Dozens of young people in two County Durham communities are set to develop new technical and personal skills thanks to an innovative North East education project.
STEAM Ahead CIC uses engaging, hands-on learning in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) activities to develop both the technical understanding and wider employability skills required by young people required for future success.
Founded by teacher Aaron Bourne, the not-for-profit organisation has worked with more than 15,000 young people right across the North East over the last five years.
And now, thanks to a £2,000 grant from the Banks Group’s Banks Community Fund, STEAM Ahead CIC will be delivering its latest series of workshops to young people in Spennymoor and Tudhoe.
The grant will pay for the purchase and maintenance of coding equipment and supporting digital resources, ensuring participants have hands-on access to high-quality technology that might not otherwise be available to them, as well as covering staff and venue hire costs.
Some of the sessions will take place at Spennymoor Football Club’s Brewery Field ground, while STEAM Ahead is currently speaking to other community venues about hosting others, so it can maximise its reach and involve as many young people as possible.
Activities range from designing, coding and testing drones and constructing wind turbines through to building bridges, 3D design and printing and building compressed air rocket cars.
Alongside its year-round sessions, STEAM Ahead also runs a range of STEAM summer activity camps, with undergraduate, graduates and teachers in relevant subjects helping to deliver each session.
And as well as enabling participants to develop new technical skills, they are also designed to promote their social and emotional well-being and help them develop the resilience and adaptability they will need as they get older.
Its primary target group is young people aged between six and 14 years old, but it has also delivered tailored sessions for children as young as three and adults of all ages.
Aaron Bourne says: “STEAM Ahead arose from the growing need to inspire and equip young people with the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to thrive in a rapidly changing world, with the STEAM subjects providing a practical basis through which we can do this.
“The response that we’ve had over the last few years has been fantastic, with both children and their parents and carers enjoying our different sessions and recognising the range of long-term benefits that they provide to participants.
“We’ve worked with schools around this area previously and know there’s a real appetite for the opportunities that STEAM Ahead provides across communities where access to both the technologies and the activities we offer isn’t always easy.
“Each session will be tailored to the needs and interests of our participants, and we’re hoping to deliver them in a range of local venues, so that we can involve as many different communities as we can.
“The funding we’ve had from Banks gives us a solid base from which we can plan our work in Spennymoor and Tudhoe, and we’re excited about what our expert team can help local young people to achieve in the coming months.”
Banks Property is the business behind a new residential development in Tudhoe, which will see around 350 new homes being built on a 15-hectare site off York Hill Road, including a 15 per cent allocation of affordable housing.
Kate Culverhouse, community relations manager at the Banks Group, adds: “This is a brilliant initiative that will deliver so many short and long-term benefits to young people in Tudhoe and Spennymoor, and will help them develop the skills and qualities they will need in their future lives.”
For further information on STEAM Ahead CIC’s Spennymoor and Tudhoe activity sessions, please call 07792 781774 or email aaron@steamaheadeducation.co.uk
The Banks Group’s community funds are independently managed by Point North (formerly the County Durham Community Foundation).