On 17th September the Paralympic Flag was handed from the Mayor of Beijing to the Mayor of London. This final Handover Ceremony marked the start of the build up to the London 2012 Games and the beginning of the London 2012 Education Programme. This programme aims to create a once in a generation Games experience for children and young people, engaging them, inspiring them and helping them to fulfil their potential and create long-term benefits for themselves and their communities.
Paralympic Handover offered a unique opportunity to put schools and colleges at the heart of celebrations. London 2012 have developed an education resource to support children and young people in planning and leading celebrations, engaging their whole learning community in the excitement of the day. This resource, available at
www.london2012.com/paralympichandover from 16 June, will provide a range of tools including films, assembly resources and suggested activities. Please encourage all of your schools and colleges to register on the site – all registered institutions will receive posters, stickers and more information about the four year education programme. We also want to hear what schools and colleges have planned on the day – please encourage your schools and colleges to share their plans on the website or by e-mailing us at
education[at]london2012.com. The more information we have, the more we can help schools and colleges to promote their activities and involvement through local, regional and national media.
Immediately following Paralympic Handover, London 2012 launched the domestic strand of the Education Programme which will build a network of schools and colleges who have demonstrated a commitment to the Olympic and Parlaympic values, using the Games to drive change and meet existing objectives. An interactive website supports children and young people in learning about and exploring these values, providing films, updated news and flexible resources for both students and practitioners, offering them a chance to interact with and be involved in the delivery of the London 2012 Games.
In addition London 2012 will work with partners to develop resources across eight key themes: internationalism, citizenship, practical learning, sport and PE, enterprise, sustainability and regeneration, culture and creativity and healthy, active lifestyles. Visit
www.london2012.com/get-involved/education to find out more.
Finally, Watch amazing paralympic GB advert at
www.bt.com/paralympicsGB