Chemistry Residential 2026

From 30th March to 2nd April 2026, the Salters’ Institute delivered a chemistry themed residential for care experienced young people at the National STEM Learning Centre, York. 28 participants aged 11-18 took part in the trip. The residential was delivered in partnership with First Star, a charity dedicated to supporting young people in care and raising their aspirations.

During the residential, participants took part in a wide range of practical science sessions, using the STEM Learning Centre’s excellent lab facilities. The practicals covered a wide range of topics, including microscopy, chromatography, pharmaceutical chemistry and polymers. To complement the hands-on lab experiences, we had a workshop session delivered by Become, a charity that support young people into work or education, entitled Pathways to Your Future.

 

“This was the best trip I’ve ever been on. The staff treated us like we mattered and  believed we could do it. I didn’t know anything about STEM careers before, but now I  want to work in something science-related when I’m older.”

“This was the best trip I’ve ever been on. The staff treated us like we mattered and believed we could do it. I didn’t know anything about STEM careers before, but now I want to work in something science-related when I’m older.”

On the final day, we visited to the University of York Department of Chemistry. The participants visited the teaching lab, which are large modern facilities used by current undergraduate students. This was a great chance for the participants to see what it would be like to study chemistry at a higher level, and picture themselves as potential scientists!

We received great feedback from the participants, with 85% reporting felt confident or very confident in science following the residential. This quote from a participant sums up the impact that programmes like this can have:

“I didn’t think science was for me before, especially chemistry. But actually doing the experiments and seeing how it links to real jobs made me think I could do this one day. It’s the first time I’ve thought about a career like that.”

 

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