BT Launches Nationwide Hunt for Top Young Internet Teachers: Press Release. www.btinternetrangers.co.uk
BT today launched a nationwide hunt to find and reward young “Internet Rangers” who are teaching older generations the benefits of the internet, in the 2008 BT Internet Ranger of the Year Awards.
The 2008 winner will receive a laptop, £250 of vouchers towards IT equipment and a trip to the BT Tower in London to collect their prize on September 29. Five runners up will also receive a laptop.
Entry to the awards is via the BT Internet Rangers website www.btinternetrangers.co.uk, and can take the form of a short written submission or a video entry. Young people aged 16 or under, can enter themselves or can be nominated by an adult. The deadline for entries is 18 August 2008.
The awards, now in their fourth year, celebrate stories of outstanding young people. Last year’s awards received hundreds of entries, which demonstrated the inspirational work being carried out by young people all around the country. The 2007 winner was 14 year old Joseph Devries, from South Wales who won the award for setting up and running weekly Silver Surfer sessions for members of his local community.
Not having the skills to access the internet means that many people are missing out on important information, access to cheaper goods and services, employment opportunities and ultimately social inclusion. The government, industry and the third sector are working on ways to close the digital divide and Internet Rangers is part of BT’s commitment to promoting digital inclusion for all.
Mike Hughes, head of BT’s digital inclusion campaign, said: “Young people receive a lot of criticism in the media, but this campaign gives credit where credit is due, highlighting the good work being done by BT Internet Rangers around the country. This type of intergenerational learning is a simple and obvious solution to promoting digital inclusion for all.”
Issue on behalf of BT by Trimedia
For further information please contact Emmanuel Xirogiannis at Trimedia on 020 7025 7513 or email emmanuel.xirogiannis@trimedia.com
For more information about BT’s corporate responsibility programme visit www.bt.com/betterworld
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