You are currently browsing the monthly Archive for February, 2012.
A baby was born today,Wednesday, February 29.
How old will this baby be the next time his birthday falls on a Wednesday?
In March more than 250,000 children will make over a million active and sustainable journeys to school as part of the UK’s biggest school cycling event.
- Pupils, teachers and parents cycle or scoot to school to complete each of the 15 Big Pedal stages, (a bit like the Tour de France)
- The more people that cycle or scoot to school, the faster your school completes each stage
- The Big Pedal winner is the school that completes the whole race in the quickest overall time
For more info take a look at http://thebigpedal.org.uk
The Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) supports the worldwide observance of the International Day of Families (15 May) by preparing background information on the family for use by Governments, the UN system, including the regional commissions, and UN Information Centres and NGOs. An annual message of the Secretary-General is prepared for wide distribution.
May is Walking Month!
14-18 May is Walk to Work Week
21-25 May is Walk to School Week.
East Lothian Walks
East Lothian offers a great variety of landscapes for walking, with the Lammermuir Hills to the south, a coast of beaches and cliffs and an expanse of arable farmland in between. Many of the paths go to, or pass vantage points offering views of the surrounding rolling landscape. Amongst the features are many hidden gems – river valleys, woodland, secret bays and historic sites. It is now possible to walk the length of the East Lothian coast, The John Muir Way is almost 73km from Edinburgh to the Borders, leaflets are avaiable below with the route broken down into shorter sections, with opportunities to link into other paths and circular walks along the coast.
A number of walks leaflets have been produced by East Lothian Council and other community groups, highlighting walks along the coast and around towns and villages. Download them below:
| Walks Around | The John Muir Way
Scotways |
Further information about these walks can be found on East Lothian Council’s web site, under Countryside, or by phoning East Lothian Council’s Access Officers on 01620 827671 or 827419.
http://www.british-voice-association.com/events_world-voice-day-2012.htm
Every year, World Health Day is celebrated on 7 April to mark the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948. Each year a theme is selected for World Health Day that highlights a priority area of concern for WHO.
The theme for 2012 is Ageing and health. Using the slogan “Good health adds life to years“, campaign activities and materials will focus on how good health throughout life can help older men and women lead full and productive lives and be a resource for their families and communities.
Over the past century life expectancy has increased dramatically and the world will soon have more older people than children.
Populations are ageing everywhere, but less-developed countries are witnessing the fastest change. This social transformation represents both challenges and opportunities. In particular, countries may only have a single generation to prepare their health and social systems for an ageing world.
Key facts
- The number of people today aged 60 and over has doubled since 1980.
- The number of people aged 80 years will almost quadruple to 395 million between now and 2050.
- Within the next five years, the number of adults aged 65 and over will outnumber children under the age of 5.
- By 2050, these older adults will outnumber all children under the age of 14.
- The majority of older people live in low- or middle-income countries. By, 2050, this number will have increased to 80%.
In the 21st century, health is determined by and contributes to broad social trends. Economies are globalizing, more and more people live and work in cities, family patterns are changing and technology is evolving rapidly. One of the biggest social transformations is population ageing. Soon, the world will have more older people than children and more people of very old age than ever before.
1. The world will have more people who live to see their 80s or 90s than ever before
The number of people aged 80 years or older, for example, will have almost quadrupled to 395 million between 2000 and 2050. There is no historical precedent for a majority of middle-aged and older adults having living parents, as is already the case today. More children will know their grandparents and even their great-grandparents, especially their great-grandmothers. On average, women live six to eight years longer than men.
2. The past century has seen remarkable improvements in life expectancy
In 1910, the life expectancy for a Chilean female was 33 years; today, a mere century later, it is 82 years. This represents a remarkable gain of almost 50 years of life in one century, and is largely due to improvements in public health.
3. Soon, the world will have more older people than children
Within the next five years, for the first time in human history, the number of adults aged 65 and over will outnumber children under the age of 5. By 2050, these older adults will outnumber children under the age of 14.
4. The world population is rapidly ageing
Between 2000 and 2050, the proportion of the world’s population over 60 years will double from about 11% to 22%. The absolute number of people aged 60 years and over is expected to increase from 605 million to 2 billion over the same period.
5. Low- and middle-income countries will experience the most rapid and dramatic demographic change
For example, it took more than 100 years for the share of France’s population aged 65 or older to double from 7 to 14%. In contrast, it will take countries like Brazil and China less than 25 years to reach the same growth.
The Facts…
There are over 50,000 people in the UK whose kidneys have failed.
These people will die without dialysis or transplantation.
7,000 of them are on the transplant list but there is a huge shortage of donor organs.
At least 1 of them will die every day.
World Kidney Day UK
Kidneys For Life
Over 3 million people in the UK are at risk of kidney disease
People with diabetes, high blood pressure, a family history of kidney problems or from a black or Asian background are particularly at risk.
Kidney Disease is common, harmful and can be treatable
What can I do to help myself?
- See your doctor for some simple checks
- Stop smoking, exercise regularly, eat a well balanced diet
- Take a look at our Healthy Kidneys Page
What can I do to help others?
Give the gift of life by putting your name on the Organ Donation Register
To learn about celebrations around the world and to download more resources, visit the International WKD site: www.worldkidneyday.org
World TB Day, falling on March 24th each year, is designed to build public awareness that tuberculosis today remains an epidemic in much of the world, causing the deaths of several million people each year, mostly in developing countries.
It commemorates the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch astounded the scientific community by announcing that he had discovered the cause of tuberculosis, the TB bacillus. At the time of Koch’s announcement in Berlin, TB was raging through Europe and the Americas, causing the death of one out of every seven people. Koch’s discovery opened the way towards diagnosing and curing TB.
Tell the world what you want to see in your lifetime
Progress in the global fight against TB cannot wait. For the World TB Day Campaign 2012, you can make an individual call to stop TB in your lifetime.
Do you want to see zero deaths from TB, faster treatment, an effective vaccine?
Visit www.mystoptb.org to make your own poster or upload a video with a personal message.
The World TB Day Campaign 2012 will allow people all over the world to make an individual call to stop TB in their lifetimes.
In their lifetimes, today’s children should expect to see a world where no one gets sick with TB.
In their lifetimes, women and men should expect to see a world where no one dies from TB.
People of different ages and living in different countries could have these hopes for stopping TB in their lifetimes:
- Zero deaths from TB
- Faster treatment
- A quick, cheap, low-tech test
- An effective vaccine
- A world free of TB.
Each year, on 23 March, the World Meteorological Organization, its 189 Members and the worldwide meteorological community celebrate World Meteorological Day around a chosen theme. This day commemorates the entry into force, on that date in 1950, of the WMO Convention creating the Organization. Subsequently, in 1951, WMO was designated a specialized agency of the United Nations System.
This year, the theme is “Powering our future with weather, climate and water”.
In 2012, the Fairtrade Foundation is asking everyone to take a step for Fairtrade. Hot foot it over to www.fairtrade.org.uk/step for more about the exciting new campaign and get planning your events for Fairtrade Fortnight and beyond…
Fairtrade in East Lothian
East Lothian is a Fairtrade County.
There are two Fairtrade Towns in East Lothian, North Berwick and Prestonpans. Longniddry achieved Fairtrade Village status a number of years ago.
If you would like to find out where to buy different fairtrade products in East Lothian, take a look at the East Lothian Fairtrade Directory.
To find out more about grant funding for Fairtrade events or activities, please visit our East Lothian Fairtrade Grant Scheme.
Related Links
Fairtrade Foundation – www.fairtrade.org.uk
Scottish Fairtrade Forum – www.scottishfairtradeforum.org.uk
Traidcraft – www.traidcraft.co.uk
Facebook – www.facebook.com/FairtradeEastLothian
What is Fairtrade?
Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. more
World Science Day on 8 March is Day 3 of the World Education Games – an exciting event for ALL schools and students around the world running from 6-8 March, involving 5.5million students from over 200 countries and territories.
Practice opens on 1 February. This is the global challenge to get ALL students (4-18 years of age) excited about learning, and to give the top students in each school an opportunity to see how they measure up against the best.
The format is:
1 February – The Games open for Practice
6 March – World Spelling Day
7 March – World Maths Day
8 March – World Science Day
23 March – Award Presentations at School Assemblies
Click on the pictures to download these handy resources.
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World Maths Day on 7 March is Day 2 of the World Education Games – an exciting event for ALL schools and students around the world running from 6-8 March, involving 5.5million students from over 200 countries and territories.
Practice opens on 1 February. This is the global challenge to get ALL students (4-18 years of age) excited about learning, and to give the top students in each school an opportunity to see how they measure up against the best.
The format is:
1 February – The Games open for Practice
6 March – World Spelling Day
7 March – World Maths Day
8 March – World Science Day
23 March – Award Presentations at School Assemblies
Click on the pictures to download these handy resources.
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World Spelling Day on 6 March is Day6 1 of the World Education Games – an exciting event for ALL schools and students around the world running from 6-8 March, involving 5.5million students from over 200 countries and territories.
Practice opens on 1 February. This is the global challenge to get ALL students (4-18 years of age) excited about learning, and to give the top students in each school an opportunity to see how they measure up against the best.
The format is:
1 February – The Games open for Practice
6 March – World Spelling Day
7 March – World Maths Day
8 March – World Science Day
23 March – Award Presentations at School Assemblies
Click on the pictures to download these handy resources.
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Wear your daffodil this March and help us continue caring for people with terminal cancer and other illnesses
Each March, the Great Daffodil Appeal aims to get everyone to wear a daffodil in support of our Marie Curie Nurses and raise money to help us provide more free care to people with terminal cancer and other illnesses.
But for those who have been touched by the work of Marie Curie, wearing the daffodil has a special and personal meaning.
Order a box of daffodils at – https://secure.mariecurie.org.uk/register/great-daffodil-appeal-box.aspx
Spring your school into action to support the Great Daffodil Appeal
Friday March 2, 2012
Brighten up your school and get pupils, teachers and school staff wearing yellow to raise money for the Great Daffodil Appeal 2012.
The money raised will help our Marie Curie Nurses provide more free care to people with terminal cancer and other illnesses, in their own homes.
How it works
Save the date
Promote Wear Something Yellow around your school and encourage everyone to wear something yellow on Friday March 2, 2012.
Ask form tutors to mention it in class. Put posters up in common areas.
March 2, 2012 is the official Wear Something Yellow to School day, but feel free to choose any day in March that suits your school.
Wear something yellow to school
Wear a yellow hat, tights, wig or pair of shoes – anything goes as long as it’s yellow.
Collect donations
Ask eveyone to donate £2 to dress up in yellow for the day.
Too cool to wear yellow to school?
Don’t worry, there are lots of other fundraising activities to get
everyone involved in supporting the Great Daffodil Appeal 2012.
Register
Register today and we’ll send you fundraising pack including
top tips for fundraising, posters, bunting,
a box of daffodils and much more.
Activity sheet
Download file
Quiz
Download file
Lesson plans
Download file
Wear Something Yellow to School poster
Download file
Yellow tie
Download file
Bunting
Download file
Every child has the right to education, and these rights start from birth. But every year, over 200 million children under the age of five do not receive these rights, giving them less chance to achieve their potential and end the cycle of poverty.
The Global Campaign for Education is calling on world leaders to keep their promises and ensure early childhood care and education for every child – right from the start.
http://www.globalactionweek.org/en/
World Malaria Day on 25 April 2012, is a time for examining the progress we have made towards malaria control and elimination and to renew efforts towards achieving the target of zero malaria deaths by 2015.
We have come a long way towards realising this goal since the first World Malaria Day four years ago, when it was estimated that a child died every 30 seconds of malaria. The huge increase in support for malaria control interventions in recent years means we can now acknowledge a reduction in the death rate; where once over a million people died of the disease annually, the figure is now closer to 790,000. This is progress and it shows that what we are doing is working. However we can’t afford to ease back until this number is zero, and this year everyone in the malaria community is discussing the remaining obstacles we face in the fight against malaria.
Work Your Proper Hours Day (24 Feb 2012) is the day when the average person who does unpaid overtime finishes the unpaid days they do every year, and starts earning for themselves. We think that’s a day worth celebrating.
Over five million people at work in the UK regularly do unpaid overtime, giving their employers £29.2 billion of free work last year alone. If you’re one, why not take some time to reflect on how well (or badly) you’re balancing your life? This is one day in the year to make the most of your own time. Take a proper lunchbreak and leave work on time to enjoy your Friday evening – You deserve it!
Long hours are not good for us; they cause stress; they’re bad for our health; they wreck relationships; they make caring for children or dependents more difficult; and tired, burnt-out staff are bad for business.
People do long hours for a variety of very different reasons, and work life balance expert Professor Cary Cooper has helped us put together a long hours clinic tool, to give you tailored advice to fit your own situation.
You can also use our online balance check to diagnose what your workplace’s working style is, and then add yourself to our big interactive map to see how you stack up against everyone else. Or just check the map, to see what others have said.
Work Your Proper Hours Day for 2012 will be 24 February, but your own pay day may come earlier or later, depending on the hours you work above your contracted hours. Use our online unpaid overtime calculator to find out when you can celebrate paying off your long hours debt.
(via WorkSmart.org)
Free Music Instrument lessons for the Public
Music for All, the charity of the UK musical instrument industry is proud to announce the first, annual, National Learn to Play Day taking place on March 31st, 2012.
On this day, the UK’s musical instrument shops will open their doors and offer free instrument “taster” lessons to the general public.
There are 15 million people in the UK that either want to play an instrument or used to play one. The Day is designed to welcome people into music shops and to inspire them to get playing. People are often surprised to discover that they ARE musical and simply need a musical “experience” to get them inspired to start playing.
The Day will offer free lessons on a variety of instruments, supported by music teachers and additional guidance on getting started learning to play music. The UK’s instrument manufacturers will also be supporting the event with staff, instruments and special offers!
Participating stores in Edinburgh include Red Dog Music (1 Grassmarket) and Rae Macintosh (6 Queensferry Street).
National Poetry Day takes place across the UK on Thursday 4 October 2012
Help us celebrate the richness, variety and sheer fun of poetry of all kinds, from song lyrics and nursery rhymes to works by poets laureate…
The 2012 theme will be…
We work with National Poetry Day UK, and as soon as the theme is agreed we’ll put it up right here!
National Poetry Day across Scotland and the UK
For details of National Poetry Day events around Scotland, browse our Events Calendar.
For poetry events outside Scotland, visit the National Poetry Day website.
If you’re planning your own National Poetry Day event in Scotland please let us know! Email reception@spl.org.uk
For teachers
Visit our For teachers pages to read poems, find posters, see ideas about how to use poetry in the classroom, and tips for using National Poetry Day postcards.
For librarians
Check our For librarians pages for event format ideas, easy ways to find all sorts of poems on this year’s theme, and other useful resources to help you plan National Poetry Day with flair and not very much cash.
National Poetry Day postcards
You can collect free poetry postcards from the Scottish Poetry Library.
Or read them in our Poem stacks online.
Contact us at reception@spl.org.uk if you would like to get your hands on some, or send a stamped SAE for a free set.
Beatbullying’s Big March 2012 is the world’s first virtual, global march for children’s right to be safe.
On 1st March 2012, tens of thousands of virtual marchers will cross the websites of the world’s biggest brands. They will speak with one voice, and call on the UN to enshrine explicitly in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, “The right of every child to be safe from bullying, violence and the fear of violence by their peers as well as from abuse by adults.” Register now at www.beatbullying.org/bigmarch
“Let us work together to balance the global economy and build a new social contract for the 21st century. Let us chart a development path that leads to greater social justice and the future we want.”
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Message for the 2012 World Day of Social Justice
Social justice is an underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations.
We uphold the principles of social justice when we promote gender equality or the rights of indigenous peoples and migrants.
We advance social justice when we remove barriers that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability.
For the United Nations, the pursuit of social justice for all is at the core of our global mission to promote development and human dignity. The adoption by the International Labour Organization of the Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization is just one recent example of the UN system’s commitment to social justice. The Declaration focuses on guaranteeing fair outcomes for all through employment, social protection, social dialogue, and fundamental principles and rights at work.
The General Assembly proclaimed 20 February as World Day of Social Justice in 2007, inviting Member States to devote the day to promoting national activities in accordance with the objectives and goals of the World Summit for Social Development and the twenty-fourth session of the General Assembly. Observance of World Day of Social Justice should support efforts of the international community in poverty eradication, the promotion of full employment and decent work, gender equity and access to social well-being and justice for all.
As we look to the upcoming Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development, we have a chance to rethink development strategies and business practices so that they point us toward a more sustainable and equitable future. Sustainability depends on building markets that do a better job of spreading the benefits of development. It means meeting growing consumer demand for greener products and services. And it means laying the foundations for dignity, stability and opportunity for all. As we strive to make this transformation, we must integrate social inclusion into our policies and other efforts.
“National Nest Box Week is great for birds. Starting on St Valentine’s Day, it’s the time we remind ourselves to provide homes for dozens of species, from Blue Tits to Barn Owls.
If you’ve never built a nest box before, why not give it a go this year? Or if you haven’t got the time, it’s easy to buy a good one. Go on, take part for Britain’s birds!”
National Nestbox Week (14-21 February 2012) aims to encourage everyone to put up nest boxes in their local area in order to promote and enhance biodiversity and conservation of our breeding birds and wildlife.
The natural nest sites on which many of our bird species depend, such as holes in trees and buildings, are fast disappearing as gardens and woods are ‘tidied’ and old houses are repaired. Since National Nest Box Week was launched in 1997, thousands of enthusiastic naturalists across the UK have put up boxes to compensate for this loss. It is estimated that there are now 5-6 million boxes in gardens across the UK.
Whether you’re a family with space for a box in your garden, a teacher, a member of a local wildlife group, or you belong to a bird club and could organise a work party, National Nest Box Week gives you the chance to contribute to the conservation effort in the UK whilst giving you the pleasure of observing any breeding birds that you attract to your garden.
“Children under the age of 16 years should not take a direct part in any conflict”
(Article 38 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child).
It is estimated that over 300,000 children under the age of 18, both boys and girls, are involved in more than 30 conflicts worldwide.
Africa has the highest number of child soldiers. However, UNICEF has also found an alarming number of child soldiers in the East Asia-Pacific Region. They also discovered that Burma has more children soldiers than any other country in the world – it is estimated that there are 70,000 children in the Burmese state army alone.
Red Hand Day on 12 February, is a worldwide initiative to stop the use of child soldiers. On Red Hand Day public protest, demonstrations and other activities take place. The Red Hand Day’s symbol is a red hand which has been used all over the world by many organizations in order to say NO to child recruitment and the use of child soldiers. If you want to participate, you can find information at www.redhandday.org.
It is estimated that there are more than 132 million children worldwide who have been orphaned by disaster, disease or poverty, or abandoned on the streets by their parents.
The goal of World Orphan Week 2012 (6 – 12 February) is to highlight their plight and help give more children a mother, a home, and a family for life. 
By taking part in World Orphan Week 2012, you can make a real difference to the lives of orphaned and abandoned children.
World Orphan Week 2012 is a time to remember and reach out to all those children throughout the world who do not have a family that nurtures and gives them a sense of belonging. Why not take part as an individual, a school, a community group, or work place?
Email emma@soschildren.org to request a fundraising pack for World Orphan Week 2012.
Dickens 2012 is an international celebration of the life and work of Charles Dickens to mark the bicentenary of his birth, which falls on 7 February 2012.
Institutions and organisations from all over the world are partners of Dickens 2012 and work together to deliver a programme of events and activities to commemorate this very special anniversary.
Although a writer from the Victorian era, Dickens’s work transcends his time, language and culture. He remains a massive contemporary influence throughout the world and his writings continue to inspire film, TV, art, literature, artists and academia.
Dickens 2012 sees a rich and diverse programme of events taking place in the run up and throughout the whole of 2012.
Film, TV & Radio
From multi Oscar®-winning Oliver! to BBC’s hit series Bleak House, the world of film and TV have endeavoured to translate Dickens’s immortal stories to the screen. Dickens’s highly visual narrative style inspired early film-makers and many have credited the author with providing the very DNA that cinematic language is based upon. The oldest surviving film version of a work by Dickens – an adaptation of A Christmas Carol – is from 1901 and over a hundred years later Dickens’s works are still being filmed for cinema and TV and every one of his 15 novels has been filmed at least twice.
Literature & Education
Dickens believed that enriching people’s life with knowledge and enjoyment of the arts was key to building a fair society and creating opportunities. Dickens 2012 is committed to following Dickens’s educational mission by supporting learning activities around the world, from teachers’ conferences and family workshops to creative writing master classes and writing competitions.
Exhibitions
From May 2011 onwards Dickens’s life, works and legacy will be explored in a series of exhibitions across the globe. Major loans between Dickens collections and other museum sites will provide visitors with exciting opportunities to see and experience what inspired Dickens to become one of the world’s greatest writers and to find out more about the times he lived in.
London and UK will host a number of special commemorative exhibitions while venues in France, Switzerland and US will also show the rich heritage of Dickens’s life.
Theatre & Performing Arts
Dickens was a champion of the acting profession – he himself wanted to become an actor at the age of 18 and applied to the Covent Garden theatre. Since the publication of his first major book The Pickwick Papers, Dickens’s works have been adapted for the stage on countless occasions, and few novelists have provided more material for the theatre.
In 2012, audiences around the world will be able to see traditional and new adaptations of Dickens’s works, including the first adaptation ever of Dickens’s ‘The Life of our Lord’.
Festivals & Outdoor
The life and work of Dickens is regularly celebrated in festivals and outdoor activities around the world. In 2012, Dickens-themed activities are expected to bring together millions of people worldwide with new events and special editions of key annual festivals being staged to mark the bicentenary.
In addition, the year of the bicentenary will see new long-lasting commemorative initiatives including exciting legacy projects and heritage trails.
Find out what Dickens 2012 events are taking place near you by visiting http://www.dickens2012.org/
The theme for the Safer Internet Day (7 February 2012) is Connecting Generations with the slogan “Discovering the digital world together safely”.
Get involved and help raise awareness of internet safety for this year’s Safer Internet Day. There are many things you can do, including helping to spread the word about the Day and running activities with children and young people, parents and carers and others in the community.
The Safer Internet Centre here in the UK have produced packs for schools, which include quick ideas for teachers, a lesson plan and an assembly.
Download your 2012 schools pack now at the Safer Internet Day web site.
http://peaceoneday.org
http://worldparksday.com/
The Japanese bean throwing festival is celebrated every year on 3rd February and marks the beginning of spring.
Traditionally, people count out the number of beans to correspond with their age, then throw them out their door shouting “Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!” (“Demons out! Luck in!”).
鬼は外! 福は内!
