Competing for the People’s Millions

My inbox has been deluged with information about the PEOPLE’S MILLIONS project this week. It’s the TV show that distributes Big Lottery funding to community projects. Each night during this year’s voting period, two shortlisted projects will be featured on the local ITV regional news (in our case Granada Reports) between 6-6:30pm, then they’ll face a telephone vote to determine which of them receives that day’s funding.

Tomorrow, Manchester’s own Longford Park will be up against Windmill Hill Primary School in Runcorn, two garden-creation projects battling for support.

The project’s website http://www.peoplesmillions.org.uk/regions/granada/ allows you to view the @peoplesmillions Twitter feed, and you can register your details to support and endorse your chosen project, but that’s NOT the same as voting for it, which has to be done by phone during the voting period.

Is this as good a way as any to distribute funding – does it give people more say? And does it depend more on the ability of the individual projects to market themselves and mobilise support for their bid? After all, nobody wants to suffer the same fate as Jedward did on Sunday, now do they?

Looking for Women Like You

So I’m resurrecting the MyManchester editor’s blog. Jess, the former editor has moved on to pastures new (Vancouver, to be precise), so I’ve taken over – I’m Kate, and you can catch me on kate@peoplesvoicemedia.co.uk

The plan is to use this blog to highlight great stuff going on in the world of social media, especially in Manchester and the Northwest, and to shout about the Community Reporters’ programme and other goings on here.

First up, I’ve just found out about a brilliant social media-based project that the Pankhurst Centre and Manchester Art Gallery are putting together. Women Like You. The aim is to produce the first public art to celebrate women in Manchester. It’s simple – all you have to do is visit the Facebook group and upload a photo of a woman (or women, I guess) that has inspired you. It could be your Grandma, the Queen, or Lady Gaga.

You’ve got until 30th November 2009 to get your pictures in – if you don’t want to upload via Facebook you can also drop them off in special collecting boxes at the Pankhurst Centre, 60-62 Nelson Street, Manchester M13, or at Manchester Art Gallery or Manchester Central Library between 1st November and 1st December (be aware that pictures can’t be returned, though).

Once all the images are in, artist Charlotte Newson will use them to create a huge portrait of Emmeline Pankhurst, leader of the suffragettes. The portrait will appear on the billboards across the city, and at Manchester Art Gallery to celebrate International Women’s Day, then from 6th March – 9th May 2010.

I’m off to find a really good pic of my Grandma to contribute – quite fancy seeing her face on a billboard…..even if it is part of someone else’s face in the end……

Kate

A celebration of creativity

This is a film of a brilliantly funny and very convincing talk given by Sir Ken Robinson, making the case for an education that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity. Makes you think, and, hopefully, makes you want to create!

http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/66