Digital Trailblazers is a tool developed by the UWE Inspire Sustainability team. The team also provide hands-on sustainable engineering outreach sessions for all Key Stages 2 and 3 classes, challenging stereotypes and dispelling common myths about STEM. The lessons include designing our future in Minecraft, top trumps card games featuring diverse real-life role models, and action plans to inspire children to make a difference in their local area. They add value to your lessons by enabling students to relate the required curriculum knowledge to real-world careers and problem-solving for sustainable development.
Encouraging diversity and inclusivity, the UWE Inspire Sustainability team engages children in primary and secondary education across the West of England, with a focus on disadvantaged areas. Using curriculum-linked engineering outreach and careers support developed during the DETI project, we are connecting children with real-life, diverse engineering role models to widen participation and aspirations for STEM careers. The workshops are designed to engage pupils with engineering in the West of England, challenging stereotypes and dispelling common myths about STEM.
All our workshops are run by trained outreach coordinators and feature real-life STEM Ambassadors and students. We can deliver in your school in the West of England or you can visit our purpose-built classroom at UWE Bristol's School of Engineering.
Depending on availability, these workshops can be combined with a tour of the School of Engineering or Bristol Robotics Lab.
More details about each workshop can be found here: Resources (digitaltrailblazers.co.uk), or by emailing the team through engineeringourfuture@uwe.ac.uk
Inspire Sustainability builds on the success of previous projects, many founded and launched by UWE Bristol, including:
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DETI, a strategic programme of the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), delivered by the National Composites Centre, in partnership with the Centre for Modelling & Simulation, Digital Catapult, the University of the West of England, the University of Bristol, and the University of Bath. The project was funded £5m from WECA, with co-investment from the High Value Manufacturing Catapult and industry.
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Curiosity Connections, a network for people and organisations wishing to promote, support, and deliver inspirational STEM education in primary schools across the West of England.
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Diversity Demonstrator, a network of diverse engineering career role models from the West of England, supported by Inspire to interact with outreach events throughout the West of England.
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Women Like Me, a peer mentoring and outreach project, aimed at boosting female representation in engineering.
If you would like to add a new location to Digital Trailblazers, or if you have any questions about the project, please contact us at engineeringourfuture@uwe.ac.uk