Children's University Graduation Ceremony,

About the event

Who Participates?

It is important to point out that Children’s University is open to all children aged 5-14, irrespective of background, as everyone benefits from better exam results, a broader skillset, new interests and a greater awareness of future education/career options. Financial resources, however, are heavily targeted towards children from the most disadvantaged families/communities.

What Difference Does it Make?

Formative experiences heavily shape future life choices, particularly in relation to education and employment, and independent evaluation by the University of Cambridge (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8sGoMG2CEc) has confirmed that participation in CU significantly improves school attendance; increases levels of attainment (across all subject areas) and raises aspirations. It also builds confidence and embeds/nurtures critical life skills such as the ability to work as part of team, effective communication, resilience, and initiative etc – all highly prized by employers. Finally, CU motivates young people, reducing the likelihood of them getting involved in negative or anti-social behaviour.

Why should you sponsor?

Direct marketing to over 300 Families!

What Difference Does it Make?

Formative experiences heavily shape future life choices, particularly in relation to education and employment, and independent evaluation by the University of Cambridge (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8sGoMG2CEc) has confirmed that participation in CU significantly improves school attendance; increases levels of attainment (across all age ranges) and raises aspirations. It also builds confidence and embeds/nurtures critical life skills such as the ability to work as part of team, effective communication, resilience, and initiative etc – attributes highly prized by employers. Finally, CU motivates young people to get involved in positive out-of-school activities, significantly reducing the likelihood of them participating in negative or anti-social behaviour now or in the future.

Kim Kim

What is the Children’s University?

 

Described by the Sunday Times as ‘The University of Fun’, Children’s University (CU) is a critically acclaimed, extra-curricular programme which takes learning outside the classroom: we encourage 5-14 year olds to try new experiences; develop new interests; discover unknown talents, acquire new skills and hone existing ones. Delivered at a local level by local partners, CU operates across the UK and, more recently, has expanded internationally: Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore and the Netherlands with further developments in the pipeline.  The CU Network has grown over 1000% since it was established in early 2007 and last year 136,000 children participated in Children’s University in England and Wales. In Shrigley, the local Children’s University is managed by Shrigley Enterprises and in 2012/13 over 1000 children participated in 2500 hours of extra-curricular learning; a figure which is set to rise again this year.

 

How Does It Work ?

 

Participants are presented with a diverse menu of learning activities, everything from lectures about the chemistry of fireworks to street dance workshops, delivered by an array of partners called ‘Learning Destinations’: museums, sports venues, universities and afterschool clubs to name a few. Recognition of effort and achievement is central to the programme’s success and each time a participant completes a learning activity they receive a stamp in their CU ‘Passport to Learning’ – one hour of learning equals one CU credit. Once sufficient credits have been accrued the young person is awarded a CU Certificate of Achievement - there are three levels: undergraduate, postgraduate and doctorate - which is presented to him/her at a CU graduation ceremony, modelled neatly on the ‘grown up’ version.

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