S.T.E.A.M Ahead! Impact Report

This Easter, I had the incredible opportunity to be a part of KORI and Tutors United’s (TU) STEAM Ahead! Programme. A fantastic weeklong programme blending STEM and the arts for years 5-7. Designed to promote curiosity and ease the jump to secondary school, the camp took students on a journey through urban evolution, challenging them to design cities of the future while exploring very important areas like their teamwork abilities, creativity, and their discovery of their emotional well-being. As a psychology graduate, observing the final days of the programme, here’s my professional take on why this approach worked so well.

Improv, Empathy, and “Aha!” Moments

One of my favourite parts was watching the improv session led by our team. The improv sessions functioned as a form of therapeutic role-play, allowing the young people to explore a variety of challenging social scenarios. When the young people paused bullying situations to experiment with creating positive outcomes during the role-play, they weren’t just performing, they were developing a theory of mind by stepping into others’ perspectives (Astington & Berriault, 2001). That moment of empowerment where a young person says, “Hey, I can make a difference,” is a core psychological tool we call cognitive reframing (Sharma et al., 2023). This kind of behaviour rehearsal builds the self-efficacy that Albert Bandura (1969) identified as crucial for social development in young people, where the importance of observation and imitation is the core of social learning.

Behaviour, Engagement, and the KORI’s Touch

My role during those two days was to support with behaviour management and safeguarding, and I was seriously impressed by how the KORI team created a space where kids felt both supported and challenged. We as a team struck that perfect balance of warmth and structure. There was a noticeable shift in focus during tutorial sessions, especially after incorporating multiple breaks in between. This is proof that when young people feel safe and encouraged, their engagement will improve. And let’s be honest, the promise of the bowling and arcade trip didn’t hurt either! Seeing the young people bond over games and cheer each other on was a reminder of how powerful fun can be in building meaningful relationships. 

Transition, Identity, and the Bigger Picture The transition support elements demonstrated an equally nuanced grasp of developmental psychology. I watched the TU tutors guide the young people through anticipatory socialisation (Brim, 1966), such as imagining their future schools, communities, and different roles they aspire to be a part of. I think it is a fantastic way to introduce a programme like that as it is a good change of helping the young people reduce the uncertainty that often makes the school transition feel overwhelming. 

Each group was given a theme by the Tutors United team, from transport and education to healthcare, commercial centres, and housing. It was amazing how much the young people were creative and engaged with it. On the final day, I watched with pride as the young people stood up to present their poster projects to their parents, tutors, and youth workers. It wasn’t just about urban planning, it was about agency. As someone passionate about developmental psychology, I truly believe the collaboration between KORI and TU is a brilliant model. It supports both learning and emotional growth in a way that feels fun and meaningful. I am excited to see where this programme goes next. The future looks bright!

References

• Astington, J. W., & Berriault, T. (2001). Children’s Theory of Mind: How young children come to understand that people have thoughts and feelings. Infants and Young Children, 13(3), 1–12. 
• Bandura, A. (1966). Social-learning theory of identificatory processes. Handbook of Socialization Theory and Research, 213, 262. 
• Brim, B. J. (1966). Attitude changes in teacher education students. The Journal of Educational Research, 59(10), 441- 445.  https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.1966.10883407 
• Sharma, A., Rushton, K., Lin, I., Wadden, D., Lucas, K., Miner, A., Nguyen, T., & Althoff, T. (2023). Cognitive Reframing of Negative Thoughts through Human-Language Model Interaction. https://doi.org/10.18653/v1/2023.acl-long.555