More than 350,000 minutes pledged at Million Minutes launch

PRESS RELEASE – for immediate release, 1 February 2011 378,000 minutes of silence were pledged by those attending the launch of a new Catholic charity that will support young people to take action in their communities and speak out on issues that concern them.

Million Minutes encourages young people and all who care about them to stay silent in solidarity with young people who are silenced by society and as a way to get sponsored to raise money for local projects both in the UK and overseas.

Speaking at the launch, which took place on 31 January 2011 (feast of St Don Bosco) at St Mary Moorfields in the City of London, Mrs Margaret Mizen, a Million Minutes Champion, said, “Young people aren’t bad, but many do lead tough lives. I’m thrilled to be part of a new Catholic initiative that will help.”

Pascal Uche, who greeted the Pope on the steps of Westminster Cathedral during the Papal Visit on behalf of the young people of England and Wales and is also a Million Minutes Champion, said, “My friends and I are going to stay silent – it’s a great witness to our faith and our faith in other young people”.

The launch attracted more than 130 people, including young people from residential centres and local youth groups, clergy, and many from the youth ministry and justice and peace communities from around the country.

Speaking at the launch, trustee Danny Curtin said, “This is an idea whose time has clearly come. It’s wonderful to be able to get people to do something countercultural and based in our Catholic tradition and at the same time raise money for a great cause.”

Delia Smith, Britain’s best selling cookery writer and Million Minutes Champion, sent the following message of encouragement: “I am supporting Million Minutes because it's important to stand alongside young people.  You have so much to offer the world at present.”

Million Minutes aims to get 695 people or groups to stay silent for 24 hours, which would equal more than a million minutes. Anyone can take part, and all details are on the new website, millionminutes.org

Notes to editors

  1. To arrange an interview with any of the Million Minutes champions or the team behind Million Minutes, please call Danny Curtin on 07957190516. Please note, Delia Smith is unable for interview due to diary commitments.
  2. Photos from the launch of Million Minutes are available, please contact stephend@millionminutes.org
  3. Fr Christopher Jamison OSB is the Director of the National Office of Vocations and was Abbot of Worth Abbey. His TV programmes include The Monastery and The Big Silence. His books include Finding Sanctuary and Finding Happiness.
  4. Margaret Mizen runs the Jimmy Mizen Foundation with her husband Barry. The Foundation is committed to working for peace among young people.
  5. The Youth champion is Paschal Uche, who welcomed Pope Benedict XVI on the steps of Westminster Cathedral during last year’s Papal Visit.
  6. Million Minutes is a company limited by guarantee (number 7442390) and a charity registered in England and Wales (number 1140079)

We launched!

Thanks to the more than 130 young people, Champions, clergy, church colleagues, parishioners, friends and assorted hangers on who came to the MM launch last night. What a brilliant event! Our Champions said some inspirational words and it was great to see so many people who care so much about young people. As part of the eventing we got people to pledge to stay silent. We were bowled over by the response: 378,720 minutes already! We're more than a third of the way to our million minutes target. So thanks to everyone who pledged - we'll be getting in touch with you all to make sure you heave everything you need to make a splash!

So it's game on for MM now - we have another 700,000 minutes to go, so don't forget to sign up or get someone else to! Thanks again to everyone for coming - we can do it!

1140079: our new lucky number

So, after a great deal of effort, this is it. It doesn’t look like much but it really is. It’s our brand new charity number, and we’re very pleased with it. In a very practical way, it means we can set up our online giving portal, we can print resources, and we can get letterheads and business cards. So far so boring. But it also means that our mission has been recognised as being expressly charitable: “We see a world in which young people make a difference, where they are the difference. Where they enable the transformation needed for everyone to live a life of dignity. Million Minutes campaigns with young people, raises money, and funds youth action and advocacy activities that give voice and support to young people to transform society, inspired by Catholic social teaching”

It might just seem like a hoop we had to jump through, but from where we’re standing, it’s one of the major hurdles we had to get over in order to make the Million Minutes magic happen. It opens the door to a great deal more work, but I reckon it’s a great start.

Growing up fast

Silence keeps inspiring us. We wrote off to register the charitable company this week, with Stephen Davies and Nicky Pisa who are joining us on the Board. Terribly grown up! And all you tech-heads out there, we bought some other domains (not the .com one, though - it's advertising games in America, apparently), so we'll be secure in our silent online home.

Last up in our little tour of recent activity, we've commissioned a very able young fellow to snaz the site up, we've asked two people to join us as Champions (both famous in their own ways), and got randomly festive at the thought of Christmas.

And we planned the launch - January 31th (the feast of St Don Bosco, the patron saint of young people). Put it in your diary. So it's all hands on deck, frankly.