Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) has worked in partnership with four of its higher education providers to produce a brand new programme of online outreach activities for primary aged children in care that will be disseminated through local authorities. 

The programme is split into two subjects, Creative Arts and The Science of Humans. Student ambassadors, who are key to the success of the project, presented a mini workshop or activity on a particular topic of their choosing. Their creativity helped to shape the direction of the programme and what activities they presented, which resulted in some brilliant videos.

All the content is pre-recorded meaning adults can access the programme through GHWY’s website at any time that suits them, to work through the activities with their child. 

The Science of Humans programme explores different aspects of the human body, including our personality, how we see, cells that stop diseases, and organs. This was led by student ambassadors from the Universities of Huddersfield and Bradford who are studying a range of subjects within the sciences. Each student presents a mini workshop and activity on a topic they are passionate about. 

The Creative Arts programme takes children through a range of creative activities that use household objects and basic art materials to create their own masterpieces. Activities include making a play–doh model, T-shirt design drawings, sculptures made out of recycling and more. This project was led by students from Calderdale College and Leeds Arts University who came up with the activities based on their own studies and interests. 

As well as covering new topics and activities, the programme aims to get children thinking about their futures at a very basic level. In order to achieve this student ambassadors were asked to create a short video talking about what they enjoy doing within their subject and what they want to go on to do after finishing their studies. It is hoped this will encourage discussion between participants. Additionally, the videos showcase the student presenters as role models, hopefully creating a positive impression of higher education to the children watching, as well as their carers or guardians. 

The outreach activity is being primarily targeted at children in care to complete alongside an adult. However, it has been kept deliberately open throughout the presentation so it does not stigmatise the children participating and it can be made available for a wider audience if needed. 

The programme is now available to view by clicking here. To access the materials you will need to create a GHWY account and then you will be able to view the content at any time.

We are now working on another similar programme for young people aged 13-15 that will feature an independent project to work on. Keep visiting the website for more updates.