The national (English) Young Gifted & Talented website currently says “The Young Gifted & Talented website will be closing at the end of Friday 12 February 2010”. However on that very same day that gifted programme’s original home at the University of Warwick will announce a range of new opportunities for its global membership of gifted young people in its thriving International Gateway for Gifted Youth (IGGY).

The University of Warwick was host to the original “National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth” for five years. Warwick moved beyond a focus on England alone and is now home to IGGY - a network of the world’s brightest and most creative young people aged 11-19.

IGGY’s new announcements include:

• The fact that IGGY is to mount its first African based residential event for gifted school aged young people. There will be places for ninety young people at the Botswana IGGY-U drawn from IGGY’s global membership - 45 of those places will be reserved for young people from Botswana thanks to the support of Botswana’s governmen
  
• The formation of special “Junior Commission” of gifted young people to research and produce a report on a global environmental issue – more detail is available at: go.warwick.ac.uk/iggy
  
• A £2,500 short story prize created by IGGY in partnership with London based Litro Magazine . This new "Young Person's Short Story Award", funded by alumni from the University of Warwick, is open to gifted young people from around the world aged 11-19. In addition to a cash prize of £2,500 the winner will be published in the free short story and poetry magazine Litro Magazine and will see parts of their work displayed on a poster in a London Underground station. The winner and two runners-up will also have their story published on Litro Online (www.litro.co.uk) and on the IGGY website (www.warwick.ac.uk/go/iggy).
• A special competition for gifted young people to design maths puzzles. The winning puzzle will not only receive a signed copy of best selling science author Professor Ian Stewart’s book “Professor Stewart’s Hoard of Mathematical Treasures” but will also have their puzzle published next in Professor Stewarts’s next book in that series .

Director of IGGY, and Deputy Registrar of the University of Warwick, Ken Sloan said:

“Warwick and its partners have demonstrated the significant contribution they can make to augment the vital work of schools in inspiring and nurturing the next generation of academic, commercial and cultural leaders. The impact can be life-changing. Through IGGY we encourage other partners to join us in expanding a sustainable coalition of opportunities to ensure that the brightest young people, wherever they are, are engaged in solving some of the world’s most complex issues.”

Warwick Vice-Chancellor Professor Nigel Thrift said:

“I am delighted that IGGY is able to offer gifted young people a range of truly international experiences such as the new Botswana IGGY-U. Not only has IGGY run events and programmes in several different countries but those events have brought together a range of gifted young people of different nationalities to share their diverse national experiences.”

For further information please contact:

Peter Dunn, Head of Communications, University of Warwick
Tel: 024 76 523708 Mobile 07767 655860 p.j.dunn@warwick.ac.uk

PR12 PJD 12th February 2010