Category: Outreach

Eastville Old Library and the MAKERS Project: Cultivating Community through Food Growing and Sewing Workshops

Author katcorbett | Posted on

Over the past year, the MAKERS Project, which was funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Diversity Impact Programme, has partnered with the Eastville Old Library to deliver workshops focused on food growing, sewing, and textile repair.

About the Old Library

The Old Library, a volunteer-run community hub, is situated in the heart of the South Lockleaze & Purdown neighborhood. It offers a variety of activities, events, a café, a kids’ space, a lounge, a book swap, a community garden, and a repair café. Established by the South Lockleaze & Purdown Neighbourhood Group C.I.C. after the closure of their local library in 2016 due to budget cuts, the Old Library aims to foster a more social, safe, and strong community in North Bristol. As South Lockleaze is one of the most deprived areas in Bristol, community spaces like the Old Library are essential for residents.

University Collaboration

UWE Bristol and its School of Engineering have longstanding ties with the Old Library. They have previously supported the establishment of a weekly STEM Club and a monthly repair café, and there is also a monthly Climate Book Club, run by Sarah Robertson from the English Literature Department.

Food Growing Workshops

To make food growing accessible to people from all backgrounds, the Old Library, leveraging its proximity to local allotments, partnered with Sara Venn from Edible Bristol. This initiative aimed to address food insecurity and promote sustainable growing methods in the area. Two workshops were held for participants involved in local community growing projects, including Really Wild Lockleaze, Hillfields Community Garden, St Werburgh’s City Farm Allotments, Eastville Welcome Space, and Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust. These sessions facilitated skill-sharing and connections with other Bristol groups.

The workshops covered soil and regenerative gardening, as well as seeds and seed saving. Participants learned about growing methods that work with nature, support biodiversity, and produce healthy food at minimal cost, making these practices accessible to people from lower-income backgrounds.

Sewing and Upcycling Workshops

Recognising the fashion industry’s impact on climate change, the Old Library organised five sewing, mending, and upcycling classes in collaboration with sustainable fashion workshop and service provider, Re_Thrindle. Nineteen locals, including three UWE Bristol students involved in the MAKERS Project, signed up to learn sewing machine use and garment repair, with priority given to those on low incomes.

Due to high demand, these sessions are set to continue after the summer, with more collaborations in the pipeline.

MAKERS project brings engineering skills to young people in St Paul’s

Author katcorbett | Posted on

The MAKERS project actively supported local community groups in helping them to develop new skills around making and repair, promoting self-sufficiency and empowerment of individuals and communities, and highlighting engineering as a career choice. As part of this, MAKERS collaborated with three remarkable community organisations in St Paul’s:

  • Bridging Histories: A project co-led with Bristol University, focused on uniting divided communities.
  • Each One Teach One: A violence prevention organisation dedicated to fostering peace.
  • Fancy Finance: An organisation assisting local residents in managing the pressures of the cost-of-living crisis.

The Workshops

The community partners and the MAKERS team co-designed a series of seven workshops running from April to June 2024. These sessions aimed to introduce participants to new engineering skills and inspire future aspirations:

  1. Introduction to Basic Electronics (including soldering, see image above, taken by George Francis)
  2. Scooter and (Electric) Bike Mechanics and Maintenance
  3. An Introduction to Python Coding
  4. Computer Aided Design (Tinkercad)
  5. Routes into Higher Education and Engineering
  6. Tour of UWE Bristol’s Engineering Building (Featuring Virtual Reality Rooms, Simulators, and a wind turbine building activity.)
  7. Trip to Pytch Bristol (A sustainably run event production company.)
Pytch Bristol – photo by Dayton Powell
Inside Pytch Air – photo by Dayton Powell
Digital Gallery – photo by Dayton Powell
Exploring digital engineering using Minecraft – photo by Dayton Powell

Impact and Participation

Each session was attended by up to 15 young people, supported by community experts and current/former UWE students and staff. Many participants faced significant barriers to higher education, so MAKERS focused on creating an inclusive and welcoming environment at the university, a place many had never visited before.

Learning and Future Collaborations

The project offered invaluable insights for both the university and community organisations. This experience has laid the groundwork for future collaborations, and the MAKERS team is excited about establishing a long-term partnership to continue supporting and empowering the community.

The MAKERS project was funded through the Diversity Impact Programme from the Royal Academy of Engineering, aiming to improve belonging for diverse engineers. The evaluation findings will be reported soon.

UWE Bristol Secures Funding from the Office for Students to Expand Diversity and Inclusion in Degree Apprenticeships

Author engineering | Posted on

UWE Bristol is excited to share our success in securing Wave 2 apprenticeship funding from the Office for Students (OfS). This funding allows us to build upon the work of our Wave 1 activities around Degree Apprenticeships and our Women Like Me mentoring programme, addressing diversity and inclusion gaps in the workplace across key sectors such as engineering, digital, architecture and the built environment. The Mentoring and Outreach programme is led by Associate Professor Laura Fogg-Rogers from the School of Engineering and coordinated by Sarah Behenna from the Science Communication Unit. Links with industry will be led by Dr Samantha Organ from the School of Architecture and the Built Environment, along with Inclusive HR practices by Dr Amina Hamoud from the School of Engineering and Professor Sue Durbin from the School of Business and Law. The project will be evaluated by the whole team alongside Senior Research Fellow Dr Laura Hobbs.

An added dimension to this phase of the project is expanding to work in partnership with:

  • WISE Campaign (Women into Science and Engineering), whose initiatives focus on encouraging women and girls to pursue careers in STEM through various programs, mentorship opportunities, and advocacy efforts. Partnering with WISE allows us to tap into their expertise and resources to further enhance our efforts in promoting diversity and inclusion, particularly in engineering and digital sectors.
  • Association for Black & Minority Ethnic Engineers, whose initiatives include networking events, mentorship programs, and advocacy for equal opportunities within the engineering profession. Collaborating with this association enables us to address diversity gaps and provide support tailored to BME individuals pursuing careers in engineering and related fields.
  • Babbasa is a social enterprise focused on empowering young people from diverse backgrounds to pursue fulfilling careers and make positive contributions to society. Their programs include mentoring, skills development workshops, and networking opportunities aimed at bridging the gap between education and employment for underrepresented groups. Partnering with Babbasa allows us to reach a wider audience of young people and provide them with the guidance and support needed to access apprenticeship opportunities and thrive in their chosen fields.
  • STEM Ambassadors are volunteers from a wide range of STEM backgrounds who engage with young people to inspire and encourage them to pursue careers in STEM subjects. They participate in activities such as school visits, workshops, and career fairs to showcase the opportunities available in STEM fields and provide guidance and inspiration to students. By collaborating with STEM Ambassadors, we can leverage their expertise and passion for STEM to inspire the next generation of apprentices and ensure a diverse and inclusive pipeline of talent into our apprenticeship programs.
  • STEMazing is a community organization dedicated to promoting STEM education and careers, particularly among underrepresented groups such as women and minorities. Their initiatives include outreach events, educational resources, and mentorship programs aimed at breaking down barriers and empowering individuals to pursue STEM pathways. Partnering with STEMazing allows us to access their network and resources to support our efforts in promoting diversity and inclusion within our apprenticeship programs and beyond.

By partnering with these organizations, we can leverage their expertise, resources, and networks to enhance our apprenticeship programs and foster diversity and inclusion in engineering, construction, digital, and other key sectors.

The OfS’s £12 million investment across 51 English universities and colleges underscores the significance of expanding apprenticeship offerings. David Barrett, UWE Bristol’s Director of Apprenticeships, conveyed his excitement about this opportunity, emphasizing our commitment to advancing diversity within Engineering, Construction, and Digital professions. He noted the transformative impact of apprenticeships in addressing skills shortages and promoting equality of opportunity:

“This second wave of Apprenticeship funding from the Office for Students is a fantastic opportunity for UWE Bristol to work with partners across the region to deepen and widen our work on increasing diversity in our Degree Apprenticeships across Engineering, Construction and Digital professions. Apprenticeships are a direct route into highly skilled professions and so there is huge positive impact, both for equality of opportunity, and in meeting the growing demand for skills from employers, in ensuring that we recruit talent that reflects the diversity of the population. We look forward to working with our Partner FE Colleges, partner organisations and employers on this exciting opportunity”.

The OfS funding will be invested in the following UWE Bristol degree apprenticeship programmes:

Additionally, we will collaborate with regional apprenticeship providers such as Weston College, Bridgwater & Taunton College, Gloucestershire College and the City of Bristol College to further this initiative.

To find out more, please contact Dr Laura Fogg-Rogers, Associate Professor for Engineering in Society, at Laura.Foggrogers@uwe.ac.uk

Invitation to be wowed by local budding engineers

Author louisacockbill | Posted on

The Leaders Award competition challenges children of all ages – Reception to Year 12 – to invent solutions to problems they see in the world.

UWE Bristol is the Leaders Award’s partner for South West England. And we’re looking forward to celebrating those local inventions at an exhibition in UWE Engineering – South West Regional Awards Ceremony on Friday 5th July.

Local Engineers are invited to attend the Awards Ceremony and view the exhibition of shortlisted designs.

Get TIckets for Awards Ceremony here

And the exhibition will stay up for UWE Engineering’s Family Fun day on Saturday 6th July. So if you want to bring your family, please grab some tickets.

Find out more & reserve your place

UWE Engineering go to Cheltenham Science Festival

Author louisacockbill | Posted on

UWE Engineering’s Inspire Sustainability team are out all this week at Cheltenham Science Festival. The festival has a jam-packed programme of events with scientists and thought-leaders, as well as loads of amazing science-y stalls – that’s where we come in!

The Inspire Sustainability stall has been joined by several engineering students as well as some ambassadors from iMechE, all eager to inspire the next generation of engineers. And the team are using some of the equipment from their specialised outreach workshops to give children visiting the fair a hands-on experience of engineering.

Specially designed Bristol worlds in Minecraft and robots galore – I think they look pretty engaged – don’t you?

UWE hosts local industry leaders to judge children’s inventions

Author louisacockbill | Posted on

The Leaders Award competition challenges children of all ages – Reception to Year 12 – to invent solutions to problems they see in the world.

Nationwide 71,000 pupils took part in this year’s competition. UWE Engineering is the Leaders Award’s partner for South West England and hosted a wonderful panel of volunteer Engineers to assess local children’s inventions on 23rd May.

The judging panel consisted of engineers from partners GKN Aerospace, Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), Thales, Boeing and supporters from Dyson and Airbus Aircraft and DXC Technology – see photo above. The panel had a great time selecting the winners!

Now UWE Bristol is looking forward to hosting the regional Awards Ceremony on Friday 5th July.

Local Engineers are invited to attend the Awards Ceremony and view the exhibition of shortlisted designs.

Get a ticket TO the awards ceremony

The exhibition will stay up for UWE Engineering’s Family Fun day on Saturday 6th July. It’s open to everyone!

Find out more & reserve your place

Inspire Sustainability team collaborating to bring engineering skills to the St Pauls community

Author joshuawarren | Posted on

The Inspire Sustainability team and the MAKERS project are pairing with the University of Bristol to support the delivery of several engineering skills workshops to the young community of St Pauls.

The series of weekly free workshops are aimed at young people from the community, and look to provide a chance to learn key engineering skills from local experts. The team behind the workshops hope to raise aspirations, and allow the young people a chance to learn from expert members from their own community, in a safe and secure environment.

The workshops are taking place in the Malcolm X Centre in St Pauls, and have been organised and supported by the staff at the Malcolm X, with input from members of the community itself. The UWE team and the University of Bristol team are aiding in the organisation and planning of the workshops, as well as providing facilitators and UWE staff to run some of the upcoming sessions and share their expertise.

This week, the first of the sessions took place. Several young people from the community were invited to have a go at some soldering and electronics, whilst opening up a broader conversation about their skills and what’s needed to succeed in an engineering career. UWE Bristol technician Will Hadrill led the session in which the young people were tasked with putting together and soldering an electronic buzzer-wire game. It proved a really enjoyable and valuable experience for the young people.

One of the young people, an A-Level engineering student in Filton Abbeywood hoping to learn more about career pathways, had never done soldering before and found the session really fun and enjoyable.

Future workshops are covering a wide range of topics including coding, computer-aided-design, and e-scooter maintenance.

To find out more about these sessions, contact the Inspire Sustainability team on engineeringourfuture@uwe.ac.uk

Inspire Sustainability team at Wiltshire STEAM2024 Festival

Author joshuawarren | Posted on

Last week saw a huge number of young students from local schools engage with fun and engaging ‘STEAM’ activities at an event hosted at Trowbridge townhall by Wiltshire Council. (https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/)

STEAM subjects (science, technology, engineering, arts, and maths) are an influence on every aspect of our daily lives, and the industries will continue to grow as we aim to move to a more sustainable future. For the young people whose future careers will be deep rooted in these skills and subjects, the Wiltshire STEAM event was an opportunity to come and experience some of the potential jobs, industries, and inspiring technology they could grow to be a part of.

UWE Bristol’s Inspire Sustainability team also attended the event, and held a stall showcasing the range of STEAM workshops and sessions that are available for the schools to book. These included the unique ‘The West in Minecraft’ worlds, which invited the young people to design and build solutions to problems in a virtual Bristol and Bath. Also, the ‘Engineering Curiosity’ top trumps cards that show real-life diverse engineers from the area. To find out more about these school workshops and what’s on offer, please visit digitaltrailblazers.net/resources or email engineeringourfuture@uwe.ac.uk

There was a whole host of amazing activities for the young people to be inspired by at the event, including a huge working robot used in film and TV that tracked their movements, driving simulators, and first aid training. There really was something for everyone!

Feedback from the young people showed that it was a really worth-while event and successful in inspiring them with the STEAM subjects.

“I liked being able to make the kazoo and bring it home”

“I loved finding out about new jobs and how everything worked”

“My jumping bean family will be with me forever!”

“I found it really interesting with all the stuff they had.  The robot was really cool”

“I think STEAM was really fun and cool and I learned a lot of good things”

“I think the thing I enjoyed most was the cyber security because it was fun cracking the code”

“I thought STEAM was really fun.  The thing I enjoyed most was the one where you had to drive the car”

“Steam was good.  I enjoyed the small controller robot”

“I like Steam because I liked doing all the activities.  I liked doing the art and craft”

“I really liked steam it was fun.  I would definitely go again.  My favourite part was putting on the space suit”

“I liked the dinosaur stall because it was interesting”

“I liked the experiment with the air and the cup”

“It was nice, awesome, amazing, astonishing, outstanding”

UWE Bristol students support Easton campaign for better air with repair skills

Author katcorbett | Posted on

As part of the MAKERS project, UWE Bristol students recently had the opportunity to use their repair and making skills to support the Easton based Baggator Youth Group and “Residents Against Dirty Energy” (RADE) Bristol campaign for better air by helping them to fix their traffic and pollution sensors.

The community group uses sensors to measure traffic and air pollution in their area to support their campaign efforts. The collected air pollution data can be then be accessed on the Luftdaten pages, whilst life traffic data is available on the Telraam pages.

As the project has been running for a while, many of the sensors weren’t working as well as they used to, which is why UWE students were invited to support RADE to help fix the faulty sensors, helping the group to improve the quality of the collected data, which plays a key role in their campaign efforts.

It has been a fantastic repair session that was supported by five students and a technician from UWE Bristol’s School of Engineering. This was a great opportunity to learn some practical repair skills of electronics, whilst connecting with and supporting the community of East Bristol in their efforts to improve the air quality for its residents.

The group also especially enjoyed the lunch that was provided by the community and sourced from local businesses.

We would like to thank the community of Easton for being so welcoming to our students, and we look forward to hearing about updates from the project!

Free engineering consultancy for local community organisations

Author engineering | Posted on

The School of Engineering at UWE Bristol are seeking to partner with local community organisations with project ideas relevant to engineering students studying the Professionalism for Engineers module.

We welcome project proposals from community, voluntary and social enterprise sectors.

The project is an opportunity for organisations to receive free engineering consultancy from a small team of students (3-6 people), who will be learning skills in team-working, client liaison and applications of engineering as part of the module. The scheme is open for applications until 30 November 2023 with projects completed from February to April 2024.

Projects could be researching and scoping opportunities or issues on behalf of your organisation, planning or providing designs and proposals, or in some cases students may be able to produce an item or intervention for the organisation. Examples of projects might include: auditing and developing concepts for a new engineering project in your area, such as sustainable outdoor space and clean heating solutions; researching community problems and engineering solutions; or adapted infrastructure to meet the needs of a community group. You can find examples of completed projects from 2019 on the blog.

For further information and to apply, please download the Organisation Brief below and return the form within to engineeringourfuture@uwe.ac.uk

Download the Organisation Brief

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