We are thrilled to announce the launch of PLACED Environmental Academy – a FREE to access, creative programme about the built environment for 14-18 year olds.
This special programme is supported by the Liverpool City Region Community Environment Fund and the Metro Mayor. It was designed to give participants the opportunity to explore their own interests, beliefs and aspirations in the field of environment and sustainability. Participants will work together to deliver either digital or face to face community engagement before developing designs ideas that they believe could create better, more sustainable places.
The Academy is designed to tackle the barriers that young people face in accessing professional careers in the built environment. It seeks to support greater diversity in the sector, enable participants to develop their skills and confidence and empower them as active members of society.
The programme will run between June and November 2021 and will give 30 young people the opportunity to participate in an exciting programme of digital and face-to-face activities about the built environment, with workshops, tutorials and guidance from industry mentors.
Participants will take part in research and design projects and develop a public engagement campaign that will be launched to members of the public. Young people will be supported by the PLACED team and fantastic mentor Ambassadors, students and built environment professionals. Mentors and speakers will include sustainability experts, architects, planners, interior designers and landscape architects, offering young people a unique insight into careers and study routes.
One previous Academy participant states:
“The Placed Academy has really benefited me in many ways. It has boosted my confidence, developed my teamwork skills and has truly given me an insight into the built environment and what a career would be like in it. It is a great opportunity”.
The 2021 Environmental Academy builds upon the success of PLACED’s previous three Academy programmes:
- In 2019-2020, the first programme ran as a series of face-to-face activities and workshops. 35 young people graduated.
- In 2020, we shifted to a Digital Academy programme in response to the Covid-19 crisis, when supporting young people in taking positive steps towards their future was more important than ever. We ran two programmes, one in the spring and one in autumn, for a total of 62 participants.
Throughout the programme, participants have become confident, informed young people able to think creatively to solve problems and develop ideas.
PLACED Director, Jo Harrop says:
“At PLACED, we believe creative learning is an invaluable tool in developing young people’s confidence, self-belief and skills. Making the built environment the focus of this creativity means we can create empowered young citizens who know their view matters and that they have the potential to shape the places in which they live.
We also believe it is a priority to support young people under-represented in the built environment in accessing the sector: whether young women, those from black and ethnic minority communities and those from less privileged areas. Only by supporting greater diversity through education can we create better, stronger and more understanding communities who can make a difference.
That is why we established the PLACED Academy and we are extremely grateful for all the support we have received from our Partners and Sponsors.”
To find out more and get involved explore the pages on this website, and find out more about PLACED at placed.org.uk. Applications are open until 10th May.