FESTIVAL PROGRAMME
Be sure to download the festival programme with background to the event
Every day:
10.00 - 12.00 : Rocket Kids Club
2.00 - 5.00 : Art Connects Show
7.00 - 12.00 : After Dark
What an epic festival we had. Each day packed full of interviews and activities all live streamed from our STEAM Co. love streaming studio in a camper van!
DAY 2 : SATURDAY - Sally’S DAY
(A Day dedicated to MUMS AND all CREATIVE CARERs)
Below are the full length videos for the whole festival or if you’d prefer, below that are each individual section of the weekend broken down into shorter little videos for you to enjoy!
10:00 The ART of SEACROFT
Day 2 of our #AimHigh20 festival finds us on the Seacroft Estate in Leeds connecting and collaborating with the local community there. Find out how ordinary mums go out of their way to move mountains and make incredibly heart-warming magic happen.
Nick kicks off the day with a story about generosity. Click play to check it out …
10:30 Build Your Cardboard Rocket
Will Alexander - an artist who has taken his life-sized cardboard creations all over the world - joins us from his current residency at the Trinity Bouy Wharf on the River Thames in London for a workshop on building a solid rocket with a bit of tape and cardboard! So pull the kids away from the telly, and get soaringly creative …
But first, admire his Tracy Island, and Nick’s story about how they met!
11:00 Paint A guitar Like Picasso
Art specialist and creative practitioner Emma-Jo Bairstow brings out the Picasso in all of us in this fun painting workshop. Get your pencils and paints out and explore your own Blue Period.
12:00 a mission to mars
now>press>play is an immersive audio resource that engages primary school children in the curriculum through emotion, imagination, and movement. In a now>press>play experience, every child is given a pair of wireless headphones. Immersed in sound, they become the main character in a story, meeting people, discovering places, and solving problems on an educational adventure they’ll never forget. As part of STEAM Co.’s #AimHigh20 festival, Tilly Brooke takes us on a mission to Mars. Tune in and enjoy the ride.
12:30 writing inspirations
If you are a parent who passionately believes getting your child excited about writing is a herculean task, well, our guest Simon Blower will make you think again. Listen in and discover tips from this experienced primary school leader and co-founder of Pobble, a company that helps kids become great writers.
13:00 A conversation with Chris Tolson
A favourite of ours, The Academy at St James headteacher pops in from Bradford for a chat with Nick, bigging up the wonderful work being done across the country by some great creative carers.
13:30 Keeping Up with Chris Dyson
A stalwart supporter of our mission, much of what STEAM Co. does is owed to this inspiring individual and headteacher at Parklands Primary. When Nick Corston says, “We wouldn’t be anything without you”, it is 100% truth about Chris Dyson.
14:30 vestalia chilton On art for all
This lady is on a mission, and we adore her for it! Together with the Kensington & Chelsea Art Week committee, this West London enthusiast aims to create a festival which does not divide the borough. Instead, she seeks to connect its various neighbourhoods through art and culture and encourage greater co-collaboration and co-funding between private and public sectors. Tune in for this very inspiring exchange …
15:30 Youth Activism @Pupil power
18-year-old Aliyah York is a force to be reckoned with. This East Londoner divides her time between studying for her A-levels and engaging in youth activism. Most notably she is the founder of The Pupil Power, which supports and advocates for work that tackles educational inequality. Aliyah believes every child deserves access to a fair and quality education. She has been nominated for the 2020 Entrepreneur of Excellence Award at The National Diversity Awards.
16:00 Business in your hand
If you have got big dreams and in need of some not-so-magic tools with which to harness your powers to make them come true, Andrew Bernard is the man to listen to. Among other qualifications, he is Director of National Careers Week. Get energised and bring your future to life by acquiring pertinent skills while staying happy and fulfilled.
16:30 The art of leadership
Continuing steadily on the theme of self-empowerment and unlocking potentials, Drew Povey delivers a few tips on sharpening your leadership skills and changing the world. This influential leadership authority holds a unique multi sector viewpoint on creating innovative and sustainable change. He has over twenty years' experience working in elite level sport, education and business.
17:00 The Best kids books to read
If it has been written, Richard Simpson has likely read it! There is not a bigger book worm (and STEAM Co. supporter) in the world than this brilliant teacher from the Isle of Wight! Have a listen as he tells about the best books this season. Happy reading!
19:00 fiREPIT CHAT WITH CHRIS SULLIVAN
STEAM Co. ambassador, dad, impresario, and filmmaker, Chris Sullivan talks to award winning Scottish rapper and social commentator, Loki. Authentic and straight from the heart, he delves into stories of young men and women in Scotland overcoming adversity to express themselves in often-challenging circumstances - many a masterpiece was written on an empty stomach … The short-sightedness of government spending on the arts in the past 30 years, and the vulgarities of the class system are discussed. Working on his second book, Loki talks about being suddenly recognisable UK-wide and regarded with a certain of reverence and the intricacy of commenting on the middle class from a middle-class perspective. Plus, he recites one of his poems live on screen, find out which. A conversation not to miss!
20:00 NiGHT Trail Lantern Procession
We hoped to have a proper night trail around the Seacroft Estate, but of course, Covid restricted all of that. But not to worry, because children in schools across the country, including 100 at Parklands Primary created lanterns for the virtual procession this evening. Check out the mass Zoom session where they walk round their own communities holding their lanterns. Meet a few local kids and parents from the Seacroft Estate aiming higher than high.
20:30 The Spencer Clan Rock the House
With tireless support from their awesome father Bradley Spencer, 11-year-old busker Alex and his 7-year-old brother Luca, connected with STEAM Co. after they reposted their own mashed up version of the Co-op's Christmas ad featuring a similar lad and his brother busking. The two young boys join us live this evening from their living room stage in Manchester for an amped up and festive evening of great originals and covers. The very essence of community collaboration!
21:00 get up again, And again
No introduction needed. Meeting this incredible man set the tone for the entire #AimHigh20 festival. Boff Whalley, a legend from Leeds and lead guitarist for the anarcho-punk, folk-rock group Chumbawamba, whose Millennium Hit, ‘Tubthumping’, IS our anthem. The essence of the spirit STEAM CO. wishes to instil in all kids. In everyone.
“I get knocked down, but I get up again
You are never gonna keep me down”
Enough said. But there is more. Thanks to his sense of community, we are recording #OurXmasNo1 version of #ComeOnInFromTheCold by the Commoners Choir, Boff’s brainchild. The song is inspired by how Chris Dyson at Parklands helps feed their community at Christmas. We want to nail the sing-along version and donate proceeds to the Trussell Trust. You can help us smash it here! Enjoy this warm encounter, plus a surprise musical collaboration between two generous lads from Leeds.
21:30 Tytania rocks tracy island!
How our cardboard Tracy Island stage held up under the energy of headliners Tytania is a mystery! The band is led by a young music teacher from Parklands Primary, Luke Goodwin, who has only been at the school for 12 weeks yet has managed to unleash an inspiring music curriculum that the children simply would not have had access to otherwise. The band came together through a love for music, an unfathomable list of shared interests and an insatiable desire to have fun. Together, Tytania have amassed a loyal and dedicated following by taking their undeniably infectious and upbeat live show to every major town and city throughout the UK.