The Royal Institution has long been a leader in enhancing science education and inspiring young people to pursue STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) interests, following the enduring popularity of the CHRISTMAS LECTURES®. We provide high-quality, engaging, and impactful experiences to young people across the UK, and we have ambitious growth goals across the programmes.
Over the next five years, we aim to increase participation and impact across highly scalable outreach work. Gifts for the Inspiring Generations fund will help us reach many more young people. With your support, we will reach at least 500,000 children by the end of this campaign period and create an environment and network within which we can consistently grow.
We know that children from disadvantaged backgrounds are less than half as likely to meet expected standards in science at Key Stage 2 (age 10-11) compared to children from more advantaged backgrounds. Among 12 to 13-year-old girls, 64% aspire to a career in the arts, but only 12% aspire to a science career. Furthermore, in general, between 2019 and 2023, and in some cases over the longer term since 2016, there has been a negative shift in young people’s engagement, aspirations and participation in science at school.
We are determined to further increase access in the underserved groups who may benefit more from the interventions that our programmes can offer. Our belief is that exposure to science and opportunities to access a spark of inspiration are vital not only to create a fair playing field for young people but to ensure that future generations are curious and have access to good information.
Our key programmes to inspire school-age groups, beyond the CHRISTMAS LECTURES®, are Science in Schools and Masterclasses. These are highly regarded and free to schools, participants and families. These interventions help to develop vital critical thinking and the spirit of exploration. For those able to visit, the Young Scientist Centre (YSC) allows children to be a scientist for a day, just metres away from where Michael Faraday and Humphrey Davy undertook their research.
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We are determined to tackle the preventable barriers to opportunities to access and enjoy science and maths subjects through investment in these programmes. Over the next four years, we are seeking £6,000,000 to power these programmes which will continue to spark curiosity in young minds. Thanks to a small number of multi-year commitments from key supporters, we begin this campaign with £1.3m secured and are on our way towards meeting this ambitious target for growth. With your support, we will ignite a spark in at least 500,000 more young people.