Astræa Racing
Not just a car, but a community
Who We Are
We are a group of 15-17 year old girls from North London Collegiate School who are taking part in the F1 in Schools competition. Our team is composed of five students filling a multitude of roles, including those in charge of the engineering process, design elements, financial aspects and sponsorship components, each requiring a unique set of skills. Together, we will be preparing portfolios, creating sketches and car renderings, and culminating our work with a verbal presentation and race at the end to showcase our work to the judges.
Our Ethos
Our aim is not only to create a winning model, but to also create a community for aspiring engineers, and indeed the next generation of STEM professionals. As young women who are particularly interested in diversifying the sector, we are eager to promote a positive attitude to all students and show that nothing is stopping them from fulfilling their ambitions. Along with our intention to promote education in these subjects, we will also be trying to ensure that our product is as environmentally friendly as possible, to demonstrate that car racing can be sustainable.
As a result, we have decided to donate any remaining money to two charities- half of our money to The Turing Trust, and the other half to Trees for Life. Links to these and explanations are posted below:
The Turing Trust
This charity supports education in sub- Saharan Africa by reusing computers and improving teacher training using ICT. They provide skills development in the UK while reducing waste and contributing to an environmentally friendly society. They have reused over 5,700 PCs enabling more than 55,000 students to gain a digital education. They aim to build a more inclusive digital future, ensuring that every school can teach ICT effectively.
This resonated with us because we believe that technology is a vital part in aiding education and everyone has an equal right to learn.
Trees for Life
This charity is working to Rewild the Scottish Highlands, which has been reduced to only around 2% of its former extent due to severe deforestation over the years. Since the project began in 1989, they have planted nearly 2 million native trees and have protected numerous areas with fenced enclosures, in a bid to preserve biodiversity. Their work is carried out by volunteers, and includes things like native tree planting, non-native species removal, seed collection, fencing, and working in their Tree Nursery.
We felt that this charity was important to us because as a school, we support this charity and its work. It is our responsibility to protect the world that we live in, and despite our advances in technology, we must keep in mind the environment that enabled us to do so.