Putting the United in United Kingdom?

The Olympic Torch has officially begun its journey around the United Kingdom in the build up for the 2012 London Games in July. Apparently the atmosphere in London is something close to electric as people begin their double celebrations for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee on June the Fourth, and in preparation for the Games. But what about the rest of the United Kingdom? Is there a buzz in the air for people in Scotland about the Olympics? Is the Torch Relay generating excitement here? Is it helping to keep the 'United' in United Kingdom? Well, operating as a #CitizenRelay reporter, I asked a couple of locals from the Falkirk area what they felt about the Torch Relay and the Olympics as a whole:

As you can tell from these responses, there is a feeling amongst people in Scotland that there isn't really much to do here for the Olympics, other than the Relay going past a few places, and that the London Olympics are very much just that, London's Olympics. And this opinion is entirely justified, if you don't feel that you are involved, and if you aren't much interested in sports, then why should you get excited about it? And these are some of the reasons why some people decide that they aren't interested in doing anything for the Relay themselves.

But I happen to have a slightly different view point to this, which can of course be disputed too. One of the biggest factors that has drawn me to this project is the idea of community, and getting the chance to chat to people in my local area about their views on the Olympics. I know it is understandable that if you haven't been actively engaging with the Relay as I have, then you might be tempted to think that there isn't really much for us to do here to celebrate the Olympics. But aside from the torch passing through every living room in every home in Scotland, the Relay couldn't really do much more than it is already doing, surely?

To me, the definition of community means a group of local people coming together in unison in support of a particular idea, argument or event. And that's exactly the way I feel about the Relay. Surely as a community coming together to share this historic event, we don't need official organisers to help us do this. We don't need someone to say "At 12:15 on the 13th of June such and such a street and such and such a street will have an Olympics party at such and such place." That's just insulting to us anyway. If the community want to feel a part of it then they can make themselves a part of it. If we don't feel like they are bothering about us then let's make them bother about us. If you are interested in celebrating the Olympics then why not have a street party? Or a BBQ? A dinner party? An Olympics themed quiz night with friends?

The thing we are all most excited about is the fact that this is something that will probably never happen again in our lifetimes. When will the Torch ever pass through my neighbourhood again? Chances are, never. So instead of feeling unincluded, let's make ourselves included. When your Grandkids say "What did you do when the Torch came past your street all those years ago?" do you want to say "Oh, nothing, there was nothing happening for us in Scotland". Or would you rather say "Well, actually, we had an Olympics party and we all got together and watched the torch coming past our street and had an Olympic themed day at work..." Even if you don't much like sport, the Olympics are about countries coming together bringing their best athletes to compete in a competition that celebrates our strengths, hard work and talents, not only in athletics but in many other areas too, such as architecture, art, tourism and schools. So if you want to feel a part of that then make your own celebrations!

However, from my own observations I will say that the community projects that are organised by officials are very geared towards the younger generation. And of course this is important because if it teaches kids about fitness and encourages them to get active then that can only be a good thing for a future healthier Scotland. Recently I acted as an official witness for Big Dance 2012, a series of organised events across the UK to celebrate the diversity of dance, in hundreds of different places such as schools, high streets and parks. This is all part of London2012 Festival, which is the culmination of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

http://www.bigdance2012.com/

The particular event I attended was at a local primary school where pupils from Primary 1 to 7 joined schools across the UK to participate in a danceathon using various Olympic themed dances, such as swimming, running and cycling, in order to beat the Guinness World Record for most dancers dancing at the one time! The pupils in the school I visited were extremely excited as their normal Physical Education classes had been taken over by learning these dance routines for the record for the past few weeks. And as if they weren't all hyper enough, as soon as it was announced that someone from the Falkirk Herald had come to take their photograph, they went absolutely beserk! And this was the moment that touched me the most, and made me forget about all the economic arguments about the Olympics and worrying about how involved Scotland feels. It made these kids' day to know that what they were doing was important enough to be in the Falkirk Herald! It made them feel special and significant and super excited! Somebody cared what they were doing enough to take their picture! And maybe there are things in the bigger picture to think about, but for that one minute this little community felt like someone cared about them, and to me, if the Relay makes even just one person from one little community feel special then it can't be such a bad thing to want to get involved!

I do agree though with much of what my interviewees said about the lasting impact of the games. Whilst it is encouraging that an ethos of fitness and healthy lifestyle is being generated by excitement surrounding the games, how long might this last? Will we indeed just think about the next Olympics as soon as this one is over? What will happen to the stadiums? Is it wrong to think about the end before it has even begun?