TEN Jersey girls will travel to Silverstone later this month after a local organisation stepped forward to fund a pioneering STEM initiative.
Soroptimist International Jersey has agreed to sponsor the trip to the home of the British Grand Prix as part of the Girls on Track programme.
The joint initiative between the FIA and Motorsport UK holds events to inspire girls and women to both see and believe that there is a rightful and valuable place for them in the motorsport industry.
The Jersey students will have the chance to attend Formula Student, an international student engineering and motorsport competition which sees university teams design, build and race their own single-seat cars.
Sponsorship for the trip to Northamptonshire was secured following an appeal by Digital Jersey innovation manager Charlie Miles.
“STEM wasn’t something that was widely talked about when I was their age, and I was one of only five girls on my Formula Student team at university,” she explained.
“That’s why opportunities like this are so important. It’s also important that young girls in Jersey can see female role models succeeding in these industries and recognise that these careers are open to them too.”
Islanders took part in a selection event at Hautlieu School yesterday, where they worked in teams to design and build miniature Formula 1-inspired cars and complete an e-sim racing challenge.
Ten successful girls will be chosen to visit Silverstone later this month, but Ms Miles said the initiative was intended to have a lasting impact beyond the trip.
“This trip is about much more than a day away,” she said. “It’s the start of a journey that could influence these girls for years to come, helping build confidence, ambition and connections that may shape their future careers.”
Soroptimist International Jersey president Debbie Taylor said supporting the project was closely aligned with the organisation’s mission.
“Our mission is to improve the lives and status of women and girls through enablement, empowerment and enabling opportunities, and one of our principles is equality,” she explained.
“STEM is something we champion, as shown through our provision of STEM bursaries to Highlands College and the Sea Cadets.”
