RaW newsletter - November 2009
Tuesday 17 November 2009
Welcome to November's edition of our newsletter
My Story update - one month to go!
Since launch on The One Show in September, people across the UK have been sending in their stories to the BBC My Story competition. The competition closes on 16 December, so there's still plenty of time to get those entries in! Watch an introduction to the competition with Christine Bleakley on the website, and read many of the fascinating stories entered so far: www.bbc.co.uk/mystory. Currently our most read story is The Gorilla Woman by San, the tale of a once-in-a-lifetime chance encounter with the famous zoologist Dian Fossey.
Don't forget
You can also visit the updated Partner section of the raw website (www.bbc.co.uk/raw/partners/tutors/mystory) to find a range of downloadable resources, workshop plans, quizzes, posters and certificates -- everything you need to bring My Story alive for learners.
raw numbers - new online content launched
"raw numbers"http://bbc.co.uk/raw/numbers is a new set of online videoclips, step-by-step illustrations and tools aimed at adults looking to build their confidence with using numbers.
raw numbers uses points of need and interest in everyday life as drivers for building confidence with visual models of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
For example totting up the costs of a shopping basket, a chef weighing ingredients in metric, or a Formula 1 team manager using spreadsheets to work out percentages.
The first six raw numbers clips launched this month. We would welcome any feedback that might help shape the resources as we develop them over the next year. If you have any comments or suggestions please contact the raw numbers team on raw@bbc.co.uk
REGIONAL NEWS - My Story Activity
South
BBC Radio Solent ran Roadshows on four consecutive Mondays during October armed with their tent and the radio car in Portsmouth, Bournemouth and Newport IOW. They pitched themselves outside libraries and were rewarded with some great stories! The events featured on local radio and BBC One South Today.
BBC Radio Oxford and BBC Radio Berkshire jointly organised with the help of CSV a My Story day as part of the Henley Literary Festival at Henley-upon-Thames, with author and Radio 4 broadcaster Libby Purves lending her support to the campaign.
Milton Keynes Library also ran two days of My Story workshops in their Central Library.
North West
"North West Tonight" hosted by Tony Livesey launched the campaign telling his own, emotional, family story. Watch again here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/lancashire/hi/tv_and_radio/newsid_8268000/8268424.stm. In Blackpool the wind and rain day didn't stop 1500 people coming through the doors for the My Story Roadshow at The Winter Gardens to listen to celebrities sharing their stories and helping to inspire the audience to tell their own true stories. BBC Radio Lancashire were also there offering support using social media websites, such as Twitter and Facebook and partners such as Blackpool Libraries, Adult Education and the Unions2Learn representatives from Blackpool Council were offering information about local education and further My Story sessions.
London
Havering Libraries ran 10 workshops across the borough and encouraged 44 people to put pen to paper for the first time. Some of the attendees enjoyed the experience so much that they are keen to continue writing - to help facilitate this the library service will set up a Creative Writing Group in the New Year. In addition, following the workshops some people have joined the libraries monthly poetry group, leaving a lasting legacy in the borough.
Surestart in Manchester also kept us busy with a "roadshow" travelling to six different centres in a week reaching around 1000 people.
East Midlands
During the week of 19th - 23rd October,events were held at The Quad in Derby, The Arts Organisation in Nottingham and BBC Radio Leicester offering support and advice to people to enable them to submit a story
Local writer, Lydia Towsey, facilitated a Creative Writing Master Class that focused on: drawing out ideas from participants life story, finding their writing style and shaping their story.
Participants attended from organisations such as Derby City College, Leicester Adult Education College, Cooke e-Learning Centre, Leicester and the ACNA Centre, Nottingham.
Heather Andrezejewski, Dyslexia support teacher, Derby City College commented on the event "It's a great way of bringing diverse communities together and getting them to understand that everyone has a story to tell...that they have valuable life experiences that everyone needs to hear"
Nottinghamshire County Libraries are promoting My Story across the county. Following two successful 'train the trainer' workshops in September with attendance from 37 librarians from this service, Nottinghamshire Libraries organised three further events in October, where families were invited to come along and bring old family photos and keepsakes. A storyteller helped them weave together their family story.
Digital Participation - nominations now open.
Nominations are now open for the BBC's first ever digital participation award, the aim of which is to recognise an outstanding adult learner or group of learners who use technology to enhance their learning or a project which opens doors to digital participation. The award will be presented as part of Adult Learners Week in May 2010.
For more information, visit www.alw.org.uk/nominateemailalw@niace.org.ukor contact the Campaigns and Promotions Team at NIACE on 0116 2044200.