UK Sport

Children from North London celebrate International Inspiration

Sebastian Coe with children at a Haringey School
LOCOG

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Natalie Broadbent 29 March 2010

School children from five schools in Haringey, North London, have welcomed Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and teachers from Trinidad and Tobago as part of a celebration of the International Inspiration programme.

International Inspiration is London 2012's official international sports legacy programme, delivered by UK Sport, UNICEF and British Council, which aims to use the power of physical education, sport and play to enrich the lives of millions of children and young people of all abilities in twenty countries across the world, including Trinidad and Tobago.

All five Haringey schools have been twinned with five schools in Trinidad and Tobago as part of the International Inspiration programme. These school partnerships are designed so that those involved choose a joint project that addresses priorities in their schools, using innovative approaches to PE, sport and play as the focus. The partnership also represents a chance for the schools to experience and explore each other’s cultures, and for the pupils to develop valuable life skills, including leadership, communication and presentation skills.

The school partnerships are managed by the British Council, which has long experience of linking schools internationally, working in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust, which utilises its expertise in developing teachers and young leaders through sport.

Over the coming months, students in these schools will be working together to create a joint project between each school that uses sport as a way of learning about and from each other's cultures, and that develops their own skills, such as leadership and communication skills.

The teachers from Trinidad and Tobago were in London for a week-long visit to meet with their UK counterparts to develop the plans for the joint projects.

During the visit, Sebastian Coe and the teachers joined in a sports festival at St Thomas More RC School, a Specialist Sports College in Wood Green, where teams from Haringey schools represented five of the International Inspiration countries. Activities included Sports Leadership, Athletics, Football and Basketball.

Sebastian Coe also officially welcomed St Thomas More RC School and Hornsey School for Girls to London 2012's Get Set network by presenting them with a plaque and certificate in recognition of their commitment to the Olympic and Paralympic Values.

Hornsey School for Girls is twinned with Speyside High in Trinidad and Tobago and St Thomas More RC School has a partnership with East Mucurapo School in Tobago.

Sebastian Coe, Chair of LOCOG, said: “It's fantastic to see for myself the benefits that schools are experiencing from being twinned with other schools in the world through the International Inspiration programme. When we won the bid, we were clear about our aims - to use the power of the London 2012 Games to inspire young people around the world. What I've witnessed today are excellent examples of how our vision is coming to life.

It is also fantastic to see how both Hornsey School for Girls and St Thomas More RC School are using their experiences of the International Inspiration programme to help bring the Olympic and Paralympic Values to life in their school and I was very proud to welcome them to the Get Set network. I look forward to hearing about more of their great work."

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