"Push are so much more than 'inspirational': so much energy, so much spoken and un-spoken comedy - but backed up with a real understanding of careers, the higher education system...and of life in general."
- Outwood Academies Carlton & Shafton (part of the heppSY+ Uni Connect programme across South Yorkshire)
"I really do appreciate the session and the standard of the delivery was excellent, if you pass on my regards and thanks again to Aron and Moj that would be great. It was definitely useful and I think it will have hit (students) on a number of different levels from being informative of what opportunities they have around them to a more personal level of who they are and can be. It was a pleasure to be part of."
- Mike Laidlaw, Bedlington & Ashington Academies teacher (activity supported by FutureMe.ac.uk)
- Outwood Academies Carlton & Shafton (part of the heppSY+ Uni Connect programme across South Yorkshire)
"I really do appreciate the session and the standard of the delivery was excellent, if you pass on my regards and thanks again to Aron and Moj that would be great. It was definitely useful and I think it will have hit (students) on a number of different levels from being informative of what opportunities they have around them to a more personal level of who they are and can be. It was a pleasure to be part of."
- Mike Laidlaw, Bedlington & Ashington Academies teacher (activity supported by FutureMe.ac.uk)
what we do
Push work with a wide range of OFS Uni Connect outreach hubs across England, on a diverse range of collaborative outreach activities that support less-advantaged students to access (and thrive in) higher education. We are one of the 50 founding partners of Uni4Me, a hub for online events, activities and resources from UK higher education organisations that support learning and enable teachers and students to find out more about future opportunities. We also help schools meet their Gatsby benchmarks on effective careers provision. We have a National Careers Award for working with young people, and have nearly 30 years' experience in delivering high-energy, interactive outreach, ever since we began as one of the UK's first independent university guides in 1992 (and the first organisation in the UK to comprehensively publish university drop-out rates).
Push founder and chief executive Johnny Rich, a higher education and careers specialist, ensures that each part of our student framework meets Push's five I's:
Push founder and chief executive Johnny Rich, a higher education and careers specialist, ensures that each part of our student framework meets Push's five I's:
|
Our speakers are located between the north and south of England, and all are trained to Push's incredibly high standards: creating an engaging and lively atmosphere comes naturally to them, as they all have a background in professional acting and/or comedy.
Our sessions can last anything from an hour to a whole day - in schools and colleges...or even external HE and careers events (taster events, residentials and summer schools at universities and higher education colleges)
Our sessions can last anything from an hour to a whole day - in schools and colleges...or even external HE and careers events (taster events, residentials and summer schools at universities and higher education colleges)
"I just wanted to pass on some feedback from our Force session. Push were fantastic - delivered their messages clearly in a very fun and engaging manner. The students were raving about it afterwards and it was an excellent warm-up for our careers fair."
- ALEX WARBURTON, OUTWOOD ACADEMY BRUMBY, SCUNTHORPE
What Does Push Do for Uni Connect?
Push are eager to support all Uni Connect hubs in their specific regions by enhancing their initiatives through our unique approach.
We’re extremely proud of the impact we’ve had with the NCOP and now Uni Connect programmes.
We’d love to continue helping as many students across the country as possible, by raising young people's aspirations and inspiring them to make the most informed choices. Achieving this collaboratively is a particularly wonderful (and very powerful) thing.
We’re extremely proud of the impact we’ve had with the NCOP and now Uni Connect programmes.
We’d love to continue helping as many students across the country as possible, by raising young people's aspirations and inspiring them to make the most informed choices. Achieving this collaboratively is a particularly wonderful (and very powerful) thing.
"COME BACK. Really funny and inspirational"
"100% come back! Amazing presentation! Great atmosphere, and enthusiasm, love it!"
"Such a good talk: very inspirational, knows how to act depending on the audience. So so funny, which helped to make us interested. Loved it!"
"Really enjoyed the session. Told me some stuff that I didn't know before. I also enjoyed the jokes"
"Great to see someone getting us actively involved in our future! Funny and relatable too."
'This was the only careers talk that has ever been engaging to me! Amazing"
"I have now learnt more about what my future could hold"
Y10 STUDENTS, OUTWOOD ACADEMY CARLTON
"100% come back! Amazing presentation! Great atmosphere, and enthusiasm, love it!"
"Such a good talk: very inspirational, knows how to act depending on the audience. So so funny, which helped to make us interested. Loved it!"
"Really enjoyed the session. Told me some stuff that I didn't know before. I also enjoyed the jokes"
"Great to see someone getting us actively involved in our future! Funny and relatable too."
'This was the only careers talk that has ever been engaging to me! Amazing"
"I have now learnt more about what my future could hold"
Y10 STUDENTS, OUTWOOD ACADEMY CARLTON
AFTER A SESSION DELIVERED AS PART OF HEPPSY+ COLLABORATIVE OUTREACH PROGRAMME INITIATIVE
Push host Future Talks,
in collaboration with Next Steps South West
|
|
In 2017 Push was proud to host Future Talks - an annual event for students across Plymouth featuring an array of inspirational and motivational speakers. The theme this year was 'Hopes and Dreams'. This was in proud collaboration with Next Steps South West, the National Collaborative Outreach Programme (NCOP) consortia for Devon, Cornwall and Somerset. Above is a 27 minute snippet, if you'd rather just see the highlights click here.
"It was really good but even better when we were told what we need to start thinking about and what we need more of"
"A very fun way of learning. Very helpful"
"Fun and a good way of getting points across"
Y10 STUDENTS, OUTWOOD ACADEMY SHAFTON
"A very fun way of learning. Very helpful"
"Fun and a good way of getting points across"
Y10 STUDENTS, OUTWOOD ACADEMY SHAFTON
AFTER A SESSION DELIVERED AS PART OF HEPPSY+ COLLABORATIVE OUTREACH PROGRAMME INITIATIVE
"Push presented to our year 12 cohort in January 2018. Given their normal diet of external speakers, they may have been forgiven for a lack of exuberance coming into the assembly, however how this changed. Push delivered an inspirational talk in a manner that relates to the students and that was engaging, informative and amusing in equal measure! On speaking to the students afterwards, they were all very complimentary both about the method of delivery and the message they received. Push also very promptly followed up the delivery with an e-mail to the students outlining the different methods of support available . I am already booking them in for the next talk and cannot recommend them highly enough."
- ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, TOLLBAR SIXTH FORM
case study: next steps south west
|
Since September 2017, Push have collaborated with Next Steps South West on a number of different activities.
St. Cuthbert Mayne 'Love What you Do' event:
The school and Next Steps South West trusted Push to kickstart the journey through sixth form for their new year 12s. We provided a funny and interactive session designed to help students consider what they want from life and how they might achieve – this is done by making informed decisions and taking proactive steps over the next few years, both inside and outside the classroom.
The session, as all our workshops are, was tailored to exactly what the students needed at this stage in their personal and professional development. We incorporated the Next Steps team into our event by devoting the final hour of the session to student questions.
The task we set year 12 students was to write a question on something that worried them about their choices, over a 15 minute break, ready to ask during the final part.
We had an amazing array of questions. The blended approach to advice, involving both the Push presenter and the local NCOP delegates proved to be incredibly impactful and inspiring for the 65 students who attended, based on the feedback we took from every student (in the way of a Next Steps South West evaluation form).
In answer to the evaluation question "What two key things did you find most useful from today’s activity?" students wrote:
St. Cuthbert Mayne 'Love What you Do' event:
The school and Next Steps South West trusted Push to kickstart the journey through sixth form for their new year 12s. We provided a funny and interactive session designed to help students consider what they want from life and how they might achieve – this is done by making informed decisions and taking proactive steps over the next few years, both inside and outside the classroom.
The session, as all our workshops are, was tailored to exactly what the students needed at this stage in their personal and professional development. We incorporated the Next Steps team into our event by devoting the final hour of the session to student questions.
The task we set year 12 students was to write a question on something that worried them about their choices, over a 15 minute break, ready to ask during the final part.
We had an amazing array of questions. The blended approach to advice, involving both the Push presenter and the local NCOP delegates proved to be incredibly impactful and inspiring for the 65 students who attended, based on the feedback we took from every student (in the way of a Next Steps South West evaluation form).
In answer to the evaluation question "What two key things did you find most useful from today’s activity?" students wrote:
|
|
'Aspire to HE' at Eden event:
Next Steps South West approached Push over the summer about how we could excite and inspire NCOP target students. These students were from Cornwall, and had been invited to attend an all-day event at the Eden Project. This involved various activities to inform students in the region about the range of higher education options available (and to dispel myths around degrees, university and student finance).
The day was launched by higher education representatives from Truro & Penwith College and Cornwall College Newquay. Then introduced were Push presenters Moj Taylor (award-winning actor and comedian) and Katie Lyons (writer and feature film actress, as well as runner of 'Ladders', an activity created for year 8s and 9s visiting Goldsmiths University of London).
Both presenters expressed to the students how they were the first to go to university in their respective families. They ran an interactive 90 minute Push workshop on how to explore careers, make work not feel like work, and how higher education can be a pathway to personal and professional success.
The day then consisted of career stall speed-dating after lunch, followed by another Q&A activity set by Push. This included an activity where all students who had been encouraged over their break to write a question anonymously on a piece of blank paper handed their queries in. They were asked to place their paper in buckets (used from a previous Push game) to be pulled out on-the-spot and answered one by one.
This was achieved through a Q&A with a panel of student ambassadors (all studying in the region, and on different courses). Push led the Q&A, with Moj retrieving questions from the bucket, Katie choosing an ambassador to answer the question, and both presenters adding their expertise on each topic discussed.
Students said they found this incredibly useful, and we were able to provide the Next Steps South West evaluation and engagement delegates with all the questions from the day.
This was a great way to get inside the students' heads and see what worries them about higher education.
Next Steps South West approached Push over the summer about how we could excite and inspire NCOP target students. These students were from Cornwall, and had been invited to attend an all-day event at the Eden Project. This involved various activities to inform students in the region about the range of higher education options available (and to dispel myths around degrees, university and student finance).
The day was launched by higher education representatives from Truro & Penwith College and Cornwall College Newquay. Then introduced were Push presenters Moj Taylor (award-winning actor and comedian) and Katie Lyons (writer and feature film actress, as well as runner of 'Ladders', an activity created for year 8s and 9s visiting Goldsmiths University of London).
Both presenters expressed to the students how they were the first to go to university in their respective families. They ran an interactive 90 minute Push workshop on how to explore careers, make work not feel like work, and how higher education can be a pathway to personal and professional success.
The day then consisted of career stall speed-dating after lunch, followed by another Q&A activity set by Push. This included an activity where all students who had been encouraged over their break to write a question anonymously on a piece of blank paper handed their queries in. They were asked to place their paper in buckets (used from a previous Push game) to be pulled out on-the-spot and answered one by one.
This was achieved through a Q&A with a panel of student ambassadors (all studying in the region, and on different courses). Push led the Q&A, with Moj retrieving questions from the bucket, Katie choosing an ambassador to answer the question, and both presenters adding their expertise on each topic discussed.
Students said they found this incredibly useful, and we were able to provide the Next Steps South West evaluation and engagement delegates with all the questions from the day.
This was a great way to get inside the students' heads and see what worries them about higher education.