Our Past, Your Future was an ambitious project to map the North of Tyne’s unique and rich heritage of industry and innovation. The project will deliver targeted schools and community-based activities that will help foster the career aspirations of our young people in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
The project used this rich heritage and links with the region’s current STEM employers to prompt a generation of young people to enter secondary school understanding that STEM routes are accessible to ‘people like me’. This was to be achieved through a programme of activity in schools, community engagement activities, and the creation of a digital map showcasing the region’s rich heritage of innovation in the fields of science, industry and technology.
Activities include primary schools workshops, continued professional development (CPD) for teachers, loan boxes, family story time and family and community workshops.
A STEM club for 20 children also took place during the 2022 school summer holidays.
There was also a programme for three secondary schools who worked on a creative project inspired by the interactive STEM map to develop animations highlighting some of those people featured. These students were also able to take a trip to Ouseburn and talk to a number of STEM employers about digital careers.
The project was delivered by Museums Northumberland with partners NUSTEM at the University of Northumbria and Historic England. It received funding from the North of Tyne Combined Authority and Northumberland County Council.
