Events for young people from a care background

At the University of Cambridge, we welcome applications from all backgrounds, including those who are in or have previously been in local authority care. We also provide a range of support for care leavers currently studying at the University.

We work closely with Cambridge County Council’s Participation Team and the Virtual School to create opportunities for young people in local authority care to visit the University, and the events below are scheduled for the 2018/2019 academic year. 

If you know of a young person who you feel would benefit from these events, please contact either the Participation Team at the Council, or the Realise Team. Alternatively, you can register a young person for a Realise event. Please make sure you select an activity which is appropriate for the young person’s age group. Registering for an event does not confirm a place - the Realise Team will email to confirm their place and provide further information. The registration form is expected to take around 10 -12 minutes to complete.

SuperStar workshops

• 29 July 2019 (10:00-12:00 & 13:00-15:00)
• 30 July 2019 (10:00-12:00 & 13:00-15:00)

The Realise Team are planning 12 fun and engaging workshops, for young people aged 7 to 11. These half-day visits will be held throughout the year, at times when young people are not at school. Along with each workshop, there will be the chance for participants to involve themselves in university-focused activities and meet current university students.

• Participants can select which workshops they want to attend
• At the end of each workshop, participants will be awarded a certificate of completion from the University
• If participants complete 8 of the workshops, they will be awarded the nationally recognised SuperStar Crest Award

Stargazing Event

11 February 2019 (16:30-20:15)

The Stargazing Event is aimed at young people aged 7-14 and consists of the following:

• 'Introduction to University' workshop
• A visit to the Astronomy department to explore the stars
• University-focused games
• A meal at a University College

Further event information will be provided through the Realise Team.

Explore University Days

28 May 2019 (10:00-15:15)
28 & 29 August 2019 (10:00-15:30 on both days)

In October 2018, we ran our first Explore University Days event. This event received very positive feedback from participants, so we plan to deliver it again. Explore University Days are for young people from a care background aged 12-15 and are held during the half term. Participants visit the University for two days and engage with a range of university-related and subject-specific workshops, and other fun activities such as:

• Museum of Zoology tour and workshop
• Engineering workshop
• Trying a new sport at the Sports Centre
• Project Lego Enterprise task
• Neuroscience workshop
• Two-course meal at a University College

Further event information will be provided through the Realise Team.

Events for post-16 students

If you are studying for your post-16 qualifications and are considering applying to a university like Cambridge or would like to find out more about a specific subject, the following events might be for you:

• University and College Open Days
• Subject Masterclasses
• Cambridge Science Festival - www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk

We offer financial support to those in Year 11 or above, who are currently in local authority care or from a care background, to cover the cost of travel to attend events at the University. See Travel Fund Scheme for more information.

Further information

We want to attract the most academically able students to our University, regardless of their background. As well as the Travel Fund Scheme mentioned above, we also have an Interviewee Travel Fund scheme for applicants from a care background who have been invited to interview.

For further support on exploring your subject beyond the curriculum, you may wish to refer to our HE+ website - http://www.myheplus.com.

For all other enquiries, please contact the Realise Team.