Mission 44

🏎️ Ever wondered what happens behind the scenes before a Formula 1 race weekend begins? On Thursday 2 July, upReach had the incredible opportunity to take seven Associates to Mission 44's Silverstone Inspiration Day and Race Activation Event ahead of the British Grand Prix. Hosted at the Silverstone UTC alongside other Mission 44 partner organisations, the day gave students a unique insight into the world of Formula 1 and the wide range of careers that power the sport. Associates had the chance to: 🔧 Meet Formula 1 engineers and mechanics 🏁 Explore career pathways across motorsport 🤝 Network with industry professionals and fellow students 🚗 Tour the Ferrari garage while teams prepared the cars for race weekend ⭐ Experience the atmosphere of the Formula 1 paddock and spot some familiar faces from the world of F1 The day was packed with inspiring talks, interactive activities and behind-the-scenes access that very few people get to experience. A particular highlight was taking part in a Q&A session with Sir Lewis Hamilton, where Associates heard first-hand about his career journey, the importance of creating opportunities for young people, and his vision for a more inclusive future in motorsport. From learning about the technical expertise required to run a Formula 1 team to hearing directly from professionals working within the sport, Associates gained valuable insight into the opportunities available across engineering, technology and motorsport. Experiences like this help students build confidence, expand their professional networks and see first-hand that careers in industries such as motorsport can be within reach. 👏 A huge thank you to Mission 44 for delivering such an inspiring day, particularly Joshua Oduro, Kimberley Willingham, Kayley Goff, Amy Pearson and Xavier Banson, as well as Mission 44 CEO Jason Arthur, for their support in creating this fantastic opportunity for our Associates. Opportunities like these play a vital role in breaking down barriers and creating pathways into industries that have traditionally been difficult to access. 👉 If you think you, or someone you know, could benefit from the support we offer at upReach, visit our website to find out more: https://upreach.org.uk/ #upReach #Mission44 #SilverstoneInspirationDay #BritishGrandPrix #Formula1 #Motorsport #Engineering #STEMCareers #SocialMobility #FutureTalent

Now Teacher Surjayan Ganguly and our CEO Graihagh Crawshaw-Sadler featured on ITV News last night across all English regional broadcasts! Earlier this week Graihagh visited Surjayan at Prendergast School in Ladywell where he has taught for the past 5 years following a career change from consulting. We were joined by two of Surjayan's pupils and an ITV crew to discuss the widening national and regional representation gaps between pupils' ethnicities and the ethnicities of the teaching workforce. Conversations covered the difference a teacher makes to pupils' sense of belonging, their future aspirations and the current barriers facing global majority applicants highlighted in research undertaken by the National Institute of Teaching, part of our Mission 44 funded partnership with NIOT and Mindful Equity UK. The partnership is currently delivering a pilot in the West Midlands. Marnnasha Mugnthan, one of Surjayan’s pupils said: “It creates a sense of community where you feel safe, where you feel accepted and you feel confident coming in to school every day.”   45% of students in the West Midlands are from a minoritised ethnicity, but when it comes to the teaching workforce in the West Midlands that drops to just 18%. Too many children and young people in the UK grow up without ever being taught by teachers who share their ethnic background. Not seeing themselves represented can have a lasting impact on expectations, aspirations, belonging and engagement with school.   Current barriers preventing global majority candidates from becoming teachers means that schools are missing out on the benefits of a diverse workforce, impoverishing the whole system. Lack of diversity in marketing campaigns, lack of representation in leadership and ITT support roles and structural issues related to finance and qualifications can adversely impact global majority candidates. This leads to a reduced sense of belonging and increased marginalisation within the profession making successful applications and longer-term retention a challenge. Work funded by Mission 44 in partnership with NIOT and Mindful Equity UK, means that a pilot cohort in the West Midlands will benefit from specialist recruitment support and an anti-racist ITT curriculum, with learnings from this approach being shared with the sector.    Watch Graihagh, Surjayan and his pupils reflect on this further here.   #careers #teaching #careerchange

A teaching workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities it serves is important for belonging, opportunity and the future of the profession. We have launched our new evidence review on Recruiting, Supporting and Retaining New Teachers from the Global Majority.  Designed as a practical resource for schools, teacher education providers, policymakers and system leaders, the report identifies seven evidence-informed themes to support reflection and action.  These include creating cultures of belonging, strengthening mentoring, reviewing recruitment practices, embedding inclusion in professional learning, and addressing the structural barriers that shape who enters the profession and who is supported to stay.  The review is the first publication of a multi-year collaborative project between the National Institute of Teaching, Now Teach and Youlande Biosah and Aretha Banton FCCT from Mindful Equity UK – supported by Mission 44's Diversity in Education Fund – which is seeking to improve representation in the teaching workforce through anti-racist approaches to teacher selection and development. Download the review and start a conversation within your school or organisation 👉 https://buff.ly/URfODhI #Inclusion #AntiRacism #EquityInEducation #DiversityInEducation

Saying “yes” to every opportunity is something I’ve enjoyed making a point of in my journey. So when I got the email asking me to co-host the Igniting Inclusion Summit with Mission 44 the week before, despite the rush of Silverstone prep, I wasn’t turning it down! I definitely felt the nerves right up until it was time to start, but the day itself was very insightful. Some of the conversations we had were difficult, but diversifying motorsport doesn’t have to be. I’m glad that we’re not afraid to call out the right people and address the right things to make sure motorsport becomes a fully inclusive environment. We also had the opportunity to watch the sprint qualifying with Mission 44 in their Hilton suite at Silverstone - definitely beat grass and dust for a few hours! But it was nice to catch up with everyone and watch the on-track action. And see where we were last year (literally) and how far we'd come since then. Thank you to Mission 44 for the opportunity and making us feel so well cared for, my amazing co-host, Johnal Simpson, and everyone I had the pleasure of meeting on the day! Your kind words and support made this even more enjoyable for me.

What a weekend at Goodwood Festival of Speed! 🏁 Over the last four days at the Festival of Speed, we've been sharing our mission and inspiring the next generation to pursue futures in motorsport 💥 We were proud to host students from our partner organisations Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE-UK), upReach, Stevenage Borough Council, and Driven By Us, giving them an unforgettable experience of the festival. We took to the FOS Fan Zone Main Stage over the weekend, where our very own Stephanie Travers shared her incredible journey during the Women in Motorsport panel on Friday. On Saturday, our Youth Advisor Safa-Atiya A. and Motorsport Scholar Amjad Saeed took to the stage for ‘Mission 44: Young Voices, Real Impact’, where they shared their experiences and the impact of creating more inclusive pathways into motorsport. On Sunday, our Motorsport Scholar Chris Tagnon shared his inspiring story on the big stage at the ‘Mission 44: From Classroom to F1 Paddock’ talk. Huge thanks to Ariana Bravo for hosting all of the above! 🎤 Our Motorsport Scholar Mohamed Elnadi also had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take on the famous Goodwood Hillclimb in a supercar - an unforgettable Festival of Speed experience! More on that soon… 🏎️ Huge thank you to our volunteers from Bloomberg and IBM for helping us run this weekend smoothly. And a heartfelt thank you to everyone who stopped by our stand over the weekend to say hello, learn more about our work, ask questions, and share your passion for the future of motorsport. It was fantastic to meet so many people who support our mission 💛 And thank you to The Goodwood Group for having us and for supporting our work as we continue to drive change in motorsport 🙌