Young people are expressing their views on the Olympic values of friendship, excellence, respect, equality, inspiration, determination and courage via a video booth on site at Weymouth College for a project called 1,000 Voices.

Every day a new thought is published on the website www.1000voices.org.uk and now a portable video booth is being developed by the College to reach out to young people across the county.

The College's unique Student Ambassadors programme was also launched last month with Grace Liang, a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Qingdao Municipal Government in China, making a special visit to the College.

Liang talked with students about the legacy of the Olympics and Paralympics in her hometown of Qingdao, China, which hosted the watersports events during Beijing 2008 – as Weymouth and Portland will do for London 2012.

The Student Ambassadors programme will culminate in six students being selected to make an all-expenses paid trip to Qingdao and Beijing in 2010, amongst other things, to report back on the legacy of the Olympics in China for young people.

The scheme is being led by Paul Lonsdale, Deputy Principal and Emma Cogan, Director of Adult and Community Learning at Weymouth College. Paul explained: "Young people should be at the heart of the Olympics. The Ambassadors programme is all about encouraging our students to expand their horizons and challenge themselves.

“We want our students to feel proud of Weymouth and Portland, as the focus of the world’s attention in the watersports events and to realise that everyone can share in the Olympic dream without having to be a world class athlete. We want the younger end of our communities to have more of a say in how 2012 will improve their lives through the investments being made now."

Media studies students from the college are tasked with motivating other students to join the programme, using videos created in the department.

All students interested in becoming an ambassador will attend a selection evening in the New
Year when they will need to impress the judges with their commitment and communications skills. During the week’s visit to Qingdao and Beijing, students will have a packed itinerary and meet people who played a key part in organising the 2008 Games as well as students who became volunteers during the Games. They will send home a daily blog and make video diaries of their experiences.