RSSeNEWS to be determined...

20.10.2010 is World Statistics Day and the launch of the getstats statistical literacy campaign. Put the date in your diary and join us in an international celebration of statistics and the start of our new campaign.

In June, I reported on the thinking behind the campaign and aspects of initial strategy. I can now share an update on the good progress we have made in planning the campaign and in preparing for the campaign preview at the Brighton conference and for the launch itself.

As you will have seen, the getstats campaign preview site at getstats.org.uk is being populated with new material and there will be a regular and increasing flow of new content as we get nearer to 20.10.2010. Do keep visiting the site and encourage your contacts to do the same.

We have had extremely positive meetings with existing and new partners concerning our campaign plans. Meetings with important bodies such as the British Academy, the Foundation for Science and Technology and the Royal Society, have each resulted in agreement to run joint-events and a commitment to longer-term collaboration across the ten-years of the campaign. A recent roundtable with the developers of statistical visualisation and exploratory data tools aimed at wider audiences has identified lots of ways in which we can maximise the profile for these impressive new products.

The statistical literacy campaign preview programme at the conference (13-17 September) will include talks on statistical literacy themes, a campaign stand, a ‘think-tank’ style workshop which will look at our strategy for reaching wider audiences, also our first getstats employers’ roundtable.

On 20.10.2010, the campaign ‘brand’ and the new getstats portal will be revealed. Related activities such as the launch of new social media, competitions and networks will also take place. A read paper event, at which Chris Wild of the University of Auckland will shed light on new approaches to statistics teaching, will be the main feature of our afternoon’s World Statistics Day celebrations.

How can you get involved in these activities? The getstats campaign launch and World Statistics Day represent two opportunities for our entire RSS network to celebrate. We hope that your enthusiasm for creating a positive culture around statistics will lead you to actively support the campaign in a number of ways.

We want to make sure that the world hears important stories and reports from the international statistical community on World Statistics Day. We would like to receive your short case studies (400 words max) concerning international collaborative research undertaken by statisticians on important global issues. And to ensure that we continue to learn from overseas experience, we would like to invite RSS members based outside the UK to join a new network of international statistical literacy correspondents attached to the getstats campaign. Correspondents will be encouraged to feed in reports on statistical literacy levels and how they are being strengthened in other countries.

We would like to hear from members who, individually, or by teaming up with others, are already planning or who are otherwise interested in, putting an activity, event or other idea into the getstats campaign programme ‘pot’. These can range from talks to quizzes, online competitions, videos (we are encouraging members in the UK and overseas to develop one-minute videos in which they share with us, and the world, why statistics is so important to them and to us all). We would also like to develop a suite of fun, similarly short, comedy videos under a Stand-Up4Statisticians banner which we will profile on 20.10.2010. These are just some ideas – you will have many more.

If you are organising something for World Statistics Day and/or the getstats campaign, please do let us know. A Society network-wide programme will create a big splash on the day of the launch and across the following days, weeks and months.

To volunteer in any of the ways suggested above, visit the getstats website where you will see more ideas concerning how you can get involved and details of activities which are already planned under the getstats campaign banner.

Report by John Pullinger, chair of the campaign committee