SOUTH NORFOLK MP Richard Bacon is calling on secondary schools in his constituency to take part in G-Week from 2 to 8 July, organised by Giving Nation. G-Week is a UK-wide project encouraging young people to get involved in giving, whether through supporting charities, campaigns or volunteering.

This will give pupils an opportunity to celebrate the charity and community activities they have been doing throughout the year. It will also offer them the chance to gain recognition for their achievements in the online regional Giving Nation Awards.

This is the third year of independent youth initiative Giving Nation's campaign to involve 11 to 16-year-olds in charity and the community.

Mr Bacon said: “The huge effort that many secondary school pupils put into supporting various charities should be recognised. Taking part in Giving Nation's G-Week will give the pupils an opportunity to show what they can do”.

Giving Nation has set two challenges for pupils during G-Week 2005. The first one is to take up the 'We Are What We Do' challenge which shows how individual actions can change the world when adopted en masse.

The second challenge is to create a piece of artwork on the theme of global warming to bring attention to the threat of rising sea-levels to the islands devastated by the tsunami. Giving Nation will then send a petition in art to the G8 leaders when they meet in Scotland during the same week as G-Week. The 2005 Giving Nation Awards have been launched in a new online format, enabling pupils to create their own school charity pages that

The G8 leaders will receive a petition in art from Giving Nation