, which is connected to the LOCOG 2012 brand, was the subject of complex legal negotiations, and reflects the fact that this is the first time in the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games that a programme of this type has been granted direct brand association.
2. MEDIA GUIDELINES
International Inspiration general media guidelines
What makes a good story
Follow the mnemonic below to see whether your story fits into the journalist’s filter as to whether the story is worth covering:
T – is it Topical?
R – is it Relevant?
U – is it Unusual?
T – is it about Trouble?
H – is it Humorous/Human Interest?
Remember that the journalist is merely a conduit to the audience and you must adapt your tone and message accordingly.
SOME GOLDEN RULES FOR DEALING WITH THE MEDIA
Pitching stories / Generating interest around events or announcements
1)Build up background briefings for stories you anticipate will be big news in advance of them becoming public. This covers general announcements or specific events.
i)Establish three or four key points.
ii)Back up the points with facts and figures.
iii)Have some quotes/ statements prepared
iv)Add a conclusion to the briefings that outlines the main points.
2)Make contact with the forward planning desk or journalist in advance - don't leave it until the day of your press announcement or launch event.
i)Ask them what aspect of the story they might be interested in - most journalists are happy to be approached directly on the phone.
ii)You can 'float ideas' past them and they will give an indication of what they may be interested in.
iii)It is also a good idea to find out how journalists prefer to receive press releases and briefings - fax, post, email or via a website.
3)Ensure that you target the right person - it is unlikely that a journalist will forward a press release that is of no interest to them on to the appropriate person.
4)Avoid the use of jargon when writing press releases or speaking to journalists.
5)Make sure you're available to speak to journalists for a few days after you've issued any press release.
Remember
The challenge is to make your efforts for coverage stand out from the crowd and be carefully targeted. Examples of this include
a. Case Studies of individuals
b. Real life stories of teams and associations
c. Good visual images and examples of the project in action, with the children playing sport.
3. MATERIALS GUIDELINES
Image capturing guidelines: photography, audio/visual and print
At all times, it is paramount that the images and audio or written recordings uphold children’s and young people’s rights to accurate representation, respect, privacy and protection. They key focus must be dignity and accuracy.
Key points for those who are collecting images:
- Always obtain permission to capture information and obtain signed image release forms (see annex 1) from the individuals/groups you are recording. This is for everyone, whatever their age may be. For children under the age of 18, this consent has to be given by a parent/guardian.
- Always keep relevant release forms with images (photo/video and or audio), so they can be clearly logged and stored. This is as vital as getting them signed.
4. IMAGE GUIDELINES
International Inspiration image guidelines
Guidelines for taking your own images
- Go for simple images. They tend to be stronger and also print in a ‘cleaner’ clearer way.
- Make sure that the object you want to photograph is in the centre of the shot.
- Try to get bright colourful pictures that tend to look more contemporary, and avoid too much black.
- Stay away from too many different light sources, and watch out for reflections from windows or mirrors as this can ruin pictures.
- Play around with unusual angles. Check out areas where you can go beforehand such as a balcony area to look down on a stage/group of people, especially if you have a zoom.
- Ensure that you capture International Inspiration branding wherever possible in the image.
Taking photographs of people