The Olympic Park and the Community
Find out how the Olympic Delivery Authority worked with the local community when they were building the Olympic Park.
ODA Construction Kit resources provided:
- Information about job opportunities at the Olympic Park.
- A leaflet outlining job opportunities.
- Visit the Making the Games website to discover more about people involved in the London 2012 Games.
- Video explaining how the Athletes’ Village provides homes after the Games. Beds for athletes, homes for Londoners.
- Olympic Park flythrough 2009 – good images of the site pre-construction and in the very early stages which includes footage of what was there before.
- Information about the many jobs created in the run up to the Games. .
- Information about people working on the Olympic Park.
Think about the impact of the Olympic Park site on the local community in terms of jobs, housing and recreation. To get an idea of what was there before, look at the film ‘Olympic Park flythrough 2009’. The ODA leaflet ‘Skills and employment’ gives a good overview about the many construction jobs created at the site.
You could also consider the other opportunities for local people as the Games approaches, for example in hospitality, security and so on. Split into groups to research one of the main areas: jobs, housing or recreation and then to report back on your findings.
Outcome
- Put yourself in the shoes of a representative from the ODA who has been asked to attend a meeting with local residents who are keen to know how having the Olympic Park ‘on their doorstep’ will affect their lives.
- Prepare a list of five questions which you think you are most likely to be asked by the residents. Write two or three bullet point answers next to each question.
Extension
Find out how gender equality was addressed in terms of job opportunities at the Olympic Park. What jobs were open to women and what support were they given to train and find work? The following link will help them Woman in Construction.
