LOCAL MP CALLS ON SCHOOLS TO JOIN THE GIVING NATION

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 13th May 2004

Sue Doughty, MP for Guildford, is calling on all secondary schools in her constituency to get involved in Giving Nation, an independent UK-wide initiative encouraging 11-16 year olds to switch on to charity and the community.

Sue Doughty MP said : "Our secondary school pupils already do a great deal to support good causes by volunteering their time and putting their efforts into creative and energetic fundraising. Giving Nation is a chance to recognise and celebrate their efforts, motivating young people to stand up and make a difference, hence building on giving for the future. I want to see all our schools involved because young people need to realise that they can make a difference and it is good for them and good for our community."

Giving Nation has been designed to support the citizenship curriculum for 11-16 year olds and is funded by the Department for Education and Skills and the Home Office Active Communities Unit. It aims to help young people understand the power of giving and the importance of charities in shaping a fair and inclusive world. It promotes initiative, participation and choice - giving young people the tools they need to tackle the issues they care about.

Giving Nation offers a free high quality resource pack for teachers, and a lively and interactive website www.g-nation.co.uk for teachers and pupils. So far, over 3,000 schools have requested the packs - this represents over half of all UK secondary schools.

Giving Nation is also hoping that schools will participate in the annual "Giving Week" or "G-Week", this year from 26 June - 2 July 2004, to celebrate pupils' giving activities over the year. The attached leaflet provides some further information about Giving Nation.

Schools can order their free Giving Nation pack by calling 020 7401 4070.