Jon Egging Trust joins forces with University of Winchester
The University of Winchester and the Jon Egging Trust have united to help inspire young people to reach their full potential by inviting Blue Skies students to work with the University’s Department of Archaeology.
“Here at Winchester, we aim to inspire our students to be the best they can be and to go on to make a real difference in the world,” said Dr Paul Everill, Programme Leader for undergraduate Archaeology at the University of Winchester. “It is an aim we share with the Jon Egging Trust and we were keen to support their work in raising the aspirations of young people.
“Inspiration is at the heart of the Trust and their Blue Skies youth programme is an innovative way of engaging with young people. Although they may not end up as archaeologists, we hope that through learning new skills with us and working together to accomplish goals they will realise that they can achieve whatever they set their minds to.”
This month, a group of 13 and 14 year old students from the Winton and Glenmore Academies in Bournemouth have had the opportunity to engage in team activities such as examining human skeletal remains; learn archaeological skills; and visit Dr Everill’s project, titled Archaeology of the Royal Hunting Lodges, working together to help finish a geophysical survey of a probable royal hunting lodge in the New Forest. All activities are to help the pupils meet the required Blue Skies learning outcomes including teamwork, communication and interpreting instructions.
Dr Emma Egging, CEO of the Jon Egging Trust, said: “We are delighted to join with the Archaeological Department of the University of Winchester as our latest Blue Skies South West programme partner. “We work with a range of military, heritage and business organisations linked to the worlds of aviation, engineering and science who are vital in helping us deliver our programmes, and improve the life-chances of thousands of young people every year. Offering valuable facilities, inspiring role models and expertise, they help students on our Blue Skies and Inspirational Outreach programmes to discover careers and life paths they didn’t realise were within their reach, and importantly support them into further training and employment.” A group of young people from the Jon Egging Trust have already taken part in a day of geophysical surveying on Salisbury Plain, and have been taught how to use a Resistivity meter by David Ashby – the Department’s Technician – as part of an exercise to further develop team working skills.
