Inspirational Outreach
Our Inspirational Outreach programme provides bespoke impact days and inspirational assemblies to our wider JET school communities, augmenting the intensive three-year programmes we deliver to our Blue Skies students.
Inspirational Outreach overview
We reach thousands of young people across the UK each year through our Inspirational Outreach (IO) sessions. These sessions are designed to suit larger classes or year groups, or cater for multi-school engagements of up to 120 students.
Our delivery partners and professional volunteers who support our IO sessions share our passion for inspiring young people and often work in industries linked to STEM and aerospace. Some of our volunteers have overcome adversity in their own lives and act as inspiring role models to young people who are facing challenges and doubts of their own.
Inspirational Outreach examples…
Career workshops
Often working alongside one or a number of our corporate and military partners, these workshops offer students practical and aspirational perspectives of a specific sector or field of work.
Careers workshops will often include inspirational and relatable speakers, combined with hands-on challenges and opportunities for students to develop key workplace skills, such as public speaking or problem-solving.
STEM engagement days
These sessions often involve a round-robin of activities which student groups can move between throughout the day.
Many of the round-robin activities are delivered by our partner network, and will be linked to STEM, aerospace or entrepreneurial thinking. The overall learning objectives of each activity will be linked to the key themes of JET’s Blue Skies programme, such as teamwork, leadership or communication.
Speakers in schools
We are privileged to work alongside many exceptional and inspirational individuals, from leaders in space and aviation to Red Arrows pilots, Atlantic rowers and industry CEOs.
Many of the dedicated professionals within our network have lived-experience of the challenges that our young people are facing, and are able to speak from a place of knowledge to inspire whole audiences to think differently about their futures.
Inspirational Outreach: key themes
Inspirational Outreach sessions aims to broaden horizons, instil confidence and self-belief, and holistically develop skills in JET’s five cornerstones (below) which are aligned to the learning-outcomes of the international CASEL framework of Social and Emotional Learning.
MOTIVATION
Learning to motivate self and others, and discovering the ‘why’ for learning. Taking personal responsibility for positive actions and thoughts.
ASPIRATION
Fostering a sense of purpose and a growth mindset. Understanding personal strengths and interests and how these feed into future goals.
Resilience
Developing self-belief to overcome challenges when things don’t go to plan. Adapting to change and learning how to manage emotions.
Goal Setting
Learning how to plan and organise ideas and tasks. Setting out active steps to achieve big and small goals linked to education and employment.
Confidence
To feel sure of oneself and understand and believe in own abilities. To believe in one’s own self-worth and to be courageous in new challenges and tasks.
STEM as a springboard
Our programmes are delivered through the prism of STEM, and we work with an exceptional national network of aerospace, military and entrepreneurial partners who inspire our students to believe in themselves and think differently about their futures.
Inspirational Outreach case study
More than a hundred JET students from the West Midlands took part in a space-themed Inspirational Outreach day at the National Space Centre, supported by our partners The National Space Academy and Gordon Brothers.
It was an opportunity for students learn about careers linked to aerospace and engineering, and build transferable skills including communication and teamwork.
Students enjoyed a planetarium show and toured the interactive galleries of the space centre, before working in teams to engineer protective casing for eggs capable of withstanding vibrations from a rocket launch – not every idea kept eggs unscrambled!
Professional volunteers from our partners at Gordon Brothers also led the students in an adrenaline fuelled auction challenge which boosted communication and goal-setting skills.
One student summarised the day saying: “I’ve learnt so much today, and I want to know more. How do I become an astronaut and go to space? I’d like to see the planets up close!”