As 2021 draws to a close we asked our project partners to reflect back on their proudest moment of the year. We loved reading their highlights and hope you do too…
50 things to do before you’re five
“Our proudest moment of 2021 is appointing our Project Officer, Rachael, in Bradford. Rachael has been able to work with various partners in the district, such as the Museum, Galleries and Parks services. Due to this collaboration, we’ve been able to reach more families and encourage them to use the 50 Things resources. We’ve also been able to reach nationally through more Local Authorities joining the 50 Things family. This is great news as it means more children and families will be able to have access to no/low cost activities that are aimed to support young children’s health and development.”
Read more about 50 things to do before you’re five
ImpactEd
Relationships Foundation
Cymbrogi Futures
“Getting our site Cymbrogi HQ in Lawrenny, Pembrokeshire up and running (composting toilet and all) so we could host our first physical Cymbrogi Learning Festival of over 30 speakers and delegates from across the worlds of Education, sustainability, creativity and activism. The 1.5 day event was a great showcase of Cymbrogi HQ, our growing work and of the work being undertaken by so many others within the Cymbrogi Learn eco-system. It marked the start of countless collaborations and paved the way for our first Young Changemaker Workshop held just days later. This was a fantastic day working with 24 7 and 8 year olds making the connection with and between our non-human and human eco-systems and the steps they could take as young changemakers to help create a more sustainable future. Learners got to play nature games, forest bathe, go on a bug hunt, explore ‘future foods’, investigate plastic use (from packaging to fast fashion) and engage with systems and design thinking to work towards sharing with us their Pledges for change. All of this was the culmination of the Cymbrogi teams collaborative activities across many months.”
Read more about Cymbrogi Futures
Bounce Forward
Foundation For Education Development
The Difference
“90% of the pioneer cohort of Difference Leaders are working in promoted school leadership positions upon completing the Programme. 60% have moved into mainstream senior leadership roles where they helping to create inclusive education for thousands of pupils. 30% remain in Alternative Provision, supporting the most vulnerable young people.”
Read more about The Difference’s work
The Gesher Trust
City Year
The Key
“We have two proudest moments at The Key in 2021. The first and main moment being the exciting launch of our Well Done Packs for all young people who complete The Key. An initiative launched in September that now celebrates and further validates the achievements of young people completing The Key. We host regular presentation events that see young people celebrated and rewarded for completing The Key and delivering their own successful Key Project. Feedback from young people so far has been amazing and we can’t wait to continue this initiative with thousands of young people for years to come.
Our second proudest moment was the realisation of our first ever virtual Key Awards which celebrated the inspirational achievements and successes of young people completing The Key over the past two years. We honoured the hard times during the pandemic and highlighted how young people had been resilient in their response to trying times whilst also congratulating them on their innovative and generous thinking as they used The Key to deliver projects that helped others in the pandemic. Over 100 young people joined us on the night and it was certainly a moment to remember.”
Read more about The Key’s work
Big Education
Right to Succeed
Children’s University Trust
“The launch of our first State of the Nation report. The report provides evidence and impact of the importance of learning beyond the classroom in 2021 and and in-depth analysis of learning beyond the classroom by both participation and provision. Using data logged by 23,000 children describing the 51,000 hours of learning beyond the classroom they had completed over 2 years (including during Covid lockdowns), the data is broken down by categories of learning and skills development. The Sutton Trust described the report as, “A detailed and data-driven analysis of learning beyond the classroom in 2021”.
Find out more about Children’s University Trust
Chartered College of Teaching
“In November 2021 we published a legacy publication for our work that we were able to undertake thanks to the generous funding from Big Change to create The Education Exchange. The book showcases some of the outstanding contributions that make up The Education Exchange aimed at inspiring change and addressing some of the most pressing issues facing teaching and learning today and in the future. As social inequalities loom larger than ever before across the country, education is one of the most powerful tools to help level the playing field and equip children and young people with the opportunities and skills to succeed in life. The free book, “Future of Teaching: Celebrating Teacher Expertise”, showcases the latest thinking from teachers on key challenges, including diversity in the curriculum and improving parental engagement with learning, to help the sector overcome these obstacles and leverage education as a force for good for students. This will ensure that The Education Exchange lives on within the education community and will inspire those who can make change to do this based on research and by listening to the voices of teachers.”
Lighthouse
“We are hugely proud of recruiting our frontline team and refurbishing the house we bought for our first children’s home! We have worked towards this moment for a long time and are looking forward to welcoming children to the home soon.”
Find out more about Lighthouse and read our blog about visiting the site of their first children’s home