Smart ways to learn about the future of energy use
Global technology firm CGI’s acclaimed STEM from Home project is still going strong, with thousands of young participants now benefiting from a new partnership with Smart DCC to spread the word on energy conservation
A FREE online programme launched to educate and entertain young people during the first lockdown has been so successful it is still remains popular even though pupils are now back at school.
Created by CGI, the STEM from Home kits have had an “amazing” response from children, parents and educators – reaching more than 150,000 people across the world.
Hundreds of children have entered the competitions and completed the fun activities provided by the packs, which are all related to science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects.
There are now 24 packs on all areas of STEM, such as robotics and coding, and they can all be completed entirely from home by children aged from 6-14.
The latest is the result of a collaboration with Smart
DCC, one of CGI’s clients, and is designed to help children understand how homes are powered and how energy use can be reduced to help save the environment.
An activity pack based on the theme of smart homes and smart meters may sound a slightly dry topic but, like all the packs, it introduces the subject in a fun way and lets children understand how using items like their consoles has a financial and environmental cost.
CGI has involved other organisations and charities in the development of previous packs but this is the first official collaboration with a client. Three packs are planned with Smart DCC in total, with the first on smart homes going live a fortnight ago and the second on renewables expected early next month.
“The first pack has gone down really well and it is good to work with Smart DCC because they offer a different perspective and a bit more in depth detail behind the processes involved in smart home technology,” said content designer Luke Kittow of CGI.
CGI has been working with Smart DCC for a number of years now, principally on the technology behind smart meters, the small digital dials that track the energy use of a household.
“The main aim is to reduce energy use and help save the environment at the same time, and this is something that is really emphasised within the pack,” said Kittow. “It shows how you can make your home smarter by monitoring what you are using.” As well as the packs being created with Smart DCC, there are others planned on sport and BAME topics.
CGI expects the collaborations to boost the reach of the packs further and engage an even wider audience. They are already used by schools on a regular basis.
“We have had really good feedback from councils, primary and secondary schools and it is great to see the programme continuing with our clients becoming involved,” Kittow said.
He said the response to the packs was far greater than he had ever imagined when they were first conceived as a way of easing the monotony experienced by children stuck at home when the coronavirus pandemic hit the UK.
“The response has been amazing and if anything the programme seems to have been given a new lease of life over the last few months even though life is going back to normal,” said Kittow.
STEM from Home was born from the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) camps that CGI had been running before the lockdowns in UK schools and communities to encourage students to think about a STEM career.
When the first lockdown was announced, it was decided to try and recreate the camps online and, incredibly, CGI managed to have STEM from Home up and running within two days.
It was initially launched internally but went down so well that, after just the first week, staff asked to share it with family, friends and clients.
As the demand was there, CGI decided to make it accessible online for anyone to use, with new content released every week to keep kids engaged.
“Although we do community outreach this is on a completely different scale. The reach of it has been immense,” said Kittow.
Environment is a theme that comes up in the packs repeatedly and CGI is committed to achieving net zero by 2030 with respect to carbon emissions under its direct and indirect control.
DCC’s Chief Operating Officer, Penny Brown said: “If every household took action on energy efficiency today, we could achieve 11 per cent of the UK’s 2050 carbon target, and I can think of no better way than to mobilise the people that will benefit most from this action – our children.
“We worked with CGI to develop these educational packs to help children understand and get involved in the digital energy revolution today, in the hope that this work would inspire the next generation of green energy innovators. At the DCC we believe in making Britain more connected, so we can all lead smarter, greener lives.”
STEM from Home: cgi.com/uk/stem-from-home