news
Indria – power of fusion
Friday 16th July marked the spectacular debut of Indria at The Cluny,
Ouseburn in Newcastle upon Tyne. A perfect blend of Indian music
with western pop, rock and jazz, Indria uses basic raga
principles as a foundation for exciting compositions of
romance and devotional music of Bhakti, Suifism and Eastern
spirituality. Dr. Vijay Rajput and Nick Grimes
performed with some of the finest musicians and create
a truly passionate musical evening for everyone.
July 2010
MILUN - a meeting of Indo- Irish Musical traditions
Creative musicians Surmeet Singh (Sitar), Chris O'Malley
(Guitar & Accordion), Upneet Singh (Tabla) and Sam Proctor
(Fiddle and Bodhrán) of SAA-uk’s ‘Milun’ Project are on tour
this Spring and Summer. On Saturday 10th July they wowed the
audience at The Sage Gateshead by adding seasonal warmth through their
personalities, captured in each note and shared with the listener,
resulting in new music that has touched the hearts of the audience.
Simply through exploring the unique and common aspects of
traditional Indian and Irish music, Milun conjure musical
conversations that exchange traditional motifs in a
'question and answer' form and mix the haunting sounds of
Indian Raaga with the pounding energy of Irish jigs and reels.
Presented by Pakistan Cultural Society in association with SAA UK.
July 2010
Sundroids at Harehope Quarry
Sundroids
is a participatory art workshop informed by
concepts of constructivist approaches to
learning and teaching. The workshop addressed concepts in
sustainable energy, localised energy generation, natural systems,
environmental and site specific art and kinetic art. These
topics are designed into to be open, self-navigated and questioned
by participants through situated learning in a context-specific
environment (
The Harehope Quarry project), ambient
media and discussion formats.
The workshop is held on-site at the Harehope Quarry Project,
located on the edge of the village of Frosterley in Weardale, Co.Durham.
It is organized by a co-operative and is a practical demonstration of
sustainable building, farming, composting, energy and lifestyle
options.
Participants build and exhibit autonomous, outdoor, kinetic art
structures using small motors and solar panels.
Supported by the
SiDE project
(Social Inclusion through the Digital Economy)
June 2010
North East School help construction of community centre in Lima
These are pictures of the site where Joe Plumb and his team
are building a community centre/catechesis room/chapel, in
the parish of Cristo, Luz del Mundo in the barrio of El
Progreso, Carabayllo in Lima.
In June 2010 volunteers from two local community associations
will clear the land of rocks, level it and have it ready for
the arrival of the group of youths from the North East of
England. Twenty five school students and six teachers from
St. John's Catholic High School, Bishop Auckland, will assist
local young people with the erection of the building, and will
plant trees and flowers.
The construction of a community building communicates the commitment
and presence of the Church as a partner in the people's struggles to
find their identity, to become pueblo de Dios,
in their fight to get water, electricity, sewage pipes, pathways
and steps to climb the hillside. The building of a chapel/community
centre is a sign of life, faith and hope, in
what is an otherwise harsh existence lived against a bleak landscape.
The youths from St John's will visit this July, and will return
to the Aichi Nagoya High School in the formerly-terrorist controlled
barrio of Raucana, in the Ate Vitarte valley of Lima, to continue
their commitment to improve the environment in the grounds of the school
with a children's play-park and the decoration of several walls with
murals depicting messages and images communicating human and gospel
values such as "Loving the Environment", "Respect for Onself and Others",
"No to Domestic Violence & Gang Violence",
"Care for Your Body: Say No to Alcohol & Drug Abuse",
"Work for Peace: Show Solidarity & Fraternity with your Neighbour", as
well as murals with positive social messages around racism, gender
equality and promoting participation in the work of constructing a
fairer and more democratic society. More ...
June 2010
José Plumb Nathaniel is the Projects Coordinator, based at
"The Peru Mission" in Iquitos, Peru.
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The Green Phoenix Rises
RCE North East is pleased to announce the
first Green Phoenix Festival being held at Cut Thorn Farm
on the National Trust's estate at Gibside,
19
th - 22
th August 2010.
Organised by Community Interest Company
Patchwork Planet Productions,
Green Phoenix Festival will be a flamboyant family
affair made up of distinct areas each containing a different
combination of arts,
culture and sustainability. Each visually stunning with its own
signature, together they will form an event that flows from one
place to another easily, creating an overall atmosphere of fun and
engagement.
The object of the event is to encourage people to discover more
about arts, sustainability & themselves in a positive and
constructive manner.
The festival will:
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Be a celebration of the Arts and Sustainable Culture.
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Be a gathering of national skills for regional development.
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Be a platform for local arts, crafts and skills.
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Perpetuate a rolling legacy of support across the region.
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Become a nationally/internationally recognised destination.
The Green Phoenix Festival will aim to exemplify the three
pillars of sustainability - environmental, social and financial.
It will be powered by renewables and use appropriate technologies
wherever possible and, as it matures, groups and networks
will be encouraged to use the festival
as a forum for discussion and development of their own
and shared projects and ideas. In its first year the
event is expected to attract 6500 people including crew.
More ...
May 2010
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the great northern debate visits Vienna
RCE North East project
the great northern debate has organised a debate at the
forthcoming European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2010. The debate,
entitled
Getting Real About Energy
takes place on
Thursday 6th May 2010 in Vienna, Austria and is
supported by EGU, Newcastle University and RCE North East.
The debate will look at how, in the context of climate change the discussion
of energy provision is focused increasingly on renewables,
and will ask how realistic a proposition it is for renewables to provide
the energy we need, when and how we are to come up with a rational energy
policy for the next fifty years and how
we overcome the barriers we face today.
The event will be
webcast live on CNTV.
May 2010
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Excellence along the Indian Music Trail
Kalapremi is back with more exciting music through its concert series,
Indian Music Trail, a
collaborative initiative with
Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning
and Newcastle University. The exciting partnership brings a plethora of artists
to Newcastle University to perform through spring and summer 2010.
Alongside established musicians we will also get to hear budding
talent from the Northeast, student Dr.Vijay Rajput.
Indian Music Trail is a new music initiative that will bring some of the
finest genres, instruments, musicians and music from the Asian
sub-continent to the northeast. The music trail encourages
musicians at all levels and the evening will showcase music students
of Dr. Vijay Rajput alongside performances from some of the finest musicians
based in the UK.
Events include Santoor Recital by Kiranpal Singh Deoora on 28th April 6.30pm
and Sarod Recital by Gurdev Singh on 2nd June, 6.30pm in the
Recital Room, Armstrong Building, Newcastle University.
To book call 01207 236060 or e-mail:
vidya @ kalapremi.org
April 2010
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Kalapremi initiative empowers young people through arts
RCE North East partner Kalapremi is the driving force behind the first
and only South Asian youth festival taking place in Britain today.
On April 23rd the Lamplight Arts Centre in Stanley hosted
YUVA South Asian Youth Festival.
Thus unique event attracts an astonishing array of young people and offers
an unmissable chance to experience a range of high quality and
diverse performances.
Enjoying great support from local schools across the region
YUVA enables young people from diverse cultures to meet,
share commonalities and appreciate differences, through arts.
This year’s YUVA sees more diversity with showcases of Chinese dances,
African drumming along with Bollywood dancing, Indian music, classical
Indian dances, cultural display stands, interactive workshops,
mouth-watering refreshments and more.
April 2010
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Change4Life meeting takes place on May 26th
The
Change4Life
team are looking to meet with 10-12 representatives
from local authorities throughout the North East in a variety of roles
(adult services, health, communications, leisure, planning and so on)
to find out how to better engage with such professionals on the
Change4Life programme.
The national Change4Life team will present, then lead a discussion on
what is happening with the Change4Life programme and what
further support they may be able to provide.
The draft agenda for the meeting, which will take no more than two
hours,is:
-
Outline the campaign and the future plans
-
Outline who Change4Life currently communicates with and why
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Find out where you get information from and what your networks are
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Understand what you need to support the campaign further
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Discuss best ways forward
The meeting will be in the afternoon of 26 May at the
Strategic Health Authority offices at Newburn Riverside, Newcastle.
If you are able to help Change4Life and would like to attend, please
contact Nuala O'Brien:
Nuala.obrien @ northeast.nhs.uk,
Direct: 0191 210 6556, Mobile: 07825 683920.
David Shaw, Change4Life,
Department of Health, April 2010
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New Chemistry Outreach Laboratory
established at Newcastle University
Newcastle University's School of Chemistry are delighted to announce
the completion of their new Chemistry Outreach Laboratory.
This state-of-the-art facility is dedicated to local and regional
schools/colleges, offering a wide range of activities for up to 24 students;
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Practical sessions - choose from our bank of standard experiments or bring your own.
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Coursework - why not carry out your A-level assessed practical tasks in our laboratory?
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Teacher’s CPD events.
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Specific events on request, tailored to the requirements of individual schools/teachers.
The brand new facility is built and equipped to the standards of a University
or Industrial research laboratory with full technician support
(i.e. similar to the Synthetic Teaching Laboratory
currently used for outreach practicals) BUT
available all day every day of the school academic year!
AND with a fully-equipped classroom/ICT suite too.
Available for bookings from Monday 19th April 2010.
This project would not have been possible without the generosity of the
following donors:
Newcastle University, P&G, Chemistry: The Next Generation;
Allan & Nesta Ferguson Trust; 1989 Willan Charitable Trust;
Kirby Laing Foundation; Catherine Cookson Foundation; asynt;
Leica Microsystems and Spectronic Analytical Instruments.
For further details please contact: Dr. Peter Hoare,
Chemistry Outreach Officer, on (0191) 222 8542 or
peter.hoare @ ncl.ac.uk
or visit
School of Chemistry outreach programme page.
April 2010
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Kalapremi brings Sounds of India to North East
Following his sell-out concert in 2009, Sanjay Subrahmanyan
returned to the North East on Friday 9th April to enrapture
another audience at the Sage Gateshead.
Sanjay is considered to be one the most innovative,
imaginative and exciting Carnatic
vocalists today. His powerful and energetic renditions provide
a new insight into the traditional Southern Indian classical music.
The authority and intensity of his vocal prowess
can be virtually felt by the audience when they hear him live.
Sanjay will be accompanied by S.Varadarajan on Violin and
Neyveli Venkatesh on Mridangam, a pulsating South-Indian
double barrel drum.
April 2010
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Sowing and Growing together at Gibside
Spanning 182 hectares (450 acres),
Gibside,
is a National Trust property with an historic landscape garden,
and the 18th Century walled garden is host to an innovative project
called “Sowing and Growing Together.” This involves
individuals, local schools and other organisations in a
community allotment scheme which has been successfully running for 6 years.
The nearby Winlaton Community Base
organises gardening for people with special needs.
St Nicholas Hospital
in Newcastle uses the walled garden to improve patients’
mental health and another user is the charity Norcare, which
provides support services and accommodation for people who are
socially and economically excluded.
Come and find out more from Mick Wilkes about how the scheme is
developing further, including its social enterprise work, wider
partnerships, including with Food Chain (NE), and a recent
successful bid for funding which will help the scheme develop even further.
Contact: mick.wilkes @ nationaltrust.org.uk,
Mob: 07771 971498
Mick Wilkes, Gibside National Trust, April 2010
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Newcastle Community Green Festival stall invitation
Celebrating its 15th Birthday this year, Newcastle Community Green Festival
will take place on
Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th June 2010.
As ever, the event will be held in the beautiful setting of
Leazes Park, Newcastle Upon Tyne.
2008's festival was a huge success with over 15,000 visitors
attending the event, similar numbers are anticipated for 2010,
making it the biggest free environmental festival in the north of England.
Stalls at Newcastle Community Green Festival are an integral
part of the Festival. If you have a product to sell or a message
to share with the public which supports sustainable lifestyles
then we want to hear from you!
The organisers are looking for original, quality stall
holders who fit the ethos of the festival,
comply with our Environmental and Ethical Policy,
are well presented and serve customers in a friendly manner.
Organisations which support the festival's ethos all year round
& can demonstrate their environmental or social credentials
are particularly welcome.
EARLY BIRDS ... BOOK YOUR STALL BEFORE 31ST MARCH FOR YOUR 10% DISCOUNT.
THE DEADLINE TO BOOK A STALL IS 5 MAY 2010.
To request a Stalls Application form and further information please
click here. March 2010
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Explore programme wins national award
RCE North East partner,
North East Centre for Lifelong Learning, has
won the 2010 UALL Lifelong Learning Award for the
Explore programme.
The prize was awarded by the Universities Association for Lifelong
Learning at the University of Oxford on Monday 15th March. There was
stiff competition for the national award this year, with 17 entries,
and five short-listed. Entries came from a wide variety of
organizations engaged in university lifelong learning around the UK,
including some collaborative projects involving a number of institutions.
Each entry was assessed on the criteria of “creativity, innovation,
sustainability, impact and transferability” and the decision in favour
of Explore was unanimous.
RCE North East is proud to be a partner with this national award
winning programme. March 2010
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Getting Real About Climate Change
Getting Real About Climate Change, a
public workshop organised
by RCE North East partners
The Great Debate and
North East Centre for Lifelong
Learning was held on
Saturday 20 March. The day
was a great success,
attracting over 100 participants of all ages and all walks of life.
The workshop, which focused on how humanity should respond
to climate change included a
video-making workshop for young people
and debates on food and water security,
the feasibility of eonegineering and the future of energy.
The line up of speakers included:
Tony Allan,
Stockholm Water Prize Laureate 2008, founder of
London University's
Water Issues Group;
Jennie Barron,
research fellow in water management at
Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI);
Julia Brown,
lecturer in Environmental Policy, Planning and Management,
University of Portsmouth;
Ben Campbell,
social anthropologist, Durham University;
Steve Caseley,
Director of Distributed Energy,
New and Renewable Energy Centre;
Tim Foxon,
academic research fellow at
Sustainability Research Institute,
Leeds;
Joanna Haigh,
professor of atmospheric physics, Imperial College, contributor to
the recent Royal Society report,
Geoengineering the climate;
Phil Macnaghten,
founding Director of
Institute
of Hazard and Risk Research, Durham University; and
Rob Williams,
Renewables Projects Director, Banks Developments.
The event was sponsored by
Economic and Social Research Council.
More ....
March 2010
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Humans in a Changing Climate seminar series
RCE North East,
North East Centre for Lifelong
Learning and
The Great Debate
launch their first joint seminar series this week
(starting 4th February).
This series will examine what climate change means
for people today and in the future with
discussions on water resources, food and energy production.
The ramifications of the recent interest in geoengineering –
controlling the climate through intentional manipulation -
will be explored. The programme will consist of five sessions
each with an introduction followed by discussion
facilitated by
Dr Caspar Hewett.
Guest speakers include
Dr Stephen Blenkinsop,
Newcastle University;
Dr Annie Borland,
Moorbank Botanical Garden and
Richard Dawson,
Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.
More ...
February 2010
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Living in a Changing World
RCE North East and
The Great Debate are pleased to announce
Mediabox funding for
Living in a Changing World, a documentary-making project
delivered by, about and for young people. The core group of
young people involved in this project will explore what they
think are the issues facing them in the future and which most
concern them. The participants will form a production team to
create a documentary and will be given training and guidance in
sound production, lighting and camera work, interview techniques,
scripting questions, storyboarding, presentation and editing.
Guidance from creative media professionals will be available at
each stage of the process, but both the content of the film and
decision-making processes will be driven by the young people involved.
More ...
January 2010
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Honorary Doctorate for RCE academic lead Paul Younger
RCE North East Academic lead and pro-vice-chancellor for engagement at
Newcastle University,
Professor Paul Younger has been awarded an
Honorary Doctorate by the National University of St Augustine, in Arequipa, Peru.
The degree was awarded “in recognition of Professor Younger’s
invaluable scientific contribution to the sustainable management of
water in the basin of the River Chili and in other river basins of
Peru and neighbouring countries which are affected by ancient and
modern mine workings”.
Professor Younger said: “This is a huge honour, which I never imagined
would be coming my way ... The work which is honoured by this award
is also down to the efforts
of my close colleague at Newcastle University Dr Jaime Amezaga,
as well as to the efforts of many collaborators in universities,
community organisations and mining companies in Peru, Chile and Bolivia.
"I like to think of this Honorary Doctorate as recognition of the
substantial contribution which Newcastle University is making worldwide,
within the framework of coordinated European actions, to advance the
urgent cause of sustainability."
January 2010
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2009 news
Asian Circle honours North East
Leaders
December 2009
Red Kites Contribute to Economic
Regeneration
October 2009
Schools Explore Climate Issues
Through Art
October 2009
Children get Growing
September 2009
Summer Art School Success
September 2009
Explore Programme Launch
September 2009
Kalapremi's Ganesh Festival
Marches On
September 2009
Indian Summer Celebratory Event
September 2009
Preparing Schools for a Sustainable Future
September 2009
Don't Shout at the Telly,
Change What's On It! March 2009
Asian Circle honours North East Leaders
Members of RCE partners, the Asian Circle, celebrated the Diwali and
the Festive Season in a grand style. Diwali, the Festival of Light,
is a principal festival in the Hindu Calendar as it
is celebrated throughout the world.
The celebrations were held at a dinner organised at The New Kent Hotel
on Sunday 6th December 2009.
This occasion was a very special one as the members of the Asian Circle
honoured the leaders from the top institutions in the North East by
awarding them with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The leaders honoured
included: the Lord Mayor of Newcastle, Lord Lieutenant, Tyne and
Wear , Nigel Sherlock, Councillor John Shipley, the leader of City Council,
Councillor David Faulkner Deputy Leader City council, Sir Jeremy Beecham,
former leader of city council, Olivia Grant, Deputy Chancellor of Newcastle
University, Professor Chris Brink, Vice Chancellor of Newcastle University,
Bill Midgeley, former President of Chamber of Commerce UK, Professor
Andrew Wathey, Vice Chancellor of Northumbria University Judge David Hodson,
Honorary Recorder Newcastle, Kevin Rowan, Secretary Regional TUC, Jamie Martin,
Chair Newcastle Gateshead Initiative, Councillor Mick Henry Leader of
Gateshead Council, Roger Kelly, Chief Executive Gateshead Council,
Margaret Fay Chairman of One North East, Bishop Martin, Bishop of Newcastle,
David Simms, Managing Director of NEJ Media, Paul Robertson, Editor of the
Evening Chronicle and Brian Aitkens, Editor of the Journal.
The awards were made in recognition of the tremendous contribution they all
have made in their respective area of work. Their contribution and commitment
for common humanity has inspired people irrespective of culture, colour or
ethnic origin to play their rightful role in the life of the community.
The North East is recognised as the region where people are treated with
dignity and respect. The people are very kind and considerate and have always
welcomed people from all over the world to come and live in the region.
The leaders have developed a vision for the region and the country and
they share their vision with one another to develop policies which include
everyone to play his/her rightful role in the life of the community.
Their contribution was recognised by thanking them publicly and by
presenting them with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Asian Circle aims at building bridges between BME communities in the
main Institutions and promote very useful contributions they have been
making in the economic and social regeneration of the region.
Article by Hari Shukla,
December 2009
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Red Kites Contribute to Economic Regeneration
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In 2004, the first of 94 red kites was released as part of a
scheme to reintroduce and ultimately, re-establish the species
as a breeding bird in North East England, after an absence of
170 years. The good news is that return of this magnificent bird
to the North East of England brought significant economic benefits
to the region into the bargain. It is estimated that over its
lifetime, the
Northern Kites Project
generated at least £1.73 million in economic activity,
the majority of which has filtered through to local companies and
businesspeople (
Click here for project reports):
There was direct employment of staff involved in
managing the work which in its turn led to spending by project
employees and volunteers, helping to support local economic activity;
There was direct expenditure by the project with local providers of
goods and services providing income and employment for local firms;
There were new business opportunities developed around the
return of the red kites to the region, including the use of the kites’
image for marketing and the adoption of the kite in an award-winning
major branding exercise;
The birds provided repeated opportunities for positive complementary
multi-media advertising for businesses. It is estimated that these
initiatives have provided additional income of over quarter of a million
pounds, supporting a raft of local businesses to use the image of kites
to produce specific products and services;
There were also positive benefits for local tourism. For example visitor
spending of over three quarters of a million pounds in the lower Derwent
valley was attributed to the presence of the red kites and there was
strong support for branding this area as ‘Kite Country’ to further
promote tourism;
In addition to the economic benefits participatory and productive
relationships were built in the course of the project, heightening the
project’s profile and, more importantly, public recognition of red kites.
One branding exercise took ‘red kite’ messages to 4 million people a year.
Schools and businesses were also involved, and educational and popular
amenities for pupils created.
Adapted from a report by
Dr Frederick Milton
and Tony Armstrong
October 2009
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Schools Explore Climate Issues Through Art
110 pupils from 10 of the Catholic Partnership Schools across the south of the Hexham & Newcastle Diocese worked with 8 artists in residence and teachers to produce outstanding art work to explore the issues of climate and climate change. In collaboration with Newcastle University and RCE North East, Mick Dunne, the head of Art at Our Lady & St Bede’s Catholic School, led the work. The summer school invited all Partnership schools to work in collaboration at the specialist art school in Stockton from July 6th-10th 2009.
Year 9 pupils from Our Lady and St Bede's Catholic School Stockton, St Michael's RC School Billingham, St Aidan's Catholic School and Sixth Form Centre Sunderland, St Anthony's Girls' School Sunderland, St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College Lanchester, St Bede's Catholic Comprehensive School and Byron Sixth Form College Peterlee, St John's Catholic School and Sixth Form Centre Bishop Auckland, St Leonard's Catholic School Durham, St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College Washington and The English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College Hartlepool worked side by side to explore new and exciting art techniques and media.
Workshops included ceramics; collage, print making, photography,
sketchbook work, painting, 3D and mixed media and students took
part in 2 workshops allowing them to develop new skills and new
found confidence.
Students completed their study work in preparation for the
weeklong summer school at Moorbank Botanical Gardens and
at the Headlands in Hartlepool. Working with Dr Aidan Doyle
the summer school has been developed in collaboration with
OPAL North East
and has given students the opportunity to experience the
innovation and creativity in both science and art.
Students had a unique and enriching experience at this
Art Summer School creating artwork that excels and excites.
Students formed a genuine artists community learning from
established artists, from each other and from themselves.
This was also an opportunity for pupils to journey together
as they leave their Key Stage 3 studies and prepare for GCSEs.
They were able to share their love of art, develop new friendships,
experience the diverse work that Universities engage in and share
their aspirations for the future.
All students will take this work on to their GCSEs and
have had their work exhibited at Arc in Stockton, and the
Botanical Gardens, Newcastle. Many students will remember this
week throughout their lifetime, for some this experience will
be the beginning of a career of exhibitions and published works.
October 2009
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Children get Growing
Grow Your Own Five,
an exciting new project for children, is being launched in schools across
County Durham. NHS County Durham’s public health team is involved in the
project in partnership with RCE NorthEast, Newcastle University,
LADS Community Gardens, OPAL North East, and
Moorbank Botanic Gardens
in Newcastle University, to promote a novel approach to healthy eating.
Initially, over 1000 students from Tanfield cluster of schools were encouraged to grow five different fruits and vegetables without using a garden or allotment.
They did this by planting the produce in pots, which they placed on a step or a window sill.
The aim of the project was to develop a better awareness of healthy eating among the participants as well as making the initiative fun.
The students, all aged from three years to thirteen, were encouraged to tend and eventually eat their own produce. Through this they were able to explore climate issues, food miles and ideas about general wellbeing and nutrition.
Sadaf Butt, food and health facilitator, said: “This project is a perfect example of how we can make education a fun activity for children rather than a task that needs to be done. Gardening is very educational and hopefully through this project we might even divert the children away from junk food and towards healthy eating.”
The
Grow Your Own Five
initiative has now taken roots in schools across the region with plans for the programme to roll out across County Durham and beyond. In addition to working with young people, the programme also serves to invite participation across generations and draw out some of the latent skills of our communities.
Lynne Bell, extended services co-coordinator explained: “The Grow 5 Project was an example of a successful partnership within the Tanfield School cluster, partners and the wider community. Parent and grandparent volunteers supported the planting events in each location. Through enabling many children to experience gardening and harvesting, the project has been successful because it has encouraged them to join the various gardening clubs in school and develop new outdoor interests. This project was a starting point for sustainability and is already being developed further by the cluster and partners."
The project has been highlighted alongside other learning initiatives
across the globe in
RCE Bulletin issue 10.
For more information please contact Sadaf Butt,
NHS County Durham and NHS Darlington.
Email: sadaf.butt @ nhs.net,
Website: www.countydurham.nhs.uk
September 2009
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Summer Art School Success
English Martyrs School & VI Form College has been
working in association with RCE North East
for over two years with the Annual Hartlepool Art Summer School.
The event includes year 10 students (age 15) studying
GCSE Art & Design and staff from their respective secondary art
departments in a week-long series of art workshops from every
secondary school in Hartlepool.
This year, 12-14 students from each school visited
some Teesside Industrial areas with art teachers for a visual
study day to make visual investigations of the impacts of these
industries on the environment. The students took photographs
and completed drawings and this research was used as the
basis for ideas development for final art work during a full week
of making art in July. There were workshops in painting, ceramics,
textiles, photography, wood sculpture and mixed media.
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The students produced very high quality, meaningful work which
reflected their understanding and creative input on the theme.
Parents and staff also dropped in to the workshops during the week
and a DVD was shot of both the study day and the activities
that students were engaged in. Over 70 students participated
and the completed work they produced is currently being exhibited
here at The English Martyrs Community Art Gallery
with parents, staff, students and RCE representatives present
at the opening event to celebrate the success of this project.
The work remains on display and open to the public until October
16th, after which, all of the work is returned to the students to be
submitted as part of their GCSE coursework, which we know from having
run previous summer schools for 12 years, has a significant impact
on raising student's chances of gaining higher grades.
The social bonding for the students staff results in gaining
respect, cooperation, team building and new friendships, as well
as a major broadening of experience. We are delighted to
continue to work with RCE North East and look forward to more
positive and education-enhancing opportunities in the future.
Mike Brogan, Director of Arts College. September 2009
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Explore Programme Launch
The innovative new
Explore Programme, an exciting new approach to
lifelong learning, was launched in Newcastle by RCE partner,
North East Centre for Lifelong Learning this month.
The Explore Membership Scheme is a new way to experience learning,
uniquely available to the public of the North East.
The launch event, which took place on Monday, 21st September, was well
attended by a mixed audience of potential members of the Expore scheme,
teachers and those with a particular interest in guest speaker,
well known historian and broadcaster Michael Wood.
The event was held in Bamburgh Suite, St. James’s Park, Newcastle upon Tyne.
Michael Wood is author of several books including:
In Search of Myths and Heroes (2005) and
India: An Epic Journey Across the Subcontinent (2007)
and has presented numerous television documentaries including:
The Story of India (2007) and
Michael Wood on Beowulf (2009).
September 2009
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Kalapremi's Ganesh Festival Marches On
Kalapremi’s Annual Ganesh Festival, in its 17th year, celebrates the
Indian festival of the much loved elephant-headed deity, Ganesh.
Loved for his gigantic and gentle looks, Ganesh is also considered to
bestow prosperity and knowledge.
Held on Saturday 19th September this one day event opened with a
scrumptious breakfast followed by a
music and dance showcase by students from Kalapremi’s Indian Music Trail and
Indian Dance Trail projects. The rest of the day was filled with music dance
including vocals by Sanjeev Chimmalgi and ‘Journey into India’, a music and
dance production by Manasamitra. Visual arts work called Motion -2,
created by members of EDAN (East Durham Artists Network) was
on display on the day. The festival was a great opportunity for people
in the North East to experience Indian culture in all its diversity.
September 2009
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Indian Summer Celebratory Event
On the 12th September on a glorious, balmy afternoon
some 300 invited guests and members of the general public came
together at Newcastle University’s
Moorbank Botanic Garden for an afternoon of
music and dance and to celebrate a number of outreach partnerships
and activities. The event was organised by RCE North East in
partnership with OPAL-NE and highlighted a number of
inspiring projects that included:
Grow Your Own Five –
an RCE project, supported
by County Durham PCT and working with L&A&DS and OPAL North East
that involved over 1,000 children from the Tanfield School Hub
who sowed, nurtured and harvested their own vegetables.
Art Summer Schools – a range of work based around the theme
of ‘Climate and Climate Change’ that was produced by GCSE
students from schools belonging to the Hexham and Newcastle Catholic
Partnership, South was displayed (special thanks to Mick Dunne,
Our Lady and St Bede Stockton).
Established art-based partnerships with English Martyrs, Hartlepool
and the six other Hartlepool Schools were acknowledged.
The Anglo-Italian exchange program and the
Plant Biology Masterclasses
developed in collaboration with St Cuthberts High School,
Newcastle and hosted at Moorbank were highlighted.
Beacon
North East provided a podcast in the tropical
house that highlighted some of their recent work.
A film on Moorbank created by Sarah Tulloch,
(MA Fine Arts, Newcastle) that highlighted
research activities and the work of the Friends (a volunteer group)
at the garden was presented.
The OPAL-NE regional air survey was launched and
lectures on the use of lichens as indicators
of air quality were presented. Participants learned
how to get involved in collecting data that
would feed into the national air survey coordinated by OPAL.
Music from the Felling Band, Paul Ruane with Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann,
APU and the young Irish and Indian dancers of
the McElvogue School of Dancers and the West End Dance Crew
provided an ambience that encapsulated the
‘last day of summer’ and will be fondly
remembered by those who attended the event.
September 2009
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Preparing Schools for a Sustainable Future
This month (September 2009), the Department for Children, Schools and Families
(DCSF) sent an email to all schools highlighting many of the
sustainable development issues that are impacting upon or challenging schools
and the education sector. DCSF are encouraging schools to engage in these
issues through the
Sustainable Schools Framework.
This framework provides schools with a context to embed sustainable development
within school life as a school improvement strategy which will enhance the
achievement of pupils, the improved operation of the school campus and
increase its engagement with the schools local and global communities.
Of particular interest to schools and the education sector may be
the current consultation on a carbon management plan for the
education sector. This plan when developed will have huge implications
on many aspects of schools' life so we would encourage as many
schools/organizations as possible to
respond.
In the north east region, this work is supported by the
North East Strategic Partnership for Sustainable Schools,
a partnership of public, private and third sector organizations
funded by DCSF through the
Government Office
for the North East.
Click here
for Word document containing text of the e-mail.
September 2009
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Don't Shout at the Telly, Change What's On It!
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A video made by young participants of a workshop
held at Newcastle University on the media, sustainability
and the environment is now available to
view on the worldbytes channel.
The report was filmed at
Don’t
Shout at the Telly, Change What's on it! - a day of workshops
and discussions organised by
The Great Debate
and WORLDwrite
with support from
ESRC Festival of Social Science, RCE North East
and Newcastle University, attracting participants from six local
schools and five universities as well as the wider public.
The day opened with the North East première of
Flush It,
a compelling documentary that aims to put aspirations for Western
levels of water provision and sanitation on the map for developing
countries. The film interweaves concerns about local water shortages,
global water scarcity and toilet history with aspirations for
grand projects and excellent loos. Workshop participants then got to
question the film makers and discuss the issues. Following that there
was a panel discussion entitled
Climate change: convenient untruths, unacceptable messages?
which focused on some recent films about climate change that have
caused a storm and asked some serious questions about the role
of documentary-making in influencing opinion. The students then made
the featured film, reflecting on water and sanitation
provision across the globe. Learning camera and reporting
skills ‘on the job’ the participants considered key issues
in the process. The workshop was part of the Development,
Sustainability and Environment series organised as part of
the RCE North East project
the great northern debate.
March 2009
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2008 news
Celebration
December 2008
Our culture is at
the heart of regeneration and sustainability
October 2008
the great sustainable
energy debate
October 2008
Summer art school in South Durham
September 2008
Students
in Newcastle discuss ESD July 2008
Developing world challenges
debated March 2008
Celebration
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We are delighted to announce the birth of baby Eloise Hewett
at 9.10am on 20th December 2008, daughter of our
steering group member, Caspar Hewett.
Mother and baby are well.
RCE North East sends hearty congratulations to mother, Philippa,
father, Caspar, and big
brother, Daniel. Here's to the future!
December 2008
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Our culture is at the heart of regeneration and sustainability
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Dancing at the RCE event held as part of
Tyneside Irish Festival 2008
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This year our 22nd annual
Tyneside Irish Festival took
on another dimension by commencing a new activity called
‘
Sustaining
Migrant Communities’, under the banner of
Newcastle and United Nations Universities’
RCE North East.
The programme celebrates ways in which culture shapes
the progress of our region. The vision of RCE North East
is to create a region which is progressive, prosperous
and at one with itself. This will attract investment,
protect and conserve our environment, and contribute to
the world community.
Our region has been a major centre of migration for
over two centuries. Since the early 1800s people came
here from Scotland and Ireland (and have continued to
do so since).
Tyneside
Irish Centre is working in partnership with
Comhaltas
Ceoltóirí Éireann and
RCE North East to
develop the concept of
‘music for sustainability’ to celebrate the fact that our
canny region has a history of welcoming newcomers, and it
is constantly enriched by their significant involvement to
its world view. We also think that the Irish people of the
region continue to make a massive contribution to the social,
educational and cultural fabric of the region.
We extend a warm welcome to all our region’s migrant
communities. The programme was launched during the
festival with lectures, talks and book launches by
leading academics in the fields of regionalism, radical
politics and Diaspora studies. In the true festive spirit
of RCE North East, and of course the Tyneside Irish Centre,
these all took place accompanied my music and dance.
We were delighted to bring young Indian and Pakistani
dancers to join us with ‘Bollywood’ style dancing to
Irish music – the start of something exciting we hope.
October 2008
A full programme of research in migration studies is
currently in preparation. For further details please contact
aidan.doyle @ ncl.ac.uk
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The Great Debate in association with
North East Forum for Climate Change Research,
Durham University, Northumbria University,
Newcastle University,
one north east and Newcastle City Council
In the context of both mounting anxiety over climate change
and predictions that the worldwide peak of hydrocarbon
production will occur before 2021, the North East is
striving to become a global leader in the shift to a
low-carbon energy economy. Such transitions typically
span decades - energy infrastructure takes years to develop
and new energy technologies are likely to take time to mature.
So, what are the prospects of seeing a widespread transition
to a sustainable energy economy? What are the barriers?
What will be the main drivers of change? How might the UK’s
energy mix evolve over the next 40 years? And what of demand
management? What obligations do we have as citizen-consumers?
On Tuesday, 7th October 2008 a public debate was held at
Northumbria University to interrogate these questions. On
the panel were
Jim Skea, Research Director,
UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC),
Dermot Roddy, Director,
Sir Joseph Swan Institute for Energy Research and
Kate Theobald, Reader, Sustainable Cities Research Institute.
Click here for full
write up.
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Students in the carving workshop
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The Hartlepool Art Summer School in County Durham,
North East UK is an annual event which ordinarily involves
all Hartlepool secondary schools.
This year, in partnership
with RCE North East, it expanded to include a further ten
Catholic Partnership schools in South Durham, with 120
year ten students of mixed abilities (see
Textures
and Growth project.) Art teachers from all
sixteen schools taught at the event, and three professional
artists joined the programme.
Work began with a study day, and the students were
brought to two seashore locations with a broad brief to
investigate lichens, rust and other textures and growth
forms visually. Students then convened at English Martyrs
School and Sixth Form College, where they worked in six
workshops: painting, ceramics, sculpture, photography,
textiles and mixed media. Scientists from Newcastle
University joined the study, and introduced the students to
the effects of pollution on plant life, and the study of
organisms composed through the association of microscopic
algae with filamentous fungi.
The final work will contribute to their examination coursework
and will be exhibited publicly at the community art
gallery in Hartlepool from 16 September for three weeks.
All of the participating schools will bring other students
and their local communities to see the work. The work will
then be displayed at Newcastle University Botanic Gardens,
and will be celebrated in the usual RCE North East style
with a schools’ music event. Both exhibitions will serve as
the platform for further project development.
September 2008
For more information see
Textures
and Growth project page or contact Mike Brogan,
Arts College Director, English Martyrs School,
mbrogan @ ems.hartlepool.sch.uk
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An interactive session at the conference
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Students from Newcastle, UK, had the opportunity to
discuss various aspects of sustainable development pertaining
to their lives at a
conference
co-organised by RCE North
East on 26 June 2008. Education for Sustainable Development
was one of the several topics on which workshops
were organised. At the workshop, Dr. Aidan Doyle from
RCE North East helped participants explore the rift between
prevalent ‘Cultures of Consumption’ and “environmental
self-righteousness.”
The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, the organiser
of the conference, is the lead body in England supporting
school improvement through a programme of curriculum
specialisms. SSAT in the North East of England has a
membership that includes all secondary school and a
significant number of special and primary schools.
July 2008
For more information see
North
East Student Conference on 'Sustainability’ project page
or contact Colm Doyle,
Colm.Doyle @ ssatrust.org.uk
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Is overseas development oppressive? If you thought overseas aid
and charitable work were good for people in developing countries,
prepare to question your assumptions. Two short films asking Africans what
they think were the basis of a day of public debate held at
Newcastle University as part of the 2008
ESRC Festival of Social Science.
The event was an opportunity for members of the public
to argue with academics and activists about the basic morality
behind most current efforts to ‘help’ the poor in developing
countries. There was also a film-making workshop.
The event was one of a series of events organised by
The Great Debate,
a group based in Newcastle that has been running this type
of event for 10 years. “We want to get the public involved
in grappling with the tough issues surrounding sustainable
development,” says organiser Caspar Hewett.
The Great Debate: Developing World Challenges
took place on Saturday 15 March 2008 and was held as part of
The Great Debate’s 10th Anniversary Celebrations. It was based
around two half hour films, made in Ghana by the education
charity
WORLDwrite.
The first part of the day was spent with the film production crew,
learning the tricks of broadcast-quality documentary making
on a tight budget. Then there were two debating sessions,
one for each film.
The two films are called
I'm a Subsistence Farmer ... Get
Me Out of Here! and
Keeping Africa Small.
They carry a strong message: overseas development projects
do not help poor people. They are not wanted, because they
seek to retain people in poor farming communities with low
aspirations, dissuading them from advancing economically and
looking for a better life. The message is spoken by Africans,
both poor and wealthy, who feel patronised and insulted by the
development NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations) that are now
so prominent in Africa. As Ghanaian television journalist
David Ampofo says, in one of the films: “It is a sad
reflection of mankind that when there are rockets going
to the moon, they are busy preparing a rope pump for people
to fetch water.”
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Each debate lasted one hour. Film director Ceri Dingle,
and producer Viv Regan, were on the debating panels. They were
joined by Barry Gills, Professor of Global Politics at
Newcastle University, Kim Tan, Campaigns Officer for Oxfam
on the Make Trade Fair and Millennium Development Goals campaigns,
John Gowing, a Newcastle academic with ample experience of
sustainable agriculture projects in Africa, Hilaire Agnama,
Development Education Worker and Bill Colwell,
an environmentalist from the Campaign to Protect Rural England.
The discussions were lively and good natured, although the range
of views differed greatly across the panels. “This is precisely what
The Great Debate is all about - giving our audience
the opportunity to hear a range of views, join in the arguments,
and ultimately to make up their own minds about the issues,” says
The Great Debate chair Caspar Hewett.
March 2008
Edited videos of the debates can be viewed by clicking the links below:
Keeping Africa Small
I'm a Subsistence Farmer ... Get Me Out of Here!
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