New business for January…
This month I have taken on two new projects. They are completely different (more on this in a minute), but they also both meet the criteria that I set for new projects. It is important for me that any work I do must be for clients that I trust, care about and enjoy working with. The project has to fit around my other work and my responsibilities as a mum of two. And, ultimately, they have to - in some way - make a positive impact on the outcomes of children and young people.
**
The first new piece of work for 2022 is a research project. I’m working for STEM Learning, an organisation that is passionate about providing a world-class STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) education for all young people across the UK. They do this in lots of different ways, including running training and development programmes for teachers, and by bringing inspiring role models from STEM industry into schools. What is special about STEM Learning, however, is that they are continuously monitoring the impact of the work they do, so they can be confident that it is making a positive difference to teachers, schools, and ultimately to the students in the classroom.
My project is going to help them to do just this. For the next few months, I’ll be working closely with a selection of employers who are actively involved in the STEM Ambassadors programme. STEM Ambassadors are volunteers from a broad range of backgrounds who give their time for free to go into schools and community settings to inspire young people - helping young people to bring their learning to life, inspiring them to consider a STEM career and raising their aspirations and encouraging them to think about their future.
The programme is clearly beneficial to young people. But, my research is going to examine why it is it that employers take part: understanding their experiences of supporting education in this way, finding out about their motivations, and exploring the benefits to their businesses. The ultimate goal will be to help STEM Learning to persuade more organisations to volunteer their time as STEM Ambassadors while maximising the returns for each company that participates.
**
The second project is for a Local Authority. I am helping them to carry out a feasibility study for the introduction of Family Hubs - a new way of delivering seamless, non-judgemental help to families with children for the challenges they face. To start with, I’m going to be designing and facilitating eight online workshops, bringing together around 24 professionals in each one. I’m going to be working with people who represent a broad range of services ranging from (but not limited to!) midwifery, early years, health visiting, speech and language development, dental hygiene, mental health and social services to Job Centre Plus, domestic violence support and safeguarding.
My aim will be to build consensus between these teams - each of which will want to represent their own interests (and justifiably so) - as they work together to find a solution they can all support without compromising the quality and quantity of the help they provide to families.
**
The next few weeks are going to be really exciting. If reading this makes you think that I might be able to help your organisation with something similar, click here to drop me a line or email me at rachel@racheldunfordconsulting.co.uk.