My daughter came home from nursery very upset one day. Her friend Alis had told her she couldn’t be a farmer because she was a girl. I knew that just telling her this wasn’t enough. So, I had an idea—what if I could show her that it wasn’t true? We FaceTimed my friend Cerys, a farmer in West Wales, and as soon as my daughter saw that Cerys had red hair just like her, she was convinced— “that could be me!” She ran upstairs to build a Lego tractor and feed her cuddly farm animals. In that moment, I thought, what if I could recreate more moments like this for children across the country?
That’s how Romodels was born.
The Challenge: You Can’t Be What You Don’t See
Many children only imagine the roles they encounter in their day-to-day lives, missing out on all the exciting possibilities in an ever-changing world. Career aspirations of students have frozen in the past twenty years, while the economy has evolved rapidly (OECD). Children are frequently encouraged to explore career possibilities too late in their academic life, often in ‘one-off’ events, with the careers they are exposed to limited to those that are ‘traditional’ in nature, led by professionals who do not ‘look like’ or ‘sound like’ them.
The Aim: Building Skills for the Future
At Romodels, we believe in a world where all children have the freedom to dream and the opportunity to reach their full potential. Romodels provides early immersion into dynamic future careers and skillsets. Our aim is to inspire primary-aged children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, by helping young learners discover people in innovative careers. We believe that by introducing learners to people tackling global challenges, working in future-focused fields like sustainability, technology, and engineering, we can help them develop the skills of the future. By showcasing Romodels from across Wales, who look like them or come from similar backgrounds, or are breaking stereotypes, we aim to open up a world of future career possibilities.
Through our bilingual learning portal, Romodels provides interactive missions set by the Romodels themselves. covering key aspects of their roles. These missions are aligned with Curriculum for Wales, designed to equip learners with essential skills like problem-solving, creativity and teamwork. By engaging with Romodels, children are encouraged to see themselves as future leaders and changemakers, whether that's technology, science, entrepreneurship, or any field they're passionate about.
This year we aim to reach 10,000 children
A Call to Socially-Led Firms: Help Us Shape the Future
Romodels thrives through collaboration, and we’re calling on socially-led firms across Wales to get involved by sharing their stories and expertise. If you’re a mission-led business, let’s work together to bring more Romodels (role models) into classrooms and shape a brighter future for all children.
Get in touch at [email protected], follow us on Instagram @romodelsschools1, Facebook Romodels for Schools, or visit our website at www.romodels.org to learn more about how you can get involved. |
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