“Helping young people improve their skills, knowledge and connections to society is a natural outgrowth of Nokia’s business, vision and values,” Jorma Ollila
27 February 2001, London: Children and Youth Partnership Foundation (CYPF) and Nokia today announced the launch of the ‘Make a Connection’ project, a UK-wide initiative to help young people build important life skills at a key development stage in their lives.
What is ‘Make a Connection’ in the UK?
In the UK, there is increasing concern about the emotional and social development of young people. Designed and managed by CYPF, the UK partner of International Youth Foundation, and funded by Nokia, Make a Connection in the UK is a life skills teaching resource of over 40 lessons and activities which provide young people with the opportunity to acquire and practice life skills that will help them understand their own personal resources and social interactions as well as to learn about the community and their role in society.
‘Make A Connection’ in the UK is about helping young people to explore such issues as self-esteem, creativity, independence, respect for cultural diversity and communication skills. Underlying themes include thinking skills, emotional literacy, conflict resolution and citizenship.
How it’s being received in participating schools
Leona Harrington, La Retraite RC School, Lewisham commented: "We have used a variety of resources in the school. However we have rarely come across materials which give the teacher such clear guidance on the optimum conditions in which to deliver the lesson. It is refreshing to see both extension and differentiation built into the tasks. The material is user friendly for both staff and students."
Paul Grey PSHE Advisor, Havering LEA said: "The materials have been written by acknowledged experts and the fact that they are being trialed is evidence of the importance being attached to the views of the professional who will ultimately make or break the effectiveness of the sources. The sections on creative conflict resolution are particularly welcome given the enormous pressures young people are faced with today."
Delivering ‘Make A Connection’ in the UK
Scheduled to run over a three-year period initially, the Make a Connection life skills teaching pack has three modules: Connecting with Yourself, Connecting with Others and Connecting with the Community. The UK-wide project is being trialed in February 2001 for 11-14-year olds in years 7, 8 and 9 in 20 schools. The number of schools will be increased to a hundred during spring and more throughout the year. Throughout 2001, teachers will have the opportunity to attend training delivered by those who have developed the resource materials and the pack will be provided free of charge to all participants.
The modules aim to supplement, not replace materials already being used in schools to deliver the PSHE and citizenship programmes. The flexibility of the modules and teaching material is designed to allow use of the lessons with as wide an audience as possible.
Who is involved with ‘Make a Connection’?
Make A Connection is about teamwork, collaboration and progress. Funded by Nokia, the programme has been designed and managed by the Children & Youth Partnership Foundation, in partnership with some of the UK’s leading experts in life skills development: Tacade; Leap Confronting Conflict; Robert Fisher (Centre for Thinking Skills) ; Buckholdt Associates (Self Esteem Advisory Service); and The Twisting Yarns Theatre Company in Bradford. Mencap has reviewed all the materials to ensure the inclusion of those with special needs in as many of the activities as possible.
Notes for editors
Further development and measurement of the Make a Connection programme
During this year, the programme hopes to make use of electronic media and branch into after-school activities. There will also be volunteer opportunities for Nokia employees.
Evaluation of the project will measure several aspects: how the material has been received by teachers; how useful the lessons have been to the pupils; how many young people have benefited from the programme, and what opportunities have been created for volunteer work.
What is ‘Make a Connection’ globally?
Almost a year ago, Nokia announced a global cooperation agreement with the International Youth Foundation (IYF) to improve the lives of young people world-wide through education. Called Make a Connection, the programme is already being implemented in various forms in several countries around the world. It provides opportunities for, and develops the skills that young people need to connect with peers, families and communities. This effort continues Nokia’s ongoing commitment to socially responsible initiatives.
Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications. Backed by its experience, innovation, user-friendliness and secure solutions, the company has become the leading supplier of mobile phones and a leading supplier of mobile, fixed and IP networks. By adding mobility to the Internet Nokia creates new opportunities for companies and further enriches the daily lives of people. Nokia is a broadly held company with listings on six major exchanges.
Further information:
Nokia
Corporate Communications
Tel. +358 7180 34424
Fax +358 9 652 409
Email communications.corporate@nokia.com
Press Release Actions