FAQs
Below is a selection of Frequently Asked Questions about the Better World Campaign. If you cannot find the answer to your query here, please use the Contact us form.
General FAQs
Q. What exactly is the BT Better World Campaign?
A. We are committed to three main objectives: to ensure young people most in need are heard and helped, to develop young people's communication skills and to help young people campaign to create real social change.
Q. Why is BT supporting ChildLine?
A. We have supported ChildLine since 1986 and want to help them so that as many vulnerable children as possible get through to talk to a counsellor.
Q. What about BT's other charities?
A. Other Better World Campaign charity partners include I CAN, the UK Youth Parliament and the Place2Be. BT also supports BBC Children in Need, Comic Relief, the Disasters Emergency Committee. BT supports other strategic charity partners and also has a programme of wider community activities.
Q. Why do you promote communication skills?
A. By promoting speaking and listening skills through the Better World Campaign, BT aims to give children and young people the best possible start in life.
Q. Are your resources really free?
A. Yes, the resources themselves are completely free of charge. However, please note that you will be asked to register to access and download online teaching resources, and to contribute to postage costs for resources you order.
Communication Skills Roadshow FAQs
Q. Do I need to do any preparation work prior to the in-school event?
A. If your application for the Roadshow is successful, you will be contacted to arrange a preliminary visit. During the preliminary visit, you will be provided with all the information you need, as well as a DVD which includes a classroom activity for you to complete with your pupils before the team visit your school.
Q. How can I arrange for a BT team to visit my school?
A. It is difficult to get to all schools that want a visit, so we give priority to schools nominated by BT Volunteers. However, you can register your interest by calling our helpline on 0870 333 0373.
Q. How much does the school Communication Skills Roadshow event cost?
A. The school event is completely free to your school. The event and accompanying resources are worth more than £2,000.
Q. Is there a maximum number of pupils who can take part in the in-school event?
A. For the 30-minute drama performance that the event begins with, there is no limit to the number of pupils who can take part as long as they can fit in the performance space available. For the classroom-based workshop activities that follow, there is a limit of 3 normal class-sized groups. If your application is successful, you may therefore need to decide which groups of pupils will take part in the workshop activities. Schools are encouraged to run their own follow-up activities with the pupils who are unable to take part in the actor-led workshops. Resources are available to help you with this.
Q. What does the Roadshow event consist of?
A. The Roadshow event begins with a 30-minute drama performance based on the importance of effective speaking and listening skills. This is followed by an hour of classroom-based workshop activities aimed at exploring the issues raised in the drama performance.
Q. What will I need to provide for the Communication Skills Roadshow?
A. Our team of actor facilitators will need a space to perform in of approximately 12ft by 12ft in primary schools, and 20ft by 20ft in secondary schools. A school hall would be ideal.. Following the performance, the team will need 2 or 3 classrooms in which to carry out the workshop activities. You will also need to be available for a preliminary visit, prior to the performance, during which one of our actor facilitators will finalise all the details with you. The team will bring along all the set and equipment they need
BT Volunteers FAQs
Q. Are BT Volunteers part of the Better World Campaign?
A. Yes, definitely. BT Volunteers can deliver a wide range of communication skills building activities and help young people get the most out of the Better World Campaign.
Q. Are there any financial awards available?
A. Not directly, but BT Volunteers can alert you to ways of accessing valuable resources.
Q. Are volunteers available to all schools?
A. Providing there are volunteers in the area, yes. All schools are eligible for a visit from BT Volunteers.
Q. Are volunteers trained?
A. Yes, all volunteers are trained to deliver activities in the classroom before they go into a school.
Q. Can we book a visit from the Communication Skills Roadshow?
A. All visits are booked well in advance.
Q. Can we have volunteers to come in on a regular basis?
A. This would depend on how many volunteers are available in the area, as each volunteer is only asked to donate a few hours each month. However, we would do our best to meet your needs.
Q. Do you have any free equipment you can offer?
A. All classroom DVD activities delivered by BT Volunteers will leave a free DVD and DVD player for your school. However, unfortunately we don't have any computer equipment to give away, although we may be able to advise on ICT and can help set up free websites for your school. All our volunteers have access to a DVD player, a data projector, digital cameras, digital video cameras and laptop.
Q. How can I register my interest in the scheme?
A. By calling the Better World Campaign and Community helpline on 0870 333 0373, or you can send an email to bt.betterword-resource@bt.com
Q. How much will it cost?
A. Nothing - everything is free of charge.
Q. We have had contact with BT SchoolFriends in the past, are the two related?
A. BT SchoolFriends has now been incorporated into BT Volunteers. We are no longer recruiting or training new SchoolFriends.
Q. What age range are these activities designed for?
A. We can offer a range of activities for both primary and secondary schools.
Q. What checking procedures do you have in place for your volunteers?
A. All our volunteers are checked by either the Criminal Records Bureau (England and Wales), Disclosure Scotland (Scotland) or the Police (Northern Ireland), and can provide a certificate to prove they have been checked.
Q. What exactly do BT volunteers do?
A. Typically, volunteers will come into the class and deliver a selection of activities to students for about 40 minutes. The teacher will always need to be present and is encouraged to get involved; there will be follow on materials for them to work with. Our activities promote and teach better communication skills for life through speaking and listening activities. They are designed to be fun and enjoyable for all. Volunteer visits are arranged beforehand. The content of the 'lesson' can be discussed with the teacher also.
Q. Will we have to buy any BT products?
A. No, our volunteers are not selling any products. All we are offering are our time and skills. We can obviously provide contact information for BT products if you wish.
Website FAQs
Q. Is this website accessible?
A. This website has been designed and built in accordance with the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative (W3C WAI) guidelines Priority 1. In most areas except for the interactive Free Resources it also fulfils Priority 2. It also includes many features that allow easier access for users with special requirements. Visit our Accessibility section for more details. To view the complete accessibility guidelines visit www.w3.org/WAI
Schools Awards FAQs
Q. Why won't my computer show the online games or video previews?
A. Please check your software to make sure that you have the latest version of Flash (which can be downloaded free from www.macromedia.com). This will ensure that you can get the most out of our online resources.