Global initiative to foster creativity and innovation
There are now stars named after London schoolchildren thanks to the ‘Discovery in a Week’ astronomy initiative, made possible by The Mayor’s Fund for London and Elena Baturina’s charitable foundation.
The four new stars, discovered by pupils at the Hammersmith Academy as part of the educational initiative ‘Discovery in a Week’, have now officially been named after their discoverers: Reynolds V1, Hamed V1, Mousa V1 and Mousa V2.
Demand for a major new cultural initiative, launched by the Mayor, Sadiq Khan in September, and supported by BE OPEN foundation, has exceeded initial expectations with 20% more primary schools registering to take part than expected.
240 primary schools from across the capital have already registered for the London Curriculum, which is designed to bring their learning to life by using London as a giant classroom. This follows the highly successful pilot programme where teachers particularly liked the ability for pupils to explore an issue outside the classroom in their local area, as well as the rest of London. More new London Curriculum classroom and on-line materials will be released free of charge to primary schools in early 2017.
Pupils at the Hammersmith Academy and the UCL Academy looked to the stars by taking part in educational initiative ‘Discovery in a Week’. The initiative brought together PHD astronomy students from University College London with pupils from these two London secondary schools during the summer term.
The young astronomers enhanced their theoretical knowledge and made real astronomic discoveries by finding and registering stars with an international index. The programme was made possible thanks to the Russian philanthropic foundation ‘Noosphere’ in partnership with the Mayor’s Fund for London, and with support from the BE OPEN foundation.
The international creative think-tank BE OPEN Foundation continues to support cutting-edge educational initiatives in London. Partnering with the Mayor’s Fund for London and the Greater London Authority, the Foundation will be lending its expertise and support to ‘London Curriculum’ – a unique and ambitious project, set to revitalize teaching and learning across the city.
The initiative is supported by the BE OPEN foundation. Its aim is to introduce young people from disadvantaged areas of London to the fascinating world of astronomy. The project ‘Discovery within a Week’ brings together PHD astronomy students from UCL’s Physics and Astronomy department to mentor secondary school pupils and guide them through the materials and technology.
The current tour of the global design award established by BE OPEN Foundation has come to its completion – on April 28th, at the amazing Nottingham Castle Museum and Art Gallery BE OPEN announced and awarded the main winner of YOUNG TALENT AWARD as well as the winner in the ‘Founder’s choice’ category.
The main prize of 16 000 Euro was awarded to the Otros Perez design studio based in Santiago de Chile. Founded and headed by Catalina and Jeronimo Perez the studio creates visual identities, graphics, communication strategies, websites, etc. The young designers have already cooperated with the Chilean Government, a number of Chilean universities and public organizations.
The jury of BE OPEN YOUNG TALENT AWARD has selected 10 candidates to enter the short-list of finalists. The main winner as well as the Founder’s choice winner will be announced at an awarding ceremony in Nottingham, UK, on April 28th, at the annual Cumulus conference. The online voting for the web choice winner will continue till May 15th.
The selected finalists are Sofia Drum Bento (USA), Jacque Kemp (USA), Natalie Mcqueen (USA), Catalina Perez (Chile), The Clocksmiths (Italy), Jenifer Wisler (USA), Pablo Gonzalez (Chile), Caroline Konarkowska (New Zealand), Passport Design Bureau (UK) and QQO (Italy).
The new tour of YOUNG TALENT AWARD – a grant by BE OPEN to support young professionals – presents the international jury, whose task will be to define the winner of a 16,000 Euro prize.
The award is a grant to support young designers’ day-to-day living expenses throughout a year, helping them develop their work at this critical early stage in their career. Described as an ‘incubator for young talent’, seeking out designers who have only recently completed their studies and are making their first steps in a design career, the award will allow the winner to continue working at their own pace, experiment with both practical and conceptual projects.
The Mayor’s Fund for London, in partnership with BE OPEN and Berkeley Foundation, hosted a breakfast seminar at City Hall on 25th February titled: Creativity Works ‘Igniting inspiration for young Londoners’.
