STEM Education in London and Newcastle

STEM Education in London and Newcastle

Thousands of primary and secondary schoolchildren have the tools to lead a sustainable future following a three-day event for the next generation of leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). A total of 45 children from three Kingston-based schools were invited to our Cobham training ground for the Chelsea Foundation’s Digital Blue event.

Newcastle United Foundation

The inspirational STEMFest Net Zero education exhibition welcomed more than 3,000 young people to St. James’ Park as a flagship event for Newcastle United Foundation’s NU Futures programme.

Through five themed zones, more than 50 North East organisations leading the way in sustainability provided interactive opportunities for nine to 13-year-olds to learn more about climate adaptation, business and industry, buildings and construction, transport, and power and natural resources. The major education showcase highlights the region’s response to climate change and plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible with the next generation playing an integral role in protecting the planet for the future.

STEMFest Net Zero has been an important introduction for thousands of young people to connect with career opportunities in the future based here in the North East.

“As a Foundation, we are committed to providing life-changing opportunities for young people through programmes like NU Futures which is set to support 12,000 children, teenagers and young adults over the next decade to help connect them with their future careers. […] “Using fun and interactive tasks to engage young minds, STEM sector organisations from across the region have helped us create an inspiring environment, encouraging our young guests to look towards the future where STEM plays a huge part in the way our world moves forward.” […] “We would like to say a huge thank you to every single business which has shown their shared commitment to improving the lives of the next generation at STEMFest Net Zero and we look forward to hosting many more educational events together soon.”

Dawn Barber, Business Network Manager at Newcastle United Foundation

Chelsea Foundation

The Digital Blue programme centers on delivering STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) events for the local communities surrounding Cobham and Stamford Bridge. The event focused on various activities promoting the upcoming 2022 Women’s Euros using some of the club’s international stars. Activities ranged from fun football sessions to coding challenges within which the students were tasked with programming electric Sphero robots in order to play robot football. Schools education manager Sam Mardle, who was leading the event, explained the purpose of the relaunch of Digital Blue.

”We’ve run the Digital Blue programme through Premier League funding since 2017, although it was disrupted during Covid,’ says Sam. ‘We are treating this event as a relaunch, with the main theme focus on this year’s Women’s Euros. Not all the boys and girls here are interested in football, but the variety of activities available to them allows them to feel immersed and get behind what we are trying to do.”

Schools education manager Sam Mardle