Acting now for a better future
Empowering young people to progress in STEM broadens skills, boosts attainment, improves career prospects and strengthens the economy.
In our experience, STEM enrichment activities are often self-selective, and unintentionally exclude young people. Cost, access, confidence, representation, and bias remain barriers to entry for certain cohorts.
Our provision has the most potential for impact when it reaches underserved young people and empowers them to build a better future.
“These students come from areas where there are not a lot of opportunities, but this challenge gives them life experience. They get to do here things they’d only do at university and this experience they are having is also inspiring many of them to pursue further studies at a university.”
– Karl Mahon, Teacher, Chiswick School
Our approach
We will work smarter to reach and empower young people as a cornerstone of our strategy. We know there are no quick fixes or hacks and are committed to evolve how we address EDI with these guiding principles:
1 We acknowledge intersectionality
We’re not here to address a single aspect of this challenge. We recognise working with young people is nuanced, complex and requires a variety of approaches which ultimately drive collective outcomes.
2 We recognise inclusion is not created through exclusion
Creating homogenous groups of young people to achieve diversity quotas is counterintuitive. Diversity is strongest within communities, not people. We will not positively discriminate in pursuit of inclusion goals.
3 We will listen, learn and respond
We do not know best. We will support those who understand their communities and the challenges they face to address real issues at a local level.
4 We will serve our community FIRST
We will embed ourselves within our community, empowering all voices to be heard. We will remain honest and open so everyone can challenge and support us along the way.
We commit to
Publishing a clear, practical, flexible targeting framework defining who we want to serve and incentivising its adoption
Prioritising support for underserved young people by removing barriers to participation and improving funding
Driving tangible outcomes, not outputs, guided by our Theory of Change
Monitoring, reporting on, and learning from insights while holding ourselves to account
Reaching those who will benefit most
We want to support organisations to ensure our provision reaches those they identify as benefiting from it most – particularly young people from disadvantaged and under-represented backgrounds.
Together, let’s build more than robots
Help us make STEM more equitable, diverse and inclusive.
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