Mission

We inspire young people around the world to excel in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths through a unique challenge: to design, build and race an electric car. Greenpower Education Trust is a UK based charity with an outstanding track record in kick starting careers in engineering. We help unlock potential and spark enthusiasm for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) through the excitement of motorsport.

Category

Education and Skills

Additional Information

Greenpower motivates young individuals around the UK to excel in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) by presenting them with a distinctive challenge: to create, construct, and compete with an electric race car. The Need Greenpower Addresses By inspiring young people into the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) sector, Greenpower aims to help address the gap in the STEM sector, which according to IET’s Engineering Kids Futures open letter, currently costs the economy £1.5bn per year. Not only does the programme address this practical need, it also provides young people with the “human skills” that help them become well rounded individuals. Greenpower endeavours to create an equitable platform for young people to engage in exhilarating and inspirational activities, providing them with opportunities for personal development. Simultaneously, the challenge introduces them to subjects such as Maths and Science, which may not have always been presented in a captivating manner. This will broaden their exposure to the subjects and enhance their interest in these fields. Lastly it provides an opportunity for young people to learn about sustainability and climate change through the design and use of electric vehicles. We are based in West Sussex, but we operate through our Greenpower Network throughout the UK. The programme engages approximately 10,000 young people per year (on average 36% are female), and over 600 teams. Although these are mainly schools teams, there are also independent organisations such as youth clubs. On average Greenpower delivers approximately 35 events per year spread across all age ranges. The charity makes difference to the lives of young people aged 9 to 25 in the following ways: • Improves self-image; • Helps to develop critical thinking, problem solving, resilience and learning from mistakes; • Provides a chance to develop leadership, planning, teamwork, communication and social skills; • Improves perception of engineering, STEM qualifications, and STEM careers; • Takes young people from an attitude of “too difficult” to “achievable”.