Press release -
P-P-P-Pick up a pen(guin)
The countdown is on for young people across Scotland to make their mark on an exciting new tourist trail in Dundee.
On World Penguin Day (25 April), VisitScotland is calling for artists aged 8-26 years to help design a ‘Scottish Penguin’ which will join the lineup of the Maggie’s Penguin Parade, an exciting new public art trail launching this summer in the city.
A total of 100 individually designed sculptures are set to bring together businesses, schools, community groups and creative artists.
The initiative follows the huge success of the Oor Wullie Bucket Trail in 2016, which not only helped raise money for charity but was also credited with boosting local tourism.
Maggie’s Penguin Parade is a partnership event between Maggie’s Dundee and Wild in Art. The Trail will run from 29 June culminating in a grand event in Slessor Gardens on 22 and 23 September before a spectacular auction on 24 September 2018.
As part of the Year of Young People 2018, the national tourism organisation has handed over creative control of its penguin sculpture to the young people of Scotland, inviting them to submit a design by Sunday 29 April, which portrays what Scotland means to them.
The final creation will stand outside the VisitScotland iCentre in Dundee as part of the completed trail.
Caroline Warburton, VisitScotland Regional Leadership Director said: “2018 is all about putting Scotland’s young people in the spotlight, celebrating their talents, contributions and creating new opportunities for them to shine. So we wanted to give one lucky person, aged 8-26years, the unique chance to leave a lasting mark on an exciting and worthwhile project which will be visited by hundreds of people across the world.
“Maggie’s Penguin Parade comes ahead of what promises to be one of the biggest years in Dundee’s history with the arrival of V&A Dundee. We’re calling out to young people, the length and breadth of the country, show us what Scotland means to you and help design our VisitScotland Penguin.”
Annie Long, Maggie’s Fundraising Manager, said: “Maggie’s is delighted that in the Year of Young People VisitScotland has chosen to hold a competition to find a winning design. It’s great to have VisitScotland as an official sponsor of Maggie’s Penguin Parade and their support has been invaluable!”
If you are between 8-26 years of age and want to take part please visit:
Entries must be submitted by Sunday 29 April.
ENDS
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- maggies centre
- dundee
- corporate communications
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
- This will be supported by five overarching strategies: Marketing, Events, Quality and Sustainability, Inclusive Tourism, International Engagement.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- Spending by tourists in Scotland generates around £12 billion of economic activity in the wider Scottish supply chain and contributes around £6 billion to Scottish GDP (in basic prices). This represents about 5% of total Scottish GDP
- For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business tourism in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
2018 Year of Young People
- The Year of Young People 2018 will be the next of the Scottish Government’s series of themed years, following the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology 2017.
- The Year of Young People (YoYP 2018) will inspire Scotland through its young people aged 8 to 26, celebrating their achievements, valuing their contributions to communities and creating new opportunities for them to shine locally, nationally and globally
- Central to YoYP 2018 will be a celebratory events programme that puts young people at the heart of its development and delivery, creating new and valuable experiences for young Scots and the wider public, with links to the inaugural 2018 European Championships.
- Over 200 young people throughout Scotland are currently being recruited to become YoYP 2018 Ambassadors. Ambassadors will ensure that people and organisations in their communities know about what’s happening and will lead on projects and activities to create events and opportunities to celebrate young people.
- The Year of Young People will have six themes which were developed in co-production with young people themselves:
- oParticipation – looking at how young people can influence public services and decisions which affect their lives
- oEducation – creating a stronger role for young people in shaping their learning
- oHealth and Wellbeing – supporting young people to lead healthier, active lives and have opportunities to learn about and improve their mental health and resilience
- oEquality and Discrimination – broadcasting the value of young Scots, challenging negative perceptions of young people, and supporting young people to take leading roles in challenging discrimination in all its forms.
- oEnterprise and regeneration – celebrating young people’s role in innovation, entrepreneurship and the Scottish economy as well as making Scotland a greener and more pleasant place to live
- oCulture – celebrating young people’s talent and contribution to Scottish culture and arts.
- Further information on what’s happening and how people can get involved can be found on the new website www.yoyp2018.scot or @YOYP2018 on Twitter.
