Current Activities
This month's newsletter
Please click here to view December's newsletter.
Please click here to view the previous newsletters.
Celebrate Good Times - New toolkit
This month sees the launch of a new downloadable toolkit Celebrate Good Times with information and activities that will help you celebrate communication milestones big and small.
The toolkit includes information on:
Celebrating Special Moments – ideas on how to celebrate special moments in your child’s life, plus questions to help celebratory conversations flow
Celebrate Festivities – help your children learn signs linked to Christmas and see if you can learn them too
Celebrating Success – ideas on how to hold a mini-awards ceremony at home, in nursery or school settings, plus certificate templates to amend
Celebrating Diversity – a ‘Show and Tell’ activity to celebrate different cultures and languages
Celebrate Good Times also includes background information and advice on supporting children with English as an Additional Language along with a signposting section with helpful links.
A number of partners have kindly inputted their ideas and local activities into this toolkit including Leicestershire County Council, The Makaton Charity, London SIG Bilingualism, Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust and Speech and Language Therapy Service and Plymouth City Council.
To download a copy of Celebrate Good Times, click here.
We've come a long way....
It's only been a year since The Communication Trust launched its Hello campaign to coincide with the 2011 national year of communication, but what a lot of things have happened.
Each month has had a different theme, looking at all the aspects of speech, language and communication, from recruiting 102 community leaders in January, to the record-breaking Chatterbox Challenge in February and Talk to your Baby in March.
Now, for the first time, the whole Hello journey has been collected into one document, to allow us to showcase the great work people have done across the country. It features a month-by-month account of the Hello themes and includes information about the Shine a Light Awards and resources available.
We may have come a long way, but we still feel there is more we - and you - can do. Please continue to send us your stories about events you've hosted, how you've used resources and coverage in your local media. Tell us what your experiences have been of the Hello campaign and how you feel it has improved life for the children around you.
Please click here to view the Hello journey so far.
October - It's Not Just Words
The theme for October focused on children who have little or no speech. For them communicating can be very difficult and they use a range of different ways including facial expressions, signing or computer aides to get their message across. The Hello theme for October is timed to coincide with International Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) month.
To highlight the needs of these children and to celebrate what has happened so far during the National Year of Communication on Wednesday 19th October, we held an event at the House of Commons.
The event – sponsored by Annette Brooke MP - saw speeches by Sarah Teather, Minister for Children and Families, Anita Kerwin-Nye, Director of The Communication Trust, Jean Gross, Communication Champion, and Gillian Gaskell, a Speech and Language Therapist at Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust, who is a one of our Hello Local Co-ordinators. The highlight of the event was a speech from 18-year-old Ben Morfey. Ben has quadriplegic cerebral palsy and cannot speak, but uses an electronic communication device, which he operates by pressing a switch with his cheek.
John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons, whose review in 2008 recommended the year of communication, also dropped in to meet delegates and spent some time chatting to Ben.
To read more about the event please click here.
Get your 'talk' fitness tested now with Talk Gym
July's Hello theme is 'Skills for Work, Skills for Life' aimed at young people. This month's milestone is the launch of Talk Gym, a new resource from BT, to help young people aged 14-19 to develop their communication skills. Talk Gym is available at www.bt.com/talkgym and is also beneficial for parents and teachers.
The free resource can help build verbal communication skills, so young people can express themselves more effectively. Talk Gym includes a innovative Facebook application to help young people check their 'talk fitness available at http://apps.facebook.com/talkgym
The app assess an individual's communication ability and then highlights why communication skills are so important and gives tips on being clear, listening, talking in groups and being interviewed. It has been developed as part of BT's sponsorship of the Hello campaign and is backed by Communication Champion, Jean Gross.
To read the full press release please click here.
You can download Teachers Notes and Talk Gym tutorial here.
Hello has also developed a quick advice guide on using Talk Gym in the classroom here.
Shine a Light Awards
The Shine a Light awards have now closed for new applications. More information will be available shortly.
'One in a Million'
To help highlight the challenges experienced by children with speech, language and communication needs, the Hello campaign has launched a new short film, please click here to view. The theme for June is 'Imagine life for those who struggle' and the film will help you do this.
Produced with support from Pearson Assessment, the film is narrated by Ben Macleod, a 21 year old actor who developed severe communication needs at a young age.
'One in a Million' explains how learning to communicate is one of the most important things a child will ever do and how children can struggle immensely unless they are supported by adults to develop strong talking and listening skills.
The film highlights that as many as one million children and young people have hidden long term and persistent speech, language and communication needs. It also makes clear what both parents and professionals, such as teachers and health workers, can do to help children by taking part in the Hello campaign.
The film was produced by Tentacle Media.