Millennium Point visits Deykin Avenue as 22 day STEM Sport Project begins
The Millennium Point Charitable Trust team visited Deykin Avenue School as they kicked off the 22 day STEM Sport Project, carried out by the Aston Villa Foundation.
What is the project?
To coincide with this summer’s Commonwealth Games, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust has funded the Aston Villa Foundation a £22,000 grant, to help the charity broaden its schools outreach programme, which aims to engage and inspire young people to experience STEM through sport.
The project will be delivered as education activations to over 1,300 pupils at 22 different Birmingham schools, primarily within the Foundation’s target constituencies of Perry Barr, Ladywood and Erdington.
These will take place on 22 different days, providing an introductory coding session to the children, teachers and schools. It will run until the end of the Autumn Term 2022 and coincide with the start of the Commonwealth Games, as well as a post-games legacy piece of work.
Deykin Avenue is the first school to experience the project
Deykin Avenue School was the first school to experience the project, with teachers and pupils getting a first glance at new coding skills delivered by the Aston Villa Foundation.
The Millennium Point Charitable Trust visited the school, to see the impact the project was having on pupils and their learning around STEM. The day began with an introductory coding class where pupils were taught the process of code before moving onto the workshops.
The school workshops then featured themes from the Commonwealth Games such as athletes, stadiums and sports, as well as players from both the men and women’s Aston Villa team. Working in groups, the pupils used code to create specific functions for a Sphero Robot, including direction, motion and light. They also embedded core values such as resilience, working together and desire to achieve – all key attributes of Commonwealth competitors.
Providing unique learning experiences
Paul Hughes, Schools Manager at Aston Villa Foundation was extremely excited to provide pupils with new unique learning experiences, and commented: “The funding from Millennium Point is greatly appreciated to allow us to be a driving force for STEM Education in Birmingham. By providing unique learning experiences, the resources and opportunities to experience technology our aim is to help and guide children to develop their skill set for an ever-advancing technological world.”
This project shows just what the Millennium Point Trust is all about
Abbie Vlahakis, CEO of Millennium Point, added: “This project is the perfect example of why we do what we do – to promote STEM education across the region and increase the opportunities for the next generation via some of the most exciting career paths available.
“Aston Villa is the epitome of how STEM careers run throughout sport – from physiologists and nutritionists to sports equipment designers and grounds people. We hope this project will give children a small insight into the amazing opportunities that are on offer to them.”
How the Millennium Point Charitable Trust can help you
The Millennium Point Charitable Trust is committed to supporting the growth of STEM education in the West Midlands region, through funding, resources, projects and events.
Explore what we do or get in touch to see how we can work together.
Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint. Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.
