Space to Learn launches with our fantastic training Symposium
- 29th Jun 2023
- Author: Grace Davis
Last week over 30 teachers came together to officially become Space Advocates: the outstanding people who will deliver our Space to Learn masterclasses, starting this September.
After weeks of preparation, recruitment and resource-gathering, it was truly incredible to see these awesome people in one room at the start of a journey which will transform the lives and learning of over 40,000 young people in the UK.
Our Space to Learn Symposium kicked off with a tour of Space Park Leicester, our hosts for the day. Being surrounded by this amazing atmosphere of scientific innovation and passion made it easy to see just how important space education is and really brought home the fact that Space to Learn is going to help broaden the career opportunities of our next generation.
The afternoon was packed to the brim with some great talks: highlights included Adam Ledger and Harriet Kennedy’s overview of the UK Space Agency, Nigel Bannister’s in-depth look at the JUICE mission and JET CEO Emma Egging’s exploration of all that the Jon Egging Trust stands for. After a quick dash through a sudden rainstorm, we made it to our coach and onward for our evening meal: a great chance to get to know our lovely Advocates a little better!
Friday saw us getting to grips with masterclass training at the Space Centre. The incredibly hard-working Sophie Allan and Peter Wesson led these sessions as our Advocates finally got their eyes and hands on some of the kit they’ll be working with. A particular source of excitement were the hydrogen and oxygen rockets which really took off with a bang (or rather, a whoosh) and the distribution of many glowsticks providing something of a rave-like aesthetic!
In the afternoon, we were lucky enough to be joined by some very special guests who delivered talks on such diverse topics as careers pathways, Earth observation, and UK Space Command! Our Advocates had worked very hard by this point but somehow still had the energy to gather for our gala dinner. This was held in the exhibition galleries and featured a visit from a very familiar face (thanks Anu!). We were wowed by a planetarium show, a stunning space cake, and of course the delicious food provided by the Space Centre’s catering team.
Our final day finished off our masterclass training (as the photo shows, our hula hoop gravity wells were a definite hit) and saw our Space Advocates finally getting their hands on their very own equipment boxes containing all the incredible pieces of kit that they’ll be using to deliver space masterclasses across the UK.
We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who participated in this event, it meant a lot to see Space to Learn coming to life before our eyes and we know that our Space Advocates are going out there to do some incredible things!