Campaign to inspire Swansea pupils to embrace STEM given boost

A campaign led by the British Science Association to inspire Swansea pupils to embrace STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects in the classroom was given a boost by the local Amazon team this week.

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The fulfilment centre in Swansea made a £2,000 donation to help fund new science equipment for Bishop Gore School.

Bishop Gore welcomed the donation as part of the “Amazon in the Community” programme, whereby the company supports communities in and around where it operates in the UK.

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To mark the donation, team members from the Amazon fulfilment centre in Swansea visited Bishop Gore to learn about the school’s current STEM programmes and meet some of the teachers and pupils.

Amazon also runs a STEM education workshop called Camp Amazon, which launched in 2018 in the UK. Camp Amazon has been accredited by the British Science Association for its contribution to the learning of young minds in STEM subjects as part of the CREST Awards programme. The workshop counts as two of eight SuperStar challenges that children can earn to achieve a CREST SuperStar Award.

CREST is a scheme that inspires young people to think and behave like scientists and engineers, while taking part in challenging and thought-provoking real-world STEM projects.

Katherine Mathieson, Chief Executive, British Science Association, said: “The British Science Association is delighted to be partnering with Amazon UK. It’s great to see them supporting STEM education. We share a commitment to boosting young people’s science capital by providing real-world, relatable activities that put STEM into context.”

Amazon’s Swansea Site Leader, Chris Law, said: “At Amazon, we’re passionate about unearthing and inspiring the next generation of STEM SuperStars. STEM is at the heart of everything we do at Amazon and we’re happy to team up with schools to support their efforts in developing and nurturing the inventors, creators and business leaders of tomorrow. Our team had a fantastic time visiting Bishop Gore and it’s great to learn more about the great work being done by the British Science Association and local schools to engage pupils in STEM subjects.”

Mrs Helen Burgum, Headteacher of Bishop Gore added:

“It’s brilliant to receive this support from Amazon and it’s encouraging that the team at the local fulfilment centre mirrors our goal to make STEM subjects fun, accessible and engaging for all of our pupils. A strong STEM skillset is essential in many careers and to know that Amazon is supportive of our efforts to help pupils embrace STEM subjects is fantastic. On behalf of our school, I’d like to say thank you to the local Amazon team for this donation.”