We have finally uploaded the professional photos from the Step Up launch event onto Flickr:
You can also view the photos in a single set by clicking here:
We plan on uploading the photos that the delegates took shortly too.
Living Streets, the charity behind the National Walk to School Campaign, and Step Up, has been asked to give evidence at the Transport Committee’s enquiry into school travel.
The Transport Committee is made up of MP’s from many different political parties. Their role is to report to parliament about how the Department for Transport is performing. They are looking at the impact of the new Education and Inspections Act, and whether anything needs to be done to improve how young people travel to school.
You can watch Tony Armstrong, Living Streets Chief Executive, presenting his evidence on Wednesday 22nd October 2008, from 2.45 on the www.parliamentlive.tv website.
We’ve just found out that the Newcastle Chronicle (see earlier post) has added some video from the Step Up launch to their website.
It shows off the awesome Bad Taste Cru, who entertained us at the launch with their breakdancing skills.
Step Up Students visit Barcelona Conference
Eight students from Darlington are attending the prestigious Walk21 conference in Barcelona on behalf of Living Streets. The visit is part of Step Up, the new initiative from Living Streets` Walk to School Campaign about young people walking more on their school journey.
The students (aged between 12 and 15) will be joining forces with seven students from a local Barcelona school, and together will present their vision on how to improve their walk to school. Their ideas will feed into a wider debate that Step Up is having with pupils from right across the UK, to discover what young people want from the streets around their school.
Walk21 is the premier international conference on walking and public space, and brings together experts from across the world to discuss improving streets for pedestrians and share best practice. The conference runs 8-10 October.
While the students are away, they will be blogging about their trip on the new Step Up website: www.stepup.org.uk
Tony Armstrong, Living Streets` Chief Executive said:
We think it will be a breath of fresh air for these students to present at the conference, and it is great that they are representing Living Streets and the UK in this way. These young people are very clear about what they think makes a street a nice place to walk, and I am sure they will do us proud. It is particularly fitting that they should visit the conference now, as October is International Walk to School month, and this conference truly is international.
Chris, one of the students on the trip, said:
I am really proud to be representing the UK at this conference, it is going to be so interesting to hear about walking to school in Spain.
The trip has been supported by Darlington Borough Council (www.dothelocalmotion.co.uk) and Northern Film & Media (www.northernmedia.org).
The launch of Step Up was featured in the Newcastle Chronicle - one of the biggest regional papers in the UK. Click here to read the article.
Thanks to everyone who helped organise such a successful event, and especially to all the young people and teachers who attended.
Step Up Launches in Newcastle
2nd October 2008, Dance City, Newcastle.
The first ever national campaign to get more secondary school pupils walking to school launched on Thursday 2 October, with an exciting event for young campaigners at Dance City in Newcastle.
Whilst primary school pupils are bombarded with messages to walk more, it can seem that when students take the big step up to secondary they are often left out on a limb. Step Up, a brand new project from national charity Living Streets (who run the National Walk to School Campaign), will change all that, using knowledge and inspiration from the pupils themselves to create a fresh way of spreading the walking message. Step Up is funded by the Big Lottery Fund`s Wellbeing programme.
150 students from 14 secondary schools around the North East attended the event in Newcastle, to officially launch the project that they have helped design. As well as seeing the new logo, and launching the new website, they took part in workshops to help them create dynamic and effective campaigns in their own schools. They also did some slightly more energetic sessions to inspire them, such as film-making and photography, and getting expert tuition on street sports such as breakdance and capoeira.
Over the four years of the project, team of pupils in 40 selected schools will receive advice and financial support for pupil-led campaigns for more walking, and improvements to the walking routes to their schools. This first hand knowledge will help make sure the national campaign stays right up to date, spreading the knowledge and creativity around the UK via www.stepup.org.uk/.
Tony Armstrong, Chief Executive of Living Streets, said:
It`s fantastic to be launching this brand new campaign. At secondary school we truly start tasting independence, and make the free choices and habits that we will carry with us throughout our adult lives. Step Up will help make sure that including daily activity, like walking to school, in their lives is a choice young people want to make for themselves - bringing huge benefits for their health, and local congestion and pollution.
