Growing tomorrow's changemakers
Programme participants spent an afternoon immersed in Ōtautahi’s aerospace ecosystem – experiencing the sector first-hand, meeting the people shaping it, and connecting what they saw to the future of aerospace.
Our Impact
To help launch Futures Lab's Aerospace for Good programme, we provided funding that enabled more young people to participate, regardless of financial circumstances.
The Story
For many young people, STEM can feel like a world reserved for scientists and engineers.
Kylie Horgan founded Futures Lab to change that.
Launching in Ōtautahi with its Aerospace for Good programme, Futures Labs invites students to contribute their unique skills to solving some of tomorrow's biggest challenges. Along the way, they discover that meaningful solutions require every kind of thinker, not just technical experts.
“It's about helping young people see that their ideas, perspectives and creative solutions have a place in the story,” says Kylie.
The eight to ten week programme brings together Year 11 students to explore futures thinking, systems thinking and innovation before working alongside industry leaders to tackle real challenges facing New Zealand's growing aerospace sector.
Students begin with online learning before visiting aerospace organisations, engaging with a diverse panel of experts, and collaborating to complete a 48-hour innovation challenge set by industry.
Sixty one students from 17 schools have enrolled in the pilot programme.
With support from the Tait Foundation, 30 students are participating free of charge, while funding has also reduced costs for many others.
For Kylie, ensuring access across different communities was non-negotiable.
“So often these kinds of opportunities depend on who you know or what school you go to. We wanted to open it up to everybody.”
The funding has also enabled Futures Labs to develop engaging online learning resources and bring together specialist expertise to create a programme unlike anything currently available in New Zealand.
Just as importantly, Kylie believes Tait’s contribution sends a powerful message to young people.
“When somebody invests in you, it tells you they believe in you.”
While the programme is only just beginning, Kylie’s long-term ambition is to run programmes throughout the country across a range of high-growth industries.
No matter where students are or what problems they tackle, she hopes they leave with a greater sense of agency and an understanding that it takes many minds working together to solve complex problems.
“The challenges we face as a planet are immense. To solve them, we definitely need engineers and scientists – but we also need entrepreneurs, communicators, creative thinkers, philosophers and ethicists. Everyone has a role to play.”
Starting with Aerospace for Good, Futures Labs is encouraging more young people to see themselves as part of that picture.
The Tait Foundation believes that opportunities for learning should be accessible to everyone. We’re proud to reduced the financial barriers for students participating in this exciting new programme.
