Press
June 29, 2005
Whitgift School, Croydon wins Web Design Challenge
13-year-olds design new Hansard Society political website for young people
Whitgift School in Croydon has beaten off competition from 92 other schools to win first prize in the nationwide Web Design Challenge for 11- to 14-year-olds, organised by the Hansard Society and the Design Museum.
The project – commissioned by Culture Online, part by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport – launched last year with the aim of inviting children to develop design skills while engaging with political issues. The competition has been supported by Microsoft.
Kiran Purang, Wing Yung Chan and Hari-Vamsa Patel from Whitgift School designed a groundbreaking new website Being Heard which will provide young people with information on current affairs and political matters and enable their voices to be heard in the citizenship and political arenas.
Being Heard is the first website designed by and for young people specifically to encourage them to participate in the policy and decision making process of government departments and other organisations. Being Heard will be hosted and maintained by the Hansard Society. The site goes live in September.
David Lammy MP, Arts Minister, said: "The response to this competition has been awe inspiring. It's fantastic to see such design talent in the classroom. The new Being Heard website will be a welcome addition to the web and gives school children a real opportunity to influence the political environment of the future. Congratulations to Whitgift School - they've done a great job."
Fiona Booth, Director of Citizenship Education at the Hansard Society, commented:
"Congratulations to Whitgift School - we at the Hansard Society are very much looking forward to the launch of this groundbreaking new website Being Heard. Not only will it help young people to gain a better understanding of how the democratic process works, it will also provide a portal for them to discuss political issues with each other. Most importantly, Being Heard will promote and support the effective involvement of young people at Key Stage 3 in the development of government policy and laws that affect them."
Photographs of the prize giving available from 5 pm, Wednesday June 15
Kiran Purang, Wing Yung Chan and Hari-Vamsa Patel from Whitgift School are available for interview. Contact Mrs C J Harwood at Whitgift School on 020 8688 9222
For further information about the Web Design Challenge and the Being Heard website contact Virginia Gibbons at the Hansard Society on 020 7395 4010 or 07812 765 552
For further information about Culture Online call Graham Thomas 020 7487 7215
Editors' Notes
* The Web Design Challenge for 11- to 14-year-olds (Key Stage 3) is organised by the Hansard Society in collaboration with the Design Museum, commissioned by Culture Online, part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and supported by Microsoft.
* All results can be seen at www.webdesignchallenge.org.
* The Hansard Society is an independent, non-partisan educational charity which exists to promote effective parliamentary democracy. The Hansard Society has been responsible for giving thousands of young people throughout the country their first taste of democracy and political debate through Y Vote Mock Elections and national curriculum resources. More details at www.hansardsociety.org.uk.
* The Design Museum is one of the world's leading museums of modern and contemporary design. It is the UK's largest museum provider of design education resources. The award-winning Design Museum web site at www.designmuseum.org is the world's most popular design web site.
* Culture Online, part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, commissions a portfolio of new media projects to extend access to the Arts and culture. All projects encourage active participation. More details at www.cultureonline.gov.uk.
* Microsoft is committed to a long-term partnership with the education sector, working closely with schools, colleges and universities to develop the tools and resources needed to transform the delivery of learning. More details at www.microsoft.com/uk/education.