BBC Beyond the Broadcast Outreach and the BBC’s Public Purposes

The BBC’s fundamental purpose as a public service broadcaster is to provide value to its many different audiences.

Primarily this is delivered by creating and broadcasting multi-platform services of the highest possible quality and range. In addition, the BBC continues to explore and develop ways to engage audiences actively and extend its relationship with people from communities across the diversity of the UK. The Charter sets out six Public Purposes for the BBC that underpin everything we do. They are: • Sustaining citizenship and civil society • Promoting education and learning • Stimulating creativity and cultural excellence • Representing the UK, its nations, regions and communities • Bringing the UK to the world and the world to the UK • Supporting emerging communications

In the pages that follow we illustrate some of the ways in which BBC outreach work plays a crucial role in delivering these Public Purposes, supporting and reinforcing BBC activity beyond the broadcast. Sustaining citizenship and Citizenship civil society

You can trust the BBC to provide high quality news, current affairs and factual programming that keeps you informed and supports debate about important issues and political developments in an engaging way. You can look to the BBC for help using and understanding different kinds of media.

The BBC has a global reputation for providing independent journalism of the highest quality across a growing range of platforms that include podcasts and SMS Text Alert, as well as the more traditional outlets. We aim to engage a wide variety of people in news and current affairs and to stimulate conversation and debate.

Our audiences are connecting with the news agenda as never before. From BBC One’s Breakfast News to Five Live’s 6-0-6, record numbers of people are calling, texting and emailing programmes, and even helping report the news.

Many BBC stations across the UK are enabling local audiences to find a voice through community reporter schemes. In Kent and East Sussex, Making it! invited viewers to decide which stories really matter and make their own edition of South East Today.

Other BBC projects directly encourage communities to engage with civil society and develop greater understanding of political processes. Schools Question Time provides an annual opportunity for students to set the agenda for primetime news and current affairs debate on BBC One.

During elections, BBC News teams are especially busy; the BBC bus toured the country during the 2007 Assembly elections, while in the last General Election a BBC bus took to the road, stopping off in cities, towns and villages across the UK to discover what voters were talking about.

Meanwhile, an innovative schools project has been energising hundreds of 11 to 14 year olds to take an interest in the news… A lot of these children hadn’t watched the News before we started Citizenship and they’re now saying,‘Miss did you see that on the News last night?’ Students turn broadcasters for the day Catherine Alnuamaani, Trinity Church of England High School, Manchester

One of the defining characteristics of the BBC’s the nature and meaning of Britishness in present public service role is the positive contribution it day, multicultural . makes to the wider well-being of society, helping to create better informed, more engaged Teachers can draw on the support of volunteer communities. BBC mentors and lesson plans about how to make news, mapped to the curricula for English, BBC News School Report is a model example Citizenship and ICT. They have found that the of that ethos in action – a pioneering outreach project can add real value for their students. project that engages pupils aged 11 to 14 with news. Over 3,000 students in 120 schools took Catherine Alnuamaani from Trinity Church of part during the 2006/07 academic year, rising to England High School in Manchester said,‘A lot of 250 schools in 2007/08. these children hadn’t watched the News before we started and they’re now saying,“Miss did you The project culminates with students becoming see that on the News last night?” think that’s broadcasters for a day, creating their own news really valuable for them because it’s allowed them reports using video, audio and text. Students an appreciation of what’s going on around them work towards a real ‘on air’ deadline on School in the world.’ Report News Day. They go live with their bulletins at 2pm that day by posting reports on As a result of this highly positive response, not to their own schools’ websites, which are linked to mention the enormous energy and enthusiasm the BBC’s national School Report website. of the pupils themselves, the BBC has now committed to School Report as a continuing School Reporters have been featured on BBC project, recognising its value in helping equip national, regional and local news programmes today’s school children to become tomorrow’s including the Six O’Clock News, Radio Five Live, better informed, more empowered citizens. regional TV bulletins and on 40 local radio stations.This has given hundreds of students the BBC School Report News Day is in March. chance to have their voices heard, on subjects from gun crime to pensions, helping provide a Find out more at .co.uk/schoolreport positive representation of young people.

Students in Glasgow highlighted the case of a 14 year old Turkish pupil at their school who faced deportation, while others in Hackney debated Promoting education and learning

You can look to the BBC to help everyone in the UK to Learning learn. An important role for the BBC is to support formal education in schools and colleges. In addition, the BBC will offer engaging ways for everyone in the UK to build their knowledge and skills across a broad range of subjects.

The BBC wants to encourage audiences to take advantage of opportunities for learning throughout their lifetimes. We seek to engage people in activities that can also benefit society beyond the individual.

BBC Learning plays a lead role in meeting these aims, working across the corporation to offer a variety of accessible projects that stimulate curiosity and help people learn. Its high-impact learning campaigns are supported by a network of external partners who are key to the success of this work and provide vital contact with communities in all parts of the UK.

BBC Breathing Places is an example of informal learning at its best – a five year, UK wide campaign that inspires people to create and care for green spaces in their local area. Another example is BBC Blast, which focuses on creative learning, aiming to build the confidence and skills of 13 to 19 year olds by offering them opportunities for hands-on involvement in the creative arts.

Formal learning projects support educational goals for people of all ages. BBC Bitesize is now used as a revision aid by over three quarters of all GCSE and Standard Grade students across the country, while thousands of adults have been closely involved with a very successful BBC literacy campaign… Campaign inspires adults to improve their skills

Lord Reith’s founding vision for the BBC was opportunities at a local level across the UK. We want an environment where people will feel comfortable learning and Learning to provide ‘information, education and The LearnDirect helpline offers individual advice entertainment’ and one of the defining features and some 6,000 centres across the country have where parents feel a sense of achievement in being able to help their children. of the 21st century BBC is that learning remains hosted RaW events including storytelling at the of our mission. workshops, reading groups, pub quizzes and Jane Quinn, Education Executive, BBC writers’ workshops. RaW, the BBC’s biggest ever adult literacy campaign, is a powerful demonstration of what During eight weeks of autumn 2007 RaW took can be achieved through a multimedia, multi their Max and Lara characters on the road in a partner project on a national scale. Since it Big Top, attracting over 26,000 people. At the began in 2005, more than two million people first event in Plymouth, the local branch of Kids have engaged with this ‘Reading and Writing’ and Dads signed up more than 90 fathers for campaign, which aims to give new confidence to their courses and overall 2,500 people made adults who struggle with everyday tasks such as follow up calls. filling in official forms, writing greeting cards or reading to their children. RaW’s project leader Jane Quinn explains, ‘We try to use all the BBC’s resources to remove the Family literacy is a central focus of the campaign, stigma associated with poor literacy skills. We reinforced by high profile storylines in popular want an environment where people will feel BBC programmes such as EastEnders and Casualty, comfortable learning and where parents feel a and by the distribution of thousands of DVDs, sense of achievement in being able to help their activity packs, magazines and storybooks, many children.’ based on the popular fictional RaW characters Max and Lara. A recent RaW storytelling During 2008 RaW is supporting the National Year competition attracted nearly 2,000 entries. of Reading, and later a new broadband RaW website will be launched, offering support for a Online games, quizzes and video resources are broader range of skills for everyday life – numeracy permanently available at RaW online, including and ICT as well as literacy. This will generate a talking about reading to his new phase of outreach activity, continuing the long grandchildren and Lenny Henry’s factsheets on tradition of keeping education and learning at the ways of telling stories. forefront of the BBC’s public service objectives.

RaW has created a network of partnerships that For more information please go to bbc.co.uk/raw now deliver both informal and formal learning Stimulating creativity and cultural excellence

You can expect the BBC to offer the best examples of creative work that engage and delight audiences, break new ground and encourage interest in cultural, creative and sporting activities.

The BBC strives to be innovative. We seek to explore new approaches to our work, open our doors to new talent and foster creativity across the UK. Creativity In December 2007 the BBC demonstrated a pioneering approach with Liverpool Nativity, an inventive new take on the traditional Christmas play. It was a live event on the streets of Merseyside, using local talent and songs from the city’s famous music back catalogue to perform the story and render the community part of the production.

BBC writersroom holds open sessions around the UK, creating opportunities for thousands of emerging and unknown writers to connect with the BBC and showcase their skills on BBC shows including EastEnders, Doctor Who and Tracy Beaker.

Across the Arts, the BBC provides entertaining and distinctive content on all its platforms. We also encourage and facilitate active participation in these wide-ranging cultural activities.

In music, the BBC Proms have expanded in new directions, with pre-Prom talks, Composer Labs, the Electric Proms and Proms in the Park, offering greater access to more diverse music and fresh opportunities for audiences to actively get involved. And that’s only the start of the story… Music reaches out to diverse audiences

The BBC has always sought to stimulate and learn to sing or play a new instrument. Excellent enrich the UK’s artistic, cultural and creative life. news, since through a series of partnerships with It sustains the tradition of live orchestral music music groups across the UK, everyone taking part through in-house orchestras and supports was then given access to local opportunities to new music across all genres, through an unrivalled continue their own musical odyssey. commitment to broadcasting live studio sessions, concerts and festival acts. Meanwhile, BBC Introducing is fast defining itself as an important destination for brand new

Equally important is the BBC’s mission to music from across the UK. The project had its Creativity bring new audiences to the Arts, not only to first stage at the Glastonbury Festival in 2007 and performances by new and established artists, featured 24 new artists, nominated by new BBC Introducing is fast defining itself as an important destination but also by encouraging audiences to participate music shows on Radio 1, 6 Music, 1Xtra and themselves. 20 of the BBC’s local radio stations. Acts played for brand new music from across the UK to thousands of festival goers and their Play It Again, an outreach project run by BBC performances were broadcast to thousands Audio & Music and BBC Learning during 2007, more on 16 different BBC radio shows. had precisely that aim. Thousands of complete beginners and rusty ‘returners’ aged from 8 to The initiative has continued with festival stages at 80 seized the opportunity to play a musical Latitude, Bestival and the BBC’s own Electric instrument or sing with a BBC orchestra at one Proms, as well as opportunities for new acts to of 23 special concerts across the UK. create sessions hosted by specialist DJs at the world famous Studios. The scene was set by a six part BBC One series that showed six celebrities, including Bill During 2008 BBC Introducing will expand, Oddie, Jo Brand and Lord Winston, learning or seeking more new artists and providing re-learning to play a different instrument. The amplified showcases to reach new live and project gave over 7,000 volunteers the chance to broadcast audiences. Ventures include hosting rehearse with professional musicians before monthly gigs with emerging artists in music taking part in a complete concert performance, venues across the UK, helping ensure that the with an average of 300 performers at each event. BBC’s traditional role in championing the very best new talent continues to thrive. After these performances 87% of participants said they intended to spend more time playing For more information please go to bbc.co.uk/music instruments or singing, and 55% now wanted to Representing the UK

You can rely on the BBC to reflect the many communities that exist in the UK. These communities may be based on geography, on faith, on language, or on a shared interest such as sport. You can expect the BBC to stimulate debate within and between the communities of the UK, and to encourage people to get involved with their local communities.

The BBC maintains an undiminished commitment to represent the different nations, regions and communities of the UK, the Channel Isles and the Isle of Man. Nothing illustrates this more clearly than the high profile move of BBC Children’s, BBC Sport and BBC Five Live from London to a new base in Salford, due to open in 2010/11. In addition, BBC Scotland has now opened the doors of Pacific Quay,their flagship broadcast centre, which improves opportunities for Scottish talent and audiences to connect with the BBC.

The BBC seeks to provide for the UK’s varied communities by producing content tailored for distinct audiences. Specific areas of the nations and regions are catered for with over 50 localised Where I Live websites, as well as 40 local stations in the English Regions and six dedicated services in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, which include the service BBC Cymru and the Gaelic service BBC Radio Nan Gaidheal. From 2008/09 the planned launch of BBC Local broadband news sites, subject to Communities approval by the BBC Trust, will provide unprecedented levels of local engagement.

Each service also runs its own outreach activities to complement national projects. BBC Wales, for example, has a three year Here for You project that draws on local partnerships to take BBC services, including digital story workshops and concerts by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, on the road to nearly 30,000 visitors.

Working at the heart of communities, the BBC supports and brings together audiences.When floods hit in 2007, local stations led the way to bring together relief efforts and volunteers, recruited through partnerships with organisations including CSV. These efforts enabled people affected to get vital information and tell their stories. BBC Sheffield’s Good Neighbour Appeal raised over £90,000 to help get South Yorkshire back on its feet.

And thanks to new technology, a new kind of BBC presence is emerging in city centres across the country… New kind of community experience

The BBC draws its licence fee income from from the 2008 Beijing Olympics and will begin the homes in every community across the land. It’s countdown to the London Games in 2012. therefore essential that all communities feel the BBC is relevant to their lives, portraying and Cultural events have also been a great success. celebrating the world in which they live. Highlights have included the Last Night of the Proms, Glastonbury, Live Earth and special relays Through our innovative Public Space of Swan Lake and Tosca live from the Royal Opera Broadcasting project, putting Big Screens in House. The Big Screen in Liverpool is playing a the heart of city centres across the country, the central role showcasing events as the city celebrates BBC is now seeking to create a new community its role as European of Culture 2008. experience that goes beyond its traditional relationship with audiences in their homes. All the screens utilise the latest daylight digital technology and their size (25 square metres) The first Big Screen went live in Manchester in enables thousands of people to enjoy events. 2002 and was seen by almost five million people They also provide a high profile showcase for local in its first year of operation.This was followed by film-making talent and community groups’ activities. screens in Birmingham, Liverpool, Hull, Leeds, Communities Rotherham, Bradford, Derby and Swindon. Each The Birmingham Big Screen ran the world Screens will all carry live action from the 2008 Beijing Olympics screen has helped energise its city centre and premiere of two remarkable films made by a create a meeting place that brings people group of unemployed women, focusing on their and will begin the countdown to the London Games in 2012, together to share local, national and international joint experiences of motherhood and life in the events and broadcasts. Washwood Heath area. And the Big Screen in bringing people together in a new kind of public space. Hull provided dozens of opportunities for local During 2008 more screens will launch, including residents to show films they made to document the first screens in Scotland, Wales and Northern how their local communities suffered as a result Ireland, in conjunction with external partners of the catastrophic floods in 2007. such as the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and local authorities. As the project expands, it is hoped that more and more cities will benefit from the community Sport has proved immensely popular for experience Big Screens can provide, bringing communal broadcasts, with crowds regularly people together in a new kind of public space. drawn to the coverage of events like Wimbledon, the Rugby World Cup and England football For more information please go to matches. The screens will all show live action bbc.co.uk/bigscreens Bringing the UK to the world and the world to the UK

You can rely on the BBC to provide internationally respected news services to audiences around the world and you can expect the BBC to keep you in touch with what is going on in the world, giving you an insight into the way people live in other countries.

The BBC has a global reputation that makes ours one of the prime brands to represent and connect the UK to the world. Our global reach also means that we can enhance understanding of international issues for domestic audiences and enable them to participate in world debate.

The BBC World Service is the leading international broadcaster and has been providing news coverage for over 75 years. It produces impartial news, reports and analysis of the highest quality from locations across the world in 33 different languages.

As the BBC’s international development charity, the BBC World Service Trust aims to reduce poverty and promote human rights in developing countries through the innovative and creative use of media. The charity works in partnership with local and national organisations to help provide media training and improve access to information, rights and services.

One of the BBC World Service Trust’s current priorities is tackling HIV/AIDS. On the eve of 2007’s World AIDS Day, the Trust launched a six year campaign aiming to get people talking about sexual health and changing their attitudes towards condom use in southern India.

The BBC World Service Trust takes the BBC to millions of people UK & the World across the word – bringing in new audiences, working with partners to build trust and find solutions to problems associated with poverty, and ensuring that innovation, creativity and quality are at the heart of all its work.

The BBC has tremendous power to reach out to people, connect people across the world and broaden the UK’s experience of different cultures. Another BBC outreach project is helping UK children discover this first hand… Children connect across the globe

The BBC’s global reputation is second to none as Generation Next, a season of BBC World Service a news broadcaster and a trusted source of programmes exploring the world through the independent reporting that links all corners of eyes of under 18s. the world. World Class worked with the British Council to BBC Audio & Music are building on our ability facilitate an international debate on the legacy of to bring countries together by inspiring slavery, held in the House of Commons in school children across the world to forge links October 2007. School children from Africa, the and tell the stories of their often dramatically Caribbean, the USA and the UK passionately different lives on air. debated issues with politicians including former deputy PM John Prescott.The event was filmed by By sharing these experiences with the wider Students from Koro Secondary School, Uganda, Students from Koro Secondary School perform BBC Parliament and is now being used in schools twinned with Bishop David Brown School, UK, audience, BBC World Class has encouraged around the world. through BBC World Class partners African Revival hundreds of schools to twin with schools in different countries. These opportunities are During 2008 a major 40 week project with facilitated by partner organisations including Radio 4, World on the Move, is on air, encouraging the British Council and Plan UK. more schools to take part, as twinned schools help track animal migration across continents, Among hundreds of successful examples are links inspired by the birds and animals that bring them British Council Youth Slavery Debate, October 2007 between schools in Londonderry and South together. Africa, Essex and Kuwait, Aberdeen and Ghana. Another, between two primary schools in BBC World News For Children, a specially created Oldbury and a school in rural Gujarat, has proved daily news bulletin, available via the internet and especially beneficial in motivating the West on BBC 7, is now also helping reinforce the aims Midlands schools’ many Indian and Asian pupils, of the World Class initiative. Created with BBC UK & the World for whom the twinning scheme has become a News and CBBC Newsround, it helps children in Among hundreds of successful examples are links between real source of pride. twinning schools to share their news with each other, helping bring the UK to the world and schools in Londonderry and South Africa, Essex and Kuwait, Schools participating in World Class have made the world to the UK. their mark across BBC content, from one-off stories on local radio to the World Service’s For more information please go to Aberdeen and Ghana. School Day. For just one day, this initiative bbc.co.uk/worldclass brought together dozens of schools separated by war, politics and culture.The day formed part of Supporting emerging communications

You can expect the BBC to help everyone in the UK to get the best out of emerging media technologies now and in the future.

As the broadcast environment evolves - across television, radio and other new and emerging media platforms - and as society changes, the BBC will continue to support how we work and how we play, delivering public value across the range of its content and services.

One of the BBC’s current priorities is going digital. Digital means more choice, and that’s what our six additional digital TV channels and five extra radio networks now provide for millions of people accessing BBC services. By pioneering compelling content for outlets including television, mobile and broadband, we hope to lead audiences to these new platforms.

The BBC is also investing in extending digital infrastructure and is playing a strong role in making sure the benefits of digital terrestrial television are extended to all audiences when the analogue signal is turned off.

In recent months several important new digital landmarks have been passed. BBC HD, the BBC’s High Definition television service was launched on satellite and cable, enabling some of the BBC’s best programmes, such as Planet Earth and Larkrise to Candleford, to be viewed in clear, crisp quality.

We have reached agreements with other broadcasters to look at ways of putting HD channels on Freeview and will launch a new “” service in 2008.

We’ve also launched the BBC iPlayer, which makes BBC programmes available to watch for up to seven days online at the audiences’ convenience.

Meanwhile, the first switchover to digital terrestrial TV has happened in West Cumbria in the town of Whitehaven, and more Communications regions are now following… Pathfinders to the digital future

The digital revolution is more and more a part of The BBC is working to ensure that everyone is our everyday lives and it’s a crucial part of the able to make the transition through the Digital BBC’s 21st century mission to help all licence Switchover Help Scheme. DSHS Ltd is the payers understand its benefits in relation to independent company set up by the BBC to television, radio and the internet. deliver the scheme as agreed with the Government. An estimated seven million people Centre stage over the next four years is the are eligible for help, because they are aged 75 move from analogue to digital television. The years or over,registered blind or partially sighted, changeover began with 28,000 homes in the or can claim one of certain disability allowances. Whitehaven and Copeland area of Cumbria in autumn 2007 and now rolls out, region-by-region, Every eligible person will be contacted directly in starting with the Borders (2008/09) and the advance of switchover in their region. The South West (2009) and completing in 2012. scheme provides equipment, help with installation and follow-up support, either for a The technical task involved is perhaps the largest subsidised fee of £40 or free to those on income- broadcast engineering project ever undertaken in related benefits. So far, the scheme has helped the UK, involving the replacement of 1,100 TV around 2,800 people in Whitehaven, Cumbria – transmitters. This work can only be carried out approximately 10% of the population in the first in good weather – so planning ahead can pose area to experience fully digital terrestrial TV. problems on these unpredictable isles! Leading charities have also pledged their support, Providing every household with accurate recognising that many other people, such as information well in advance of switchover is a key pensioners under 75, may still need extra priority. A comprehensive £200m seven year assistance. Age Concern, for instance, worked communications programme, funded by the BBC, with Digital UK to recruit volunteers to offer is being run through the BBC’s partnership with advice at digital “drop in” centres in the Digital UK, the government body charged with Whitehaven area. overall responsibility for managing switchover. Working with all these partners, the BBC is This includes explanatory letters sent to every helping to provide every UK household with the household in affected areas, public meetings and benefits that will flow from a digital terrestrial advertising campaigns. In Whitehaven, Digital UK network. also staged a switchover roadshow and ran a Communications “countdown clock”, prominently situated in For more information please go to Whitehaven harbour. bbc.co.uk/digital/tv/switchover Age Concern worked with Digital UK to recruit volunteers to offer advice at digital ‘drop in’ centres in the Whitehaven area. Find out more This booklet can only give a flavour of the hundreds of BBC outreach projects that are going on around the UK.

For more examples and information on how you can get involved with BBC projects, please go to: bbc.co.uk/outreach bbc.co.uk/england bbc.co.uk/northernireland/communities bbc.co.uk/scotland/learning bbc.co.uk/wales/partnerships Copyright of the BBC 2008. Printed on recycled content paper.