By Angus Kirk, Year 10 pupil at The King Edward VI School Morpeth, Northumbria

BT’s Big Voice competition gives young people the chance to make short films on inclusion and diversity issues. And the best films are going to be shown in the run up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

So it is a really exciting project to be involved in and students at our school were very keen to take part.

We decided to look at the problem of the generation gap in our town and see if we could change things by bringing young and old people together. And we soon found out that young and old actually have a lot in common.

The film was obviously central to the project.  But so many other activities came out of it.

For a start we kicked off the project with a 1940s event in aid of the Royal British Legion. Older people who had lived during the war came and talked to us about their experiences and memories, really bringing history alive.

These chats inspired pupils at the school to get involved in the restoration of a local war memorial. It had been vandalised and the plaque was stolen for scrap metal.

When the project was complete the Bishop of Newcastle came to rededicate the memorial and an RAF Sea King Helicopter flew over in salute. It was a very proud moment.

But more importantly it helped to change stereotypes about younger people. I’m really pleased to say that older people realised that we do care and want to make a positive difference in the world.

We also organised a dinner in the town hall for SSAFA, a charity that supports service men and their families.  Not only did it raise £500, but it gave old and young the chance to chat and learn how much we do have in common.

And there were many other things going on as well. For example, we learnt how to do a Home Guard drill, which we demonstrated at the Northumbrian Gathering and used in our Big Voice Film. I had the chance to interview the Duchess of Northumberland.

Because the project was student led we really learnt a lot from the experience and have developed so many skills that will help us in the future.

But perhaps most importantly the Big Voice competition has really brought the town of Morpeth together and bridged the generation gap.

By Keith Marley, senior lecturer in Film and Media Professional Studies, The Liverpool Screen School at Liverpool John Moores University

The BT Big Voice competition has given students from around the country a chance to speak out about the issues of inclusion and diversity. Short films, communicating these ideas, are to be screened at special events throughout the UK in the build up to 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. And they are guaranteed a global audience.

That’s why this is such a prestigious project. From what I’ve seen, the students of Liverpool John Moores University have relished the fantastic opportunity handed to them.

The competition has given them the chance to work at a professional level. I’m in no doubt that this will look impressive on any CV and in their portfolios. It may even give them an edge in what is a competitive industry which can only be a good thing.

But perhaps more importantly their involvement in the project has allowed them to develop a set of professional and life skills that will really benefit them in the future. It has prepared them for work in a way that is not always possible when only following the set curriculum.

For a start, they have had to learn to work to budget with BT donating £1,000 for each film. Then they had to follow a brief and meet deadlines. These are key skills that everyone needs in the workplace and not something that can be learnt in a lecture hall.

The students also had to conduct themselves appropriately and hone their diplomatic, negotiation and people management skills- especially when dealing with outside agencies. For example, they charmed council officials in to letting them film in various locations, put calls out for actors and ran auditions.

This required a lot of teamwork, collaboration and managerial skills which are so essential in a working environment.

And of course film productions never run smoothly. So there has been ample opportunity for them to solve problems and troubleshoot to ensure they achieved their goals.

We were also the production partners for students from South Cheshire College of Further Education in Crewe. They had written a treatment idea for a film and we had to realise their vision.

This gave the younger students the perfect chance to see what we do at university. We talked to them about our course, our facilities and how we work. And hopefully this made some of them see that university could also be for them.

Plus, they had the opportunity to see their vision and ideas truly valued - which is confidence and morale boosting to say the least. 

BT Big Voice has been a truly inspiring and exciting project to work on. We now wait with anticipation for the regional and national finals later this year.

By Leon Taylor, BT 2012 and Coaching for Life ambassador

As a partner of the London 2012 Olympics we at BT want to encourage Britain to get active and sporty this year.

But don’t think sport has to be restricted to school or clubs- you can get involved with sports any time any place.

Our BT Coaching for Life programme has many great ideas for parents and carers to help children between the ages of 6-11 to try out different sports.

There are instructions about how to set up 12 easy games that can be played in the park or back garden – and coaching tips for parents to make it fun for everyone.

And because they can be downloaded as an app to your phone whenever you want to get active you will have some great ideas in your back pocket.

We all know that sport can have a really beneficial effect on a person’s health, but research also indicates that it can have a positive impact on social life and behaviour.

A recent BT survey revealed that 60 per cent of parents encourage their children to join teams and clubs to increase their circle of friends.

Making friends

And the more teams and clubs a child is active in, the more interaction they will have with peers resulting in more friendships - so sporty kids are often more popular.

The most sociable sport is apparently football - with 59 per cent of children who play football regularly having 17 friends or more, but this is closely followed by swimming at 56 per cent.

According to 44 per cent of the teachers surveyed sporty children also do better at school, because they concentrate more and are better behaved in class.

The skills learnt through sport, such as cooperation, team work, focus and leadership can be transferred to all aspects of life.

And the BT Coaching for Life programme introduces parents to some key coaching principles that they can use to help children tackle life’s challenges.

With the Olympics are just round the corner let’s get this country into sporting action.  

Find out more about BT Coaching for Life.

By Diane Mackie, Institute of Fundraising

Christmas is the season of goodwill but the reality is that most people don’t give to charity -even at this time of the year - unless they are asked to first.

What’s more they are unlikely to continue to make donations to a cause if their gift is not appropriately acknowledged or their support encouraged by the charity. 

This is where the crucial role of charity fundraisers comes in.  They harness the desire many people have to make the world a better place, bringing money in to their charities from new individual supporters as well as ensuring continued support from existing donors.  The Institute of Fundraising is the professional membership body for fundraisers, setting the standards for all those who raise money for charity.

And although fundraising happens all year round, the Christmas period is a really important time for charities and fundraisers who want to tap into the goodwill traditionally associated with the season.

But with so many charities out there working hard to raise funds and to help people and causes, standing out from the crowd can be a significant challenge.

Getting the message across

To my mind it’s all about clear communication.  Charities need to be able to articulate clearly to potential donors getting across messages such as ‘what problem in the world does their cause exists to help resolve?’ or  ‘How can a single donor make a big difference to our work?’ or ‘is there a special service at Christmas which we can tell people about?’

Charities deal in issues and projects which can inspire emotional and heartfelt responses, so they need to try to harness this sort of messaging wherever they can in the way they ask for money and promote their fundraising initiatives. 

Of course, the current economic environment and impact of spending cuts mean that the heat is on for charities. There is intense competition for donations as many people have less money these days. Some charities have had to restructure the services they provide to those in need. 

But the fact remains that many people do love to support charity, particularly at Christmas time – some good examples of seasonal fundraising include encouraging people to make a donation to a Christmas appeal, selling Christmas cards or gifts, and arranging carol concerts in aid of charity.   

And with online channels rivalling traditional forms of communication, particularly for younger people, there is certainly a part for online giving to play at this time of year – especially when many people are busy coping with the hustle and bustle of Christmas.  Online donation sites such as MyDonate, can make it easy to give money to charities, in a way that is tax-effective, making your fundraising appeal look attractive to others – and for charities to collect much needed income efficiently. 

Charities need to work harder than ever for your donations, even at Christmas time.  For the sake of those in need, long may people continue to give to, and support, charities across the UK. 

By Graham Pottie, chief operating officer for BT Agilemedia

Some of my colleagues have been involved in Telethons in the past and it looked like great fun. So when BT asked for volunteers I jumped at the chance. Why? Because I wanted to give something back and I just wanted to contribute.

This is only the second time I have worked in a call centre like this. In March we provided the communications for Comic Relief, which I really enjoyed, so I wanted to do something like it again.

Working at BT Tower’s call centre on a night like this is really busy. There were about a hundred and twenty desks and I must have taken at least fifty calls from people during my seven hour shift. And this was after a day’s work.

People were very generous and donations came in all sizes- from £10 up…the highest being £1,000. So on my phone alone roughly £4000 was collected over the evening.

There was a great atmosphere everyone was really engaged and just pleased to be there and keen and eager to help.

Early on in the evening Matt Cardell of X Factor fame put in an appearance and sang us all a song. That went down really well.

There’s lots of silliness and always something going on, like the BBC News readers’ dance. I was just really motivated to contribute and be part of it all. And I’m lucky that I could be because I work for BT.

Children in Need is now such a landmark event that it has a place on most people’s calendars. So many small charities are supported, which help in so many different ways. Some of them are highlighted on the TV, but there are so many more.

I would definitely do it again, because it’s a great opportunity to do something that is so positive and makes a difference to so many people.  It was a really wonderful experience – and it’s not too late to donate by visiting the Children in Need page on the MyDonate website.

By Shane Allum, IT technician at BT Operate and former BT apprentice

Recently I attended WorldSkills London 2011 at the ExCel in London. The event was the largest-ever international skills competition and careers event for young people. According to the organisers, more than 200,000 people turned up to this four-day event – making it one of the biggest shows ever at ExCel.

For the competition side of things, young people from more than 50 countries and regions took part to test their skills - everything from hairdressing and bricklaying to IT.

But it wasn’t just a skills competition. There were scores of employers there showcasing what they had to offer. That’s why I was there. I was on the BT ‘Have a Go’ stand with around 20 other apprentices talking to visitors about our technology and what it’s like to be an apprentice at BT.

It was really busy but great fun too. Visitors had the chance to try their hands at a whole range of technical tasks including fibre splicing, cable making, and haptics - the science of applying touch sensation and control to interaction with computer applications.

People were really interested in the technology. But they were also really interested in BT as a company.

For me, one of the best things was talking to students who weren’t too sure about what to do in the future. I told them about the BT apprenticeship scheme and how good it was - how you could ‘earn while you learn’.

A couple of people I spoke to said they were going to apply to be a BT apprentice. I hope they do. Being a BT apprentice gives you so many options and experiences.

When I saw the new BT research showing a whole 20% of the population has never sent an email I was, to say the least, surprised.  The internet and all its tricks for helping you stay in touch with friends and family is something I can’t imagine living without.  That said about 9 million people in the UK do and that’s why I, as part of the BT Get IT Together campaign, am asking people like you, who read blogs and can use the internet, to lend a hand.

In fact, we’re asking you to give the ‘extra’ hour created by the clocks going back this weekend to help someone you know send their first email.  It’s a first simple step you can help them take to opening their eyes to the wonders of the internet.  I know from helping my mum to get online just what a difference it can make.  She’s gone from strength to strength - soon she’ll be teaching me a thing or two!

It could be a member of your own family who would benefit from being able to get in touch online, or someone in your community who could get reconnected with friends on the other side of the world.  I reckon all of us know at least one person who would smile at being able to send an email to or receive a photo from nearest and dearest.  And that’s particularly true for those who are already isolated or disadvantaged in some way.

To make it really easy, I’ve even put together a short video which you can use to show someone the basics of email.  So sit your mum/uncle/friend/neighbour down in front of it and watch them learn.  Easy as that.  And don’t worry it’s not an hour long – only three minutes!

By Vivienne Michael, CEO of Deafness Research UK

Deafness is a silent disability. In most people it occurs gradually over time and goes undetected until it is too late to do anything about.

Loud noise is one of the main causes of damage to the delicate hair cells in the inner ear that we depend on for hearing and, once these hair cells die, they cannot be repaired resulting in permanent hearing loss. 

One in seven people in the UK, almost nine million individuals, are already affected by hearing loss and the numbers are growing rapidly. Unfortunately many young people today are at risk from deafness, as regular exposure to loud music, especially from MP3 players can cause hearing loss. It is therefore vital that teenagers become aware of the environmental hazards that can damage their ears. 

But simply telling young people about the issues may not change their behaviour. Sometimes teenagers need to be encouraged to generate their own solutions to problems.

That is why Deafness Research UK has decided to launch a competition My Hearing, My Future, with the help and sponsorship of BT. It is for young people in the UK between the ages of 10-18, and the aim is to educate them about deafness, its impact on individuals and their quality of life, and to encourage them to think about their own hearing. We hope it may also persuade some to consider a career in science.

We want young people to help Sonar - Deafness Research UK’s very own Super Hero - in his latest mission to improve the world for those with hearing loss. He wants entrants to consider how science and technology can help people who are deaf.  Can they come up with some new ideas and innovations? 

We want to involve as many young people as possible and entries can be in English or British Sign Language. They can be in any format - from short stories to essays, videos or comic strips - as long as it can be emailed or posted to us, the only limit will be the entrants’ own creativity. The closing date is 20th January 2012.

For information about how to enter please visit http://www.my-hearing-my-future.co.uk/

By Nicola Millard, BT futurologist

New attitudes and technologies are changing the way we do business. The dawning of the digital age has created a 21^st century business model that crosses geographical borders 24/7 and transformed the way we work.

The emergence of technology such as wi-fi and cloud computing has presented us with more opportunities to work anywhere, anytime...and with any device.

It leads us to ask two questions: ‘What are offices for?’ and: ‘Is it time to look beyond the office?’

This topical subject is examined in the first of three papers in the WorkShift series written by BT futurologist Dr Nicola Millard and BT's head of agile working, Steve Gillies. You can read more on the first paper in a feature on BT’s innovation pages.  The authors look at the various aspects of work and explore the ways employees are leading the change in the way they are working as a consequence of breaking free from their desks.

The paper goes on to investigate the changing nature of the fixed office environment, how employees are using  'third party' places such as coffee shops to work and the growing trend of using their own devices to perform their jobs.

by Simon Paul, BT community investment manager

It’s that time of year again - a time to say a last ‘goodbye’ to summer and the time to say a heart-warming ‘hello’ to autumn. A time to remember to put the clocks back. And a time to remember to submit your application for the annual BT Internet Rangers Awards.

Each year, we scour the country looking for young people and schools who have done their bit to help get people online. It’s a UK-wide competition and is our way of highlighting all the good work that goes into helping to bridge the digital divide between generations in our communities.

There are two categories for entries.

The BT Internet Rangers Awards scheme looks for young people in the UK aged up to 16 years old, who have taught an older person or group basic computer and internet skills. Four national winners will each receive £100 worth of IT vouchers and an iPad. And the lucky overall winner will receive an additional £100 of vouchers.

A second competition – the BT Internet Rangers School Awards – recognises the best school or group of schools that has helped older people make the most of the internet. The winning school will receive a cash prize £4,000 and two runner-up schools will each receive a cash prize of £2,500.

Now here’s the important thing. Applications must be submitted by 5pm on 31st October 2011.

Last year’s overall winner was Terri Miller, from Scotland, who thought it would be a great idea to set up and run computer classes for disabled young people and the older generation. Reading what she achieved, it’s really heartening to see how young people are embracing technology for the good of others.

The winning school last year was Birmingham’s Great Barr School. Pupils there helped residents of a nearby nursing home to get online. It’s yet another great example of something good happening in the community. And one of the benefits we hear time and time again is that it’s not just the people who receive the training that benefit – the ‘Internet Rangers’ do as well. It’s definitely a two-way thing. 

So remember, if you want a chance to be recognised and a chance to win some fabulous prizes, make sure October 31st is in your diary.