REGIONAL ASSEMBLY PUTS CITIZENSHIP ON THE MAP
New citizenship pilot with Surrey school hailed a success

STUDENTS AT GEORGE ABBOT SCHOOL IN GUILDFORD have been the first to take part in a unique citizenship pilot project, pioneered by the South East England Regional Assembly in partnership with the teaching staff of the school.

Citizenship Day was launched on 25 June 2003, when 300 students aged 14-15 (year 10) took part in the day's activities, which included a town planning debate, an exercise on the Euro, finance and marketing activities, a business board game, and a 'banana game' based on global trade issues. The activities were specially created for the project by teaching staff at the school. Students were provided with Assembly-sponsored bag-packs containing everything they needed for the day.

The theme was 'Citizenship - Think about It!' Activities kicked off with a guest appearance from two young stars from the teen TV series Hollyoaks, Gemma Atkinson and Alex Carter, whose opening speech encouraged the students to take citizenship seriously.

George Abbot schoolteachers Trish Ellison and Sally Marsh developed the new teaching materials. Trish Ellison said: "Citizenship Day has been a tremendous success and proved that learning about citizenship can be fun. It has been excellent to see the students getting involved in debating, role-playing and other activities. They've learned lots about consumerism, marketing, finance, sustainability and the euro."

Sally Marsh added: "When we were designing the materials, we created a selection of activities that covered a range of teaching and learning styles so there was something for everyone, and ensuring it was entertaining for both staff and students."

As well as learning how to be better citizens, the students also had a great deal of fun. 14-year-old student Becky Donovan particularly enjoyed the debating activity and marketing. She said: "I didn't know much about business before but this Citizenship Day has helped me understand things that happen in the world."

15 year old Tom Thorp agreed: "I've learned lots of new things today especially about the economy, it has been really interesting. My favourite activity was the banana game where we learned how falling commodity prices can affect banana growers."

The Citizenship Day project aimed to assist the school in delivering the mandatory element of the curriculum to Year 10 students, whilst raising awareness of the regional dimension with a youth audience.

Paul Bevan, Chief Executive of the Regional Assembly said: "Citizenship Day has given us an opportunity to reach out and engage with young people and to help them understand the role of the Regional Assembly."

" We've also been working with George Abbot School to explore other opportunities to promote awareness and we are delighted to have formed this unique and productive partnership," he continued.

The day finished with the presentation of the South East England Regional Assembly Citizenship Trophy by Paul Bevan to the student team who, in the teachers' opinions, had put their best into the day.

Head teacher of George Abbot School, Danny Moloney summed up the day saying: "We have seen tremendous teamwork and brilliant ideas from all the young people taking part today, and I believe the interactive style of the activities has given a boost to their confidence."

"We hope they have all learned a lot and will be encouraged to think about the important issues that will affect their lives when they leave school. We trust that this day will be the start of a long and successful partnership with the Regional Assembly and that the teaching materials we have developed will be of use to other schools."

The Regional Assembly and the school are now evaluating the citizenship pilot project. If successful, it could be rolled out as a teaching template for citizenship in schools across Surrey and the South East.

Contact

Lesley van Dijk, PR Executive - 01483 555223

Alex Butlin, PR Executive - 01483 555221

Notes to editors:

1. The Regional Assembly is the “voluntary regional chamber” for the South East. It was established in January 1999 to give a representative voice to the South East region which covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, and Surrey.
2. The Assembly is made up of 111 members including elected councillors nominated by the region’s local authorities and 37 representatives from other sectors of the community (including business, trades unions, education, housing, health, sports, culture, tourism, faith groups, environmental, community and voluntary organisations).
3. The Assembly has three areas of core business:
1. It is the representative voice of the South East, engaging and representing its member organisations and, through them, the wider public.
2. The Assembly has a specific role under the Regional Development Agencies' Act 1998 to ensure the accountability of the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) to the region.
3. The Assembly has been the Regional Planning Body for the South East since April 2001. It has responsibility for proposing strategic planning and transport policies to Government.

Last updated: 21 August 2007