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It is 60 years since the Paralympic Games were founded in the UK, and the UK continues to be the strongest base of paralympic sport, and more generally the promotion of education, participation and inclusion through sport.
We, the British Council, aim to help China and the UK to secure an international legacy to their Beijing and London Paralympic Games, and our ambition is to do this through our Young Advocates Programme.
The programme has helped provide Beijing and China with a Paralympic legacy by contributing to the 2008 Paralympic Games activities through the Youth Forum and providing these Young Advocates with the skills to be the actual legacy - spreading the Paralympic Spirit, long after the games have finished, and disseminating the skills they have gained through the programme.
The 2008 International Youth Forum aimed to demonstrate the power of sport, education and the arts as cross-cultural pillars of society, and how they use their international appeal to link people, societies and cultures. The workshops at the Forum have developed the Young Advocates’ confidence, leadership and communications skills using the very same sport, arts and education elements which make the Paralympic Games the celebration it is.
The Young Advocates are committed and passionate young people from around the world – from China, Hong Kong, the UK, the USA, Israel, Jordan, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. We are very proud to have organised the Young Advocates Programme; and to know the exceptional young people who have taken part in this Forum. The Beijing Paralympics will live on when these Young Advocates go back to their homes – inspired by the Forum, by attending the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games and by the achievements of the 2008 Paralympians.
The Young Advocates Programme has created a global community of Young Advocates and developed their skills, enhanced their employability and ability to play a positive role in their local communities. We hope it has empowered the Young Advocates to raise awareness of social inclusion, the Paralympics and the Paralympic Spirit - those ideals of inspiration, determination, participation and equality. This morning they planned their next steps as Young Advocates – they are ready to return home and get on with it.
The Young Advocates Programme will build capacity amongst officials, community leaders and educational professionals to contribute to positive social change and the strengthening of civil society.
The UK has a long and globally respected history of community outreach work which uses the appeal of sport, education and the arts to provide access to ideas, communication and skills by marginalised communities. The workshops at the Youth Forum have been delivered by leading UK educators – such as the Northern Ballet Theatre, Yeast Culture, 100 Words, Sheffield Hallam University and the Youth Sports Trust – and I would like to thank them for their dedication and achievements at this week’s Forum.
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