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Say Hello to the 2011 National Year of Communication
Hello is the national year of communication – a campaign to increase the understanding of how important it is for children and young people to develop good communication skills.
The campaign is run by The Communication Trust, a coalition of over 35 leading voluntary sector organisations, (including The Makaton Charity), in partnership with Jean Gross, the Government's Communication Champion.
Hello aims to make communication for all children and young people a priority in homes and schools across the UK so that they can live life to the full. The campaign is backed by the Department for Education and supported by BT.
In the UK today, over 1 million children and young people have some form of speech, language and communication need. This can affect them severely for life. In areas of poverty, over 50% of children start school with delayed language skills. This puts them at a huge disadvantage to their peers as they struggle to learn and make friends.
All Together Now toolkit
The All Together Now toolkit gives advice and guidance to help you get involved in the Hello campaign. It includes information on how you can plan local activities for 2011 and how you can help achieve the campaign's goals.
All Together Now toolkit (pdf file, 3.04Mb)
Any plans?
If you are planning an activity for the National Year of Communication then we would love to hear from you. If you would like us to share your news with others, then please post a message on our forum or contact us on hello@makaton.org or 01276 606 760.
Further information
There are monthly themes to help give a real focus to each month of the national year. Over the course of 2011, these themes will take you on a journey through communication and will be supported by events, resources and information.
Please visit www.hello.org.uk for information on how you can help improve the communication skills of children and young people and to sign up for the regular updates.
