Last Friday (16th May 2014), Wessex Archaeology hosted an ‘inspiration day’ for students from the Jon Egging Trust.
The Trust’s Blue Skies Programme aims to inspire young people to help them reach their full potential. It offers a range of exciting activities and experiences for students who may be struggling with traditional learning techniques. This group of JET participants are in their first year of the programme.
Friday’s inspiration day introduced the students to archaeology through talks, demonstrations and practical activities. The day started with an introduction by Kirsten Egging-Dinwiddy, WA Osteoarchaeologist and Jon Egging’s cousin. The group were then able to go behind the scenes in the finds lab, speak to specialists from our diving team and explore the environmental department. The highlight of the day was a one-off lesson in how to make and use flint tools with Phil Harding.
The benefits of the day for both students and adults were clear, and the students said they felt “happy”, “fab” and “like an archaeologist” at the end of the day. The students will follow up this event with a visit to an archaeological site later this week to learn excavation and recording skills. Keep an eye on the news blog to see what they find.
