Month: October 2019

Scotland set to make it a criminal offence for parents to smack their children

MSPs have the chance to make history today by voting in favour of Scotland becoming the first country in the UK to end the physical punishment of children when Green MSP John Finnie’s Children (Equal Protection from Assault) (Scotland) Bill will be voted on its third stage in parliament. Continue reading Scotland set to make it a criminal offence for parents to smack their children

Letter: Three Peaks for Meningitis

Dear Editor

I would like to invite your readers to join an amazing charity team and climb the three highest peaks in the country to help raise money for people living with the impact of meningitis.

A few years ago, when I was just 22 years old, I was told I only had three hours to live. I had been on my way to Norway for a work trip when I fell ill. Luckily, I wasn’t allowed on the flight because what I didn’t realise at the time was that I had deadly meningitis.

I am so grateful that I survived. Many are not so fortunate. But even so I am living with long-term after effects of the disease which includes memory loss, anxiety, and hearing problems.

This was one of the reasons I was so glad I chose to join the Meningitis Now team when I took part in the Three Peak Challenge earlier this year.

Not only did I know that I was raising money for a fantastic cause to help people like me, but I also found the most incredible support network of people who helped me through one of the most exhilarating weekends of my life.

I cannot recommend this experience highly enough and I would encourage anyone, whether they have had a meningitis experience or not, to join the Meningitis Now team.  You will be looked after from the moment you sign up until the moment you say goodbye at the end of the challenge. And if your experience is anything like mine, you will make some new friends for life.

Sign up now for Meningitis Now’s Three Peaks Challenge 2020 by visiting their website at meningitisnow.org or contact Kirsty at the charity at kirstyo@meningitisnow.org.

With warmest wishes,

Holly Jackson

Edinburgh’s Winter Festivals: The more you spend, the more you save, says Underbelly

Underbelly shares annual report on Edinburgh’s world-renowned Winter Festivals – Edinburgh’s Christmas and Edinburgh’s Hogmanay

  • Combined contract for Edinburgh’s Christmas and Edinburgh’s Hogmanay saves the city £1million per year.
  • 183,857 people attended Edinburgh’s Hogmanay and there was a 3% rise in total attenders from Edinburgh.
  • 2018 registered 929,219 unique visitors to Edinburgh’s Christmas
  • 28,000 tickets to Edinburgh’s Christmas given away to young people, community groups and charities in the city
  • Edinburgh’s Christmas raised £44,000 for charity
  • 99% of people rated Edinburgh’s Christmas very good or good.
  • Community benefit calculated as £1,176,000

Continue reading Edinburgh’s Winter Festivals: The more you spend, the more you save, says Underbelly

Thousands of children benefit from early years expansion

More than 46,000 children across Scotland are already benefiting from extra hours of high quality early learning and childcare almost a year before the full roll out of 1,140 funded hours of care for every eligible child. Continue reading Thousands of children benefit from early years expansion

The Big Data Show: young people learn cybersecurity through interactive drama

A ground-breaking interactive show for young people which uses real-life gaming to explore cyber security.

www.civicdigits.com

 

The Big Data Show (TBDS) is a ground-breaking immersive experience for young people (S1) weaving theatre and gaming together to explore cyber security and data citizenship.

It is about cyber resilience and being a citizen in the digital age. It is about knowing who knows what about you, what you are ‘agreeing’ to when you download an app, how to live with the challenges of social media…and it’s a lot of fun.

It is also a drama about the first prosecuted cyber hack in the UK. Co-written by internationally acclaimed playwright Clare Duffy and Rupert Goodwins, one of the young hackers involved in gaining access to Prince Philip’s BT email in the 1980s, and now a technology journalist.

Kate Forbes MSP, Minister for Public Health and Digital Economy, Scottish Government said: “The Big Data Show supports the Scottish Government’s ambitions to raise the public’s awareness of cyber threat.

“Not only does it help ensure young people are clued up about the risks associated with sharing data online but it also gives them the valuable chance to learn about careers in cyber security.”

“The Big Data Show plugs very acutely and vividly right into the Scottish Government’s ambitions to raise the public’s awareness of cyber threat.”

– Daniel Sellers, Cyber Resilience Scottish Government.

The Big Data Show will open at Perth Theatre in June 2020 and move to the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh – with plans to then tour the North of England.

The performances in June and July, which are solely for schools, are supported by advance workshops in the spring and followed up with workshops in the autumn. Booking for the whole project opens in September 2019.

The Big Data Show uses live performance, bespoke mobile gaming and digital tricks delivered to audience members’ handsets, inspiring greater understanding and engagement with our future as ‘digital citizens’ in the 21st century.

The gaming technology involved has been developed and produced by Dundee-based studio Orthrus.

Having already developed and rigorously tested the control system and digital assets with a prototype version of the project and evaluated the learnings, Civic Digits Theatre Company is ready to bring the full version to schools across the UK in 2020.

“The whole premise of using a phone to talk about online security was brilliant. The pupils were hooked.” – Sarah Macdonald, Drama Teacher, Community School of Auchterarder (Phase 2 feedback)

Outcomes of The Big Data Show and its workshops include: 

  • S1 pupils have a greater understanding of the social, cultural and political implications of our relationship with data and digital technology, particularly including cyber bullying and questions about privacy.
  • S1 pupils have a greater understanding of the potential of data and digital technology as opportunities for creativity;
  • S1 pupils feel excited about theatre as a 21st Century storytelling medium.
  • S1 pupils are inspired to think about careers in data and cyber security.

Pupils “became much more aware of the amount of data gathering going on in the background without them giving explicit permission and this was a shock to them.” Mrs Hollas, Drama Teacher, Perth Academy.

The Big Data Show has been shown to improve participants’ data literacy via quantitative evaluation carried out by Dr Alasdair Rutherford at Stirling University.

All participating schools will also receive CPD (continuing professional development) sessions and access to a teachers’ pack to support the cross-curricular learning promoted by this project.

“The Big Data Show took young people through a powerful process of experiential learning. The ‘shock factor’ created by the show encouraged young people to critically reflect on the data they are sharing with tech companies and the potential personal consequences.” Liz Green, YouthLink Scotland

“It is a really important topic, that’s not being explored enough in ways that pupils are willing to listen, the whole premise of it, using their own phones, they were hooked. I liked the fact that you used tech to talk about tech, very collaborative and all the surprises!”

“I’m really looking forward to seeing the whole project taking off. It’s going to be fab. I’m really passionate about this.”  Drama Teacher, Perth and Kinross

The Big Data Show by Clare Duffy and Rupert Goodwins is produced by Suzy Glass for Civic Digits, with co-producers Perth Theatre at Horsecross Arts and Unlimited Theatre.

It is funded by Creative Scotland, Scottish Government and the Garfield Weston Foundation.

Trapped and Terrified: Over 1 million stroke survivors’ recoveries under threat

More than one million stroke survivors live in fear of having another stroke and are scared to go out alone, leaving them afraid for their recovery in the aftermath of their stroke, according to a leading national charity.

The Stroke Association’s startling new findings show how people’s recoveries are under threat from fear itself. Continue reading Trapped and Terrified: Over 1 million stroke survivors’ recoveries under threat