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DOT’S NEWEST RECRUITS

Three pupils from English Martyrs School in Tower Hamlets have been chosen to represent Kids Taskforce and their school as Dot Ambassadors.

The trio was voted into the new role by their classmates and the team is made up of Jennifer, Ryan and Virginia. When asked what qualities they will use as ambassadors, and what they hope to achieve, they replied: “We want to help people, listen to others and any problems they may have and to respect others.

“Working for Dot will teach us how to help others as she does, understand how people feel and why they get upset, give us a better understanding of others’ needs, help children with special needs and help others to understand each other.”

Jennifer, Ryan and Virginia will also have a special job acting as mini reporters for the missdorothy.com programme by emailing stories to be featured on Dot News. In fact, they have wasted no time in submitting their first article following a visit from their local police officer, PC Kevin, who spoke to them about keeping safe and making sensible decisions concerning drugs.

The children said: “His visits will help us live a healthy life, think about life-style choices and, importantly, say no to drugs!”

The Dot Ambassadors will be supported by an enthusiastic focus group from year five, who will make contributions as to how the missdorothy.com programme can be improved and what is already working well.

The pupils are now looking forward to sharing their thoughts and opinions with Dot News reporter, Julia Roberts, who will be visiting the school in the next few weeks.

ECO-FRIENDLY pupils at St Andrew's School in Streatham have joined forces to help protect the environment.

The eight youngsters from years three to six have been specially chosen to become the school's eco-friendly team and will be responsible for developing exciting and creative challenges to help teachers and pupils alike to do their part for the environment.

They are currently devising an eco-charter with three main aims for each class at the Kids Taskforce flagship school to follow – reduce the amount of paper they use, recycle whenever possible and turn off lights and electrical equipment when they are not needed.

The eco 'warriors' are also aware of the current economic state of the country and the effects of the recession, including the importance of saving money wherever possible, and have been trained how to check how much energy the school consumes using special monitors.

The team organised a special assembly performance with a recycling theme and a special noticeboard has also been put on display at the school so that the team can share any eco-news, tips, information and photos with other pupils.

In the next few weeks, the students will be visiting Parish Church School in Croydon to meet their eco-team and to ask for help and advice about how St Andrew's can work towards eco-friendly accreditation.

PUPILS SAY NO TO BULLYING WITH WINNING DESIGNS

Pupils from Stewart Headlam School in Tower Hamlets took part in a competition to design a poster as part of Anti-Bullying Week.

The youngsters came up with slogans and advice about the impact of bullying on others and how to seek help. The competition entries were excellent and Kids Taskforce Co-ordinator Wendy Phillips had a hard job choosing the winning posters.

These will be proudly displayed at future Kids Taskforce events, and will also be made up into posters to be sent out to all Kids Taskforce schools. Stewart Headlam School is itself currently working towards becoming a flagship school for the charity.

The schoolchildren who created the winning designs will also receive a mystery prize courtesy of Kids Taskforce.

The poster competition was held at the same time as an organisation known as Beatbullying has been encouraging hundreds of thousands of young people from around the world, together with celebrities, politicians, charities, businesses and communities, to take part in the world's first global virtual march for children's rights.

The Big March 2012 will take place on January 31 and hopes to include people from Manchester to Mumbai, Naples to New Orleans and Jerusalem to Johannesburg. It will end with the delivery of a petition to the United Nations (UN) building in New York, asking the UN to include bullying in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This will help protect children all over the world from the pain and distress of bullying. If successful, it will be the first time that the Convention has been updated in more than 10 years.

Also, it is important to remember that if you are experiencing bullying, or know of someone who is being bullied, speak to your 'helping hands' (trusted adults).

Donate a day’s pay this Christmas and change a child’s life FOREVER

Spurs striker Jermain Defoe is an ambassador for Kids Taskforce, a national child safety organisation that works with the emergency services & other partners to create learning programmes to make children’s lives safer.

He’s joined us to ask supporters to donate just one day’s pay this Christmas to invest in our safety learning programmes for primary and secondary schools across the UK.

It costs just £5 a year to fund the primary school learning programme for one child. £150 will educate one class and £1,500 will provide the resource for an entire school.

Children don’t automatically develop the ability to make good choices about staying safe. Experts such as the police, fire service and health professionals have a wealth of information that can help them to learn this skill, and yet the UK has no national personal safety programme in its schools.

Kids Taskforce has created this programme after many years of research and development. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association, Association of Chief Police Officers, National Ambulance Network and dozens of other partners have all contributed vital information and the programme has been rigorously evaluated by government departments and leading academics.

The Professional Footballers’ Association is also a partner, contributing messages about healthy eating and keeping fit. The programme covers all aspects of safety, from bullying and safe internet use to drugs, alcohol and knives.

So now we need YOUR help. Can you donate just one day’s pay to help fund the Kids Taskforce learning programme?

If you can, please call Kids Taskforce on 0844 2570311 or email office@kidstaskforce.com.

A SPECIAL WELCOME FOR DOT COM AND FRIENDS

Youngsters at St Bernadette School in Clapham officially welcomed Dot Com and her friends during a special launch assembly.

The school has been using the Kids Taskforce primary school personal safety learning programme missdorothy.com since September but decided to hold a ceremony to mark its inclusion in the school curriculum at the end of term so the children could contribute.

The school council did a presentation about the programme and asked their fellow pupils some questions about 'Helping Hands'. This was followed by some important advice about which adults to ask to lend a helping hand and Kids Taskforce Co-ordinator Wendy Phillips reminded the children about staying safe over the Christmas holidays, especially when online.

St Bernadette School is the second Kids Taskforce flagship school in Lambeth and special guests at the assembly included members of the school council from St Andrew’s Catholic Primary in Streatham. They highlighted the ‘uh-oh’ signs and who can help if they experience any of them, as well as sharing some of the fantastic opportunities they have experienced since becoming a flagship school.

Pupils also had the chance to watch the Kids Taskforce safety advert which stars children from Shoreditch schools alongside such celebrities as Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Kristina Rihanoff and Kids Taskforce patron actress Lynda Bellingham.

They were then treated to a guest appearance from Dot’s faithful friend, Wizard the dog, who also reminded the children about keeping safe and following the fun but important advice that they have been learning in their missdorothy.com lessons.

After the assembly the two school councils met to discuss future cross school work that they will be doing in partnership with each other. Both schools are excited about working together and the St Bernadette School Council will be visiting St Andrew’s School very soon!

LEARNING TO STAY SAFE WITH DOT AND FRIENDS

Children at Canonbury School will be getting to know Dot Com and her friends over the following months and learning how to stay safe after the official launch of the missdorothy.com programme.

The school has signed up to use the Kids Taskforce primary school personal safety learning programme during Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) lessons.

The launch of the programme featured a small presentation by the School Council. There was also a special appearance from Kids Taskforce learning mentor Wendy Phillips and Dot’s favourite canine chum, Wizard the dog, much to the delight of pupils, their parents and teachers.

Youngsters from years three to six are now looking forward to getting started with the colourful missdorothy.com workbooks. These will introduce the children to the cartoon characters of Dot, her family and friends, as well as teaching them topics such as friendships and feelings, rights and responsibilities, and staying safe whether at school, at home or online. There is also an interactive website featuring Dot’s daily diary, games, stories and news reports.

Tracy Georgio, who is Community Cohesion and Family Liaison Leader, is looking forward to embracing the wider curriculum through the programme, with parent workshops and cross-school project opportunities.

Pupils from Canonbury have been in the news before, when they were winners of the Mayor's Fund for London Photography project. This featured some fantastic images by pupils from six Shoreditch schools.

PUPILS ARE THE STARS AT ANNUAL DINNER

Pupils from London schools attended the Kids Taskforce Annual Gala Dinner at Banqueting House to tell guests the importance of teaching young people how to stay safe.
 
Children from three primary schools who star in the new Kids Taskforce promotional film gave a short presentation to guests including Spurs striker Jermain Defoe, ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ professional Kristina Rihanoff and sports commentator Steve Rider.  They described how the missdorothy.com programme helped them to learn about a variety of safety issues before the Nokia-funded film was screened for the 132 guests.
 

The Secretary of State for Wales, the Rt Hon Cheryl Gillan, gave up her Whitehall office for a day for the filming and told guests she would happily vacate the building again for such a worthwhile cause.  And Children’s Minister Tim Loughton congratulated Kids Taskforce on its engagement with young people and early intervention programmes.
 
The event was also attended by Cherie Blair and her daughter Kathryn, who is a Kids Taskforce youth ambassador.  Kathryn spoke of being able to engage with young people and keep abreast of change on behalf of Kids Taskforce, together with her fellow ambassadors from across the country.
 
The dinner – Kids Taskforce’s fifth annual event – was hosted by BBC newsreader Nicholas Owen and sponsored by Barclaycard.  Pupils from Bishop Thomas Grant School in Streatham provided entertainment during dessert with rendition’s of Billy Joel’s ‘The Longest Time’ and Adele’s ‘Rollin’ in the Deep’, which won standing ovations from guests.

READY, STEADY, COOK!

Pupils at Thomas Buxton School in London were cooking up a few treats when they took part in Healthy Living Week.

Learning about what makes a balanced diet and the importance of exercise were subjects on the timetable for both youngsters and their parents.

Mums and dads were invited into the Shoreditch school to be shown how to make healthy alternatives to traditional meals. They were also put through their paces with their youngsters during special PE lessons.

The school also launched new water bottles for every child and healthy packed lunch posters were designed for the dining hall.

The children became mini Jamie Olivers for the day and were shown how to make delicious fruit smoothies. All their hard work was rewarded with a taste too! Deputy headteacher Belinda King also set the youngsters the challenge of creating some of their own recipes that she could try at home.

There was even a chance to relax and wind down after a busy week in the classroom when the school held a special meditation session. The chance to chill out was enjoyed by everyone, especially pupils in Year 6 who had been studying hard all week during their assessments.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION FOR STARS OF NEW SAFETY FILM

Primary school pupils who star in the new Kids Taskforce safety advert were special guests at police headquarters in London for the film’s official launch.

Nine pupils from three primary schools in the Shoreditch area who acted in the film took centre stage among senior police officers and Kids Taskforce ambassadors as they showed the film for the first time to a captivated audience at New Scotland Yard.

The film was made to highlight the Kids Taskforce primary school learning programme missdorothy.com and the need for every child to learn values and how to stay safe.  Children auditioned for the roles of politicians, who are seen calling on a number of grown-ups, including the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) President Sir Hugh Orde, celebrities, politicians and parents, to become ambassadors for the missdorothy.com programme.

The Secretary of State for Wales, the Rt Hon Cheryl Gillan MP, gave permission for her state office in Whitehall to be used for filming of the advert, which was funded by mobile phone firm Nokia, with the support of ACPO and the UK’s other emergency services.

Introducing the 90-second clip at the launch, the youngsters said it was important to realise that not all young people were like those portrayed in the news during the recent riots. “We all have the right to protest and speak out but there are right ways of doing that,” they explained.

“The adults who kindly agreed to take part were chosen because they all represent different but important aspects of our society and because they believe in children learning how to keep safe. “

The children also explained how the missdorothy.com programme was helping them. “We get to learn about being special, unique and celebrate our differences. An important part of the programme is that we learn about our rights and the rights of others.

“We have been taught about how to stay safe with our friends, people known to us and others who may pretend to be our friend, at school, at home, in our community and online.

“All young people have opinions and thoughts about what is happening within their communities and around the world. We learn in our lessons that there are no wrong or right opinions but we learn how to express, nurture and challenge them with the help of trusted adults.”

Sir Hugh Orde praised his young co-stars in the film and said he was delighted to be given the opportunity to work with children and young people and to highlight the importance of Kids Taskforce and the missdorothy.com programme.
“They are one of the key partners we have been engaged with and the reason is very simple – it is very good, very accessible and has a wealth of information to keep children safe.”

He added that it also enabled the police force to build a vital relationship with the next generation. “As well as educating and informing young people about the risks around them as they grow up, the Kids Taskforce programme also encourages them to become active citizens and make a positive contribution at home, in school and in wider society.”

Other adult stars of the film are shadow Northern Ireland Minister Vernon Coaker, Kids Taskforce patron actress Lynda Bellingham, ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ professional dancer Kristina Rihanoff, Olympic gold medallist Tessa Sanderson and parents Barry and Margaret Mizen, who support the work of Kids Taskforce by visiting schools following the murder of their teenage son Jimmy.

Barry described taking part in the film as “a privilege and honour” and said it shows the true face of young people in this country.  He added that since their son was killed he and his wife had been determined to change the view that the only way to improve young people’s behaviour was through ever harsher punishments. “If we want things to be better it is through education and early intervention.” 

Margaret described the youngsters as “a true inspiration” and said she hoped to see the missdorothy.com programme in all schools.  “It teaches us about how to feel about each other and that is very important and the one thing I will be sharing wherever I go.”

After the screening, the child actors spoke of how exciting it was to see the finished film for the first time and why its message was important to them. Ten-year-old Harry McDermott, from St. Andrew’s Primary in Streatham, said: “It is very important, not because of being on TV but because there are other people in this country who are not treated well.”

WE MADE A DIFFERENCE!

Pupils from Thomas Buxton School in London took to the streets to encourage businesses in Shoreditch to sign up to a new community safety event.

The eight youngsters joined forces with students from Kids Taskforce flagship secondary school, Bethnal Green Community College, to take part in A Day of Action.

The event was organised by Shoreditch Citizen in response to the riots in London in the summer. The aim of the day was to enlist as many business owners as possible to agree to report 100% of crime and display the Shoreditch Citizen logo.

Shoreditch Citizen is made up of more than 25 local groups, including secondary and primary schools, churches, mosques, police, community leaders and London Assembly member Jennette Arnold, who represents Hackney and Islington.

Bethnal Green Community College hosted interactive workshops in preparation for the pupils going out and speaking to local stores and businesses. Although a little shy at first, the children soon found their feet and used their voices to impress and sign up an amazing 127 businesses!

The children enjoyed working together as a team to help keep Shoreditch safe and to make A Day of Action a great success. All were presented with certificates to commemorate their hard work.

Pupils will be revisiting the businesses in the future to evaluate how the scheme is working.

SPECIAL SERVICE LAUNCHES 100 DAYS OF PEACE

TWO lucky pupils from a Kids Taskforce flagship school in Streatham attended a special mass at Westminster Cathedral calling for ‘100 Days of Peace’ to coincide with next year’s Olympic Games.

Around 1,400 children from 485 schools were invited to the service by the Archbishop of Westminster. The ‘100 Days of Peace’ campaign is asking 200,000 youngsters who attend Catholic schools in London, Essex, Hertfordshire and Kent to help everyone receive and promote peace from June 8 2012 – 50 days before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games – to October 28 2012 – 50 days after the closing ceremony of the Paralympics.

Year Six pupils Catherine O’Dea and Ffion Jarrett, from St Andrews Catholic Primary, were at the mass. Asked by Dot News about their day, the girls wrote: “It was a very enjoyable occasion (we were not paid to say that!). We heard different instruments accompanying the vocal chords. This mass was to celebrate the end of education and the start of 100 days of peace for the London 2012 Olympics. It was like a usual mass only with many more people and the cathedral was amazing!”

Also at the mass was 12-year-old George Mizen, whose 16-year-old brother Jimmy was stabbed to death at a bakery in Lee, south east London, in May 2008. George attended the mass with his parents, Barry and Margaret, who visit schools as part of the missdorothy.com programme to tell young people about their experiences at the time of Jimmy’s death.

Catherine and Ffion added: “We also met Margaret Mizen and we will also be setting up a meeting with us and local schools to discuss the 100 Days of Peace.”

George told the service that he hopes the Olympics is remembered for both sport and peace and added that it is important “for people to try and become friends with each other”.
The 100 Days of Peace campaign is based on the Sacred Truce of the ancient Greek Olympics, which was an agreement that competitors could safely reach Olympia without being attacked as they passed through cities that were at war.

The Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, said he applauded young people who have “an immense desire of peace and safety on our streets” and wants to encourage them to spread the message of peace throughout next summer.

Each child who attended the service was presented with a special booklet on peace.

DOT AMBASSADORS TELL ADULTS HOW TO KEEP KIDS SAFE

Pupils at one of Kids Taskforce's flagship schools visited the House of Commons to share their experiences of using the missdorothy.com personal safety learning programme . The four lucky youngsters from St Andrew's Catholic Primary in Streatham gave a presentation to a special cross-party group as part of their role as Dot Ambassadors.

The topics they spoke about included knowing how to deal with uncomfortable feelings, safety tips and child-led safety events they have hosted for parents. They also talked about visits to the school from police after two serious incidents in Streatham. The pupils also told of a special visit from Margaret Mizen, whose 16-year-old son Jimmy was murdered in May 2008. Margaret shared her experience of losing her son to such mindless violence.

The role of Dot Ambassadors was created as part of a pilot scheme at St Andrew's Primary this year. It gives an opportunity to pupils who may only have confidence in PSHCE lessons to use these skills in other areas of their learning and at the fabulous events they attend on behalf of Kids Taskforce.

As Dot Ambassadors they promote the missdorothy.com programme and greet visitors to their school. They have made speeches at the St. Lucia High Commission and met celebrity Kids Taskforce ambassadors such as Spurs and England footballer Jermain Defoe.

The children from St. Andrew's have been so successful that the scheme will now be rolled out to other flagship schools this academic year.

School learning mentor Wendy Phillips explained how the children were chosen for their important role: "It had been noticed by their teachers that they were becoming more confident in missdorothy.com lessons and then in the wider school community. This role has allowed them to be spokespeople for the school and Kids Taskforce."

The Dot Ambassadors from St Andrew's also made a speech at the Kids Taskforce appreciation afternoon at City Hall, talking about their important job and inviting pupils from other flagship schools to consider becoming Dot Ambassadors.

St Andrew's pupils gave the Dot News team a few tips on what they would like to read online during a special visit to their school.

Julia Roberts and Claire Britcher, who help compile the weekly round-up of stories on missdorothy.com, met youngsters from years three and five, as well as teachers and staff. The visit was organised so that two focus groups made up of children from Year Five could tell the Dot News team about their likes and dislikes when it comes to the news.

The X-Factor, Harry Potter, animals and sport were top of the list, and the youngsters all agreed that they wanted to read stories written especially for children.

"The feedback we got from the children was amazing," said Julia. "They certainly know what kind of stories should be on Dot News and what appeals to them. Many like the style of news programmes such as BBC Newsround, where stories are presented in a fun and snappy manner.

"But, on a more serious note, they also said they like to know what is going on in the world and don't want to be kept in the dark when it comes to anything which may be sad and upsetting."

Julia and Claire also sat in on two lessons with Year Three pupils who have recently been introduced to the missdorothy.com programme.

"It was great to see the children talking about what makes them special," explained Julia. "There were some really wonderful answers from the children and they all seemed to enjoy working through the books and visiting the website during their ICT lessons."

The children rounded off a busy few days by baking cakes, selling raffle tickets and raising an amazing £500 as part of the Macmillan Cancer Support World's Biggest Coffee Morning event.

PUPILS TELL CHILDREN'S MINISTER THAT ALL KIDS DESERVE MISS DOROTHY

Pupils from a London primary school joined Kids Taskforce President Sharon Doughty for a trip to see Children's Minister Tim Loughton to tell him why all schools should do the missdorothy.com programme.

Two pupils from English Martyrs Primary School in Tower Hamlets took along a list of 40 comments from fellow pupils about the importance of learning how to stay healthy and safe through the Kids Taskforce
programme. English Martyrs is a flagship school for the missdorothy.com programme and its pupils have also starred in the Nokia-funded Kids Taskforce advert and sung for guests at the organisation's annual gala
dinner at Lancaster House.

Sharon had been invited to meet the Minister to talk about the role of Kids Taskforce in helping young people to manage risk and stay safe using the missdorothy.com primary and Watch Over Me secondary school programmes.

She said: "I took the children with me because they're the experts! They've been using the programme and they know how it's helped them to think about staying safe. The Minister was really impressed with what
they had to say. He was well prepared for their visit too - he offered them jelly babies and a drink of squash!"

The learning programmes were endorsed by the previous government and Mr Loughton agreed to allow Kids Taskforce to use the Department for Education logo on its books. He will also be guest of honour at the Kids Taskforce Annual Gala Dinner in November, where he will meet many of the organisation's supporters including England striker Jermain Defoe and Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Kristina Rihanoff.

Strictly Star Teaches Pupils to Cha-Cha-Cha

Professional dancer Kristina Rihanoff is putting actor Jason Donovan through his paces in the new series of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’. But last term the Kids Taskforce ambassador took time out to teach pupils at a handful of London primary schools how to cha-cha-cha.

Kristina, who was born and raised in Russia, visited the schools as part of the missdorothy.com personal safety learning programme. She talked to pupils about her own childhood and her amazing rise to stardom. Kristina spoke about her parents’ turbulent divorce and her unhappy home life. She told children she took refuge at the local dance school, where the teachers became her new family and where she blossomed as a ballroom and Latin American dancer.

Kristina gave cha-cha-cha lessons to pupils at six schools in the Shoreditch and Streatham areas. One school – Canonbury Primary – staged an end of term leavers’ ball for its Year 6 pupils and Kristina helped the children to create a dance performance for the night. She was helped by James Goodman, the son of ‘Strictly’ judge Len Goodman, who is an accomplished ballroom dancer and teacher.

Kristina is working with Kids Taskforce to create a dance programme that can be used in schools across the UK to inspire young people and encourage them to get fit. She said: “Sport isn’t for everyone so why can’t schools use dance too? It involves a huge amount of commitment and discipline and it’s a great way to keep fit. It also helps pupils interact with each other and work together.”
 

SCHOOL CHILDREN STAR IN NOKIA FILM

Dozens of children from across London auditioned for a role in the new Kids Taskforce advert, which has been funded by mobile phone firm Nokia.
 
Pupils at primary schools in the Shoreditch area tried out for roles in the 90-second film, which will be marketed by Barclaycard to raise awareness of the missdorothy.com primary school personal safety learning programme.
 
Eleven boys and girls were chosen to appear in the advert, which sees children taking on the role of MPs to instruct adults about the importance of teaching young people how to stay safe.  The panel of adults tasked with spreading the Kids Taskforce message include Olympic athlete Tessa Sanderson, professional dancer Kristina Rihanoff and the President of the Association of Chief Police Officers, Sir Hugh Orde.
 
The advert was filmed at the Welsh Office on Whitehall.  The Secretary of State for Wales, the Rt Hon Cheryl Gillan MP, gave permission for her state office to be used for the day.
 
Kids Taskforce patron, actress Lynda Bellingham, also makes a cameo appearance in the film, which will be launched by the Children’s Minister Tim Loughton MP.
 
Kids Taskforce President Sharon Doughty said: “I insisted that real school children should have the chance to appear in the film rather than actors because they know all about the benefits of the missdorothy.com programme.  They did an amazing job – I think we’ve discovered some stars in the making!”

Appreciation Afternoon Honours Schools

Dozens of children from across London attended a Kids Taskforce appreciation afternoon at City Hall to recognise their work with the missdorothy.com primary school at Watch Over Me secondary school learning programmes.
 
Around 150 children and adults, including representatives from the Metropolitan Police and the Greater London Authority, enjoyed lunch in the amazing rooftop venue called London’s Living Room.  The glass top of City Hall has views across London and an outside viewing gallery that circles the whole building.
 
The event was held to recognise the work of schools using the Kids Taskforce safety learning programmes as part of the Mayor’s Fund for London project, which was set up by the Mayor Boris Johnson to help families in some of the most disadvantaged areas of London.  Kids Taskforce is a partner in the project and has been rolling out its programmes to schools in the Shoreditch area, co-ordinated by learning mentor Wendy Phillips.
 
Wendy spoke about the success of the programme in schools and invited a special guest to speak.  Sixteen-year-old Nathaniel Chalobah, who is just breaking into Arsenal’s first team, was a former pupil at Wendy’s school in Streatham.  He told the young people about the importance of working hard at school and following their dreams.
 
Schools including Thomas Buxton Primary School (pictured) were awarded trophies for being flagship schools for the missdorothy.com programme.  A group of children were also given certificates for appearing in the new Kids Taskforce advert funded by phone company Nokia.  Hundreds of children were auditioned for roles and 11 were selected to take part.  The advert was given its first public screening at the event and will soon be launched virally on YouTube and mobile phones to raise awareness of the missdorothy.com programme.
 
Children also met Wizard the dog, the huge fluffy mascot of Dot’s canine best friend. Lots of photos of the event can  be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kidstaskforce/sets/72157627175310093/

Kids Taskforce the subject of
new Big Society film

Kids Taskforce has been mentored by a volunteer in the civil service called Geoff Merchant for the past six years. With his help the Central Office of Information came to hear about our work and made a film featuring Kids Taskforce President Sharon Doughty. The film has just been launched and will be used nationally to raise awareness in civil servants of Big Society initiatives.

Kids Taskforce School programmes discussed in the House of Commons

Vernon Coaker MP hosted a meeting on behalf of Kids Taskforce in the Jubilee Room at the House of Commons to discuss the recently-published evaluation of the effectiveness of the primary and secondary school safety learning programmes.

Vernon, a long-time Kids Taskforce supporter, was joined by fellow MPs John Healey and Heidi Alexander, plus representatives from the Metropolitan Police, the Ministry of Justice, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Cabinet Office. Pupils from St Andrew’s Catholic Primary School in Streatham gave a presentation about the benefits of the missdorothy.com safety learning programme, which has been used at their school for the past five years.

The meeting on Tuesday 15th March 2011 culminated in the creation of an action plan that pledged to raise awareness of Kids Taskforce, both in the media and amongst other MPs, develop a strategy for data collection and promote the recent evaluation. Further meetings are planned in the coming months.

Please follow this link to see some photographs of the day: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kidstaskforce/sets/72157626278166888/

Kids Taskforce Unites with New European Partners

In March 2009 a 17 year old former pupil of Albertville secondary school in Winnenden, a small town 12 miles north-east of Stuttgart, revisits the school to shoot dead nine pupils, three teachers, flees the school shooting three others before committing suicide. From tragedy comes hope.

German community group KJR has received funding for a two-year project via the EEC's Daphne scheme. This is a fund aimed at directly tackling violence against children, young people and women within the European community.

Kids Taskforce has been invited along with 174 Trust (a non-denominational community scheme in Northern Ireland) and Baranya NPO from Hungary to become its fellow partners in the project. This will be called Values Versus Violence and this weekend Sharon and Neil fly to Germany to meet our new partners and, we hope, our future friends.

Watch Over Me Premiere at BAFTA

On 8th December 2010 friends, supporters, cast and crew gathered at BAFTA for the premiere of Kids Taskforce's first feature film - a 90 minute version of Watch Over Me IV aimed specifically at young people in higher and further education. Please follow this link for photos of the evening: www.flickr.com/photos/kidstaskforce/sets/72157625917672902/

Kids Taskforce Annual Gala Dinner

We are grateful to the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales, David Jones MP who kindly stood in at short notice to host our 2010 annual dinner on 1st December. As usual, the staff at London's Lancaster House did us proud as did the MC Nicholas Owen, guest speakers AC Ian McPherson QPM, jazz sax supremo Tony Kofi and Alastair Stewart OBE plus celebrity dancers James Newman and Kristina Rihanoff. Thank you all. Please follow this link for photos of a great evening: www.flickr.com/photos/kidstaskforce/sets/72157625768934822/

Kids Taskforce Strategic Alliance Signing
Alliances

Lancaster House was the setting for a unique event on 30th November 2010, whereby Kids Taskforce brought together partners from more than 30 different organisations to pledge their collective support for our programmes. Kindly hosted by ITN's Julie Etchingham we would like to thank all who braved the weather (and student demonstrations) to attend, particularly the principal speakers - Sir Hugh Orde, Nazir Afzal, Barry Mizen, Jonathan Palmer and Liz Ellison. Follow the link for photos of this historic event: www.flickr.com/photos/kidstaskforce/sets/72157625917718730/

Jermain Defoe & Kids Taskforce Launch St Lucia Appeal

Spurs & England striker Jermain Defoe will appeal for help for the victims of the St Lucia hurricane at a special presentation today (4th Nov).

Jermain, whose family come from the Caribbean island, will be at the St Lucia High Commission in his role as ambassador for the UK child safety organisation Kids Taskforce.

Kids Taskforce has donated more than a thousand books for schools supported by Jermain in St Lucia.

These will be presented to the High Commissioner at a special ceremony. But today's event will also focus on the plight of the St Lucian people following last weekend's hurricane, in which 14 people died. Jermain will appeal for people to donate money and think of how they can help the relief effort in St Lucia, which has declared a state of emergency following the devastation.

Pupils from St Andrew’s RC Primary School in Streatham will take part in the presentation. St Andrew’s has been using the missdorothy.com learning programme for a number of years and is a Kids Taskforce flagship school.

Jermain has been actively involved in Kids Taskforce work and has a cameo role in the latest personal safety drama film for secondary schools, Watch Over Me IV.

The striker, who is recovering from an ankle operation, will be available for interview after the presentation. The event takes place at 3pm at the St Lucia High Commission, London and donations can be made through office@kidstaskforce.com.

Launch at Echelford Primary School, Ashford, Middlesex on 4th October 2010

Barker the Crimestoppers dog joined Kids Taskforce mascots Wizard and Cursor for the launch of the missdorothy.com programme at Echelford Primary School in Ashford, Middlesex.

Barker – who helps Crimestoppers to sniff out crimes – met pupils and teachers at a special assembly led by Kids Taskforce President Sharon Doughty. The children were also introduced to people in the community who help them stay safe, including two local PCSOs.

Kids Taskforce works with police and fire chiefs and the Professional Footballers’ Association to create its safety learning programmes for schools. Simone Pound, Head of Equalities for the PFA, spoke to pupils about the importance of healthy eating and fitness.

TEENAGERS QUIZ UN DELEGATES ON TRIP TO GENEVA

School pupils and police cadets were given the chance to put questions to a panel of delegates at the United Nations during a Kids Taskforce visit to Geneva.

Pupils from Caedmon School in Whitby and Metropolitan Police cadets told the child labour conference about their efforts to raise awareness in the UK and asked delegates what their countries were doing to involve young people in combating the problem.

The Kids Taskforce representatives, including President Sharon Doughty and Vice President Neil Evans, also took part in celebrations at the Place des Nations to mark the International Labour Organisation’s annual World Day against Child Labour on Friday 12th June.

Kids Taskforce is ILO’s UK partner in the fight against child labour and the young people received a standing ovation following presentations about the work they have done to help raise awareness in their own communities. Fifteen-year-old Bethan Gould from Wales also joined the group and showed a slide presentation she made with fellow pupils and staff at Pembroke School in Bush.
The Caedmon School pupils created a huge traditional circular artwork called a mandala depicting children’s footprints and their thoughts about child labour, which they displayed during the event.

The World Day against Child Labour aims to promote awareness and action to tackle child labour. For more information, please see http://www.ilo.org/ipec/Campaignandadvocacy/WDACL/lang--en/index.htm

Monday 10th May 2010 was a big day for Kids Taskforce

New Scotland Yard was the setting for the launch of a Kids Taskforce campaign headed by the parents of murdered London teenager Jimmy Mizen to bring the Watch Over Me personal safety drama to every secondary school in the country. Barry and Margaret Mizen were joined by Kids Taskforce President Sharon Doughty, television presenter Ben Shephard, England striker Jermain Defoe, Commander Tony Eastaugh of the Metropolitan Police plus national press and broadcast media to watch a preview of the new safety soap opera.
 
Ben and Jermain, both Kids Taskforce ambassadors, pledged to help reach every child in the UK with Kids Taskforce learning programmes that can help young people stay safe and learn how to handle risky situations.
 
Later that afternoon, Kids Taskforce was proud to assist in the organisation of a memorial service for Jimmy Mizen at Westminster Cathedral. An audience of 1500 gathered to celebrate the life of Jimmy and to join in a call for peace within our communities on the second anniversary of his murder. The service was held the day after what would have been his eighteenth birthday and was conducted by Archbishop Vincent Nichols and Richard Chartres, Bishop of London.  HRH The Prince of Wales attended the service and afterwards met members of the Mizen family and the relatives of other young people who suffered violent deaths. 

Please click the following links for reports on the day.
BBC  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8670994.stm
SKY http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Marcin-Bilaszewski-Murder-Jimmy-Mizen-Family-In-Peace-Service-As-Details-Of-Latest-Stabbing-Emerge/Article/201005215628876

Launch at Allanson Street Primary School, St.Helens, Lancashire: 21st April 2010

Three schools from the Parr area of St Helens sent a selection of pupils to meet Wizard, Cursor, Kids Taskforce staff and representatives from Merseyside Police and Fire and Rescue services.

The launch was funded by Renew Parr, its aim is to make the area a better place to live and work by improving local services and tackling quality-of-life issues.

The children had a great chance to interact with police horses and to see police dogs in action as well as have their photo taken with a fire appliance and its crew.

Kids Taskforce President, Sharon Doughty, was interviewed by the children for Allanson Street Primary's own radio station, Razz Radio, which broadcasts to the surrounding area.

The launch has helped to build many connections with all services in Merseyside, as well as many teachers and local education officials.

Events

Kids Taskforce Champion Awards, Tuesday 23rd March 2010
 
Kids Taskforce Champion Awards 2010 were held in the illustrious setting of Lancaster House. Dozens of nominations were received from across the country and it was heartening to hear of so many wonderful children who were prepared to put others first. There were several deserving adult winners too who were all invited to spent the afternoon at this amazing government palace.

Most photographed item of the day was the Premier League trophy kindly loaned to Kids Taskforce by Barclaycard.

Entertainment was provided by Drum Cafe, Nelson Mandela’s favourite drum crew, and some Strictly Come Dancing from Kids Taskforce President Sharon Doughty and her partner Rory Costain.

Later in the afternoon a celebration reception was held at the Cholmondeley Room at the House of Lords, where more prizes were awarded to supporters who had helped reach more young people with the missdorothy.com and Watch Over Me learning programmes. These included Children’s Minister Vernon Coaker MP, TV news reporter Nina Nannar and many of those involved in the making of Watch Over Me IV – the latest secondary school soap drama.