Insight: Planting Seeds of Change
By Catrin Darsley and Katy Lewis, Edited by Annie McKenzie
In an era defined by climate urgency, how do we inspire the next generation to act with hope rather than fear? For 96 students from Years 8 to 11 across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, the answer unfolded in the gentle wonder of pond dipping and the exchange of ideas about careers that could shape a sustainable future.
Insight is a multi-year University support scheme for Pupil Premium students, run by the Widening Participation team within the Student Admissions and Access division, designed to raise attainment and challenge assumptions about higher education from the early stages of their secondary school journey. Working with students from targeted schools in Cambridgeshire, including Cambridge, the Fens and Peterborough. The intervention runs from Year 8 to Year 11, aiming to build academic confidence and skills. Sessions take place on visit days to the University of Cambridge, at partner schools, and online.
For the second year running, Cambridge Zero partnered with Insight to put climate change and sustainability at the centre of student learning. Students explored how environmental issues impact their lives, studies and the careers they could one day pursue through hands-on workshops and open discussions.
From the Classroom to the Field:
Through Cambridge Zero, Insight students were invited to step into the living world of climate and sustainability. They attended a one-day Sustainability Conference to hear from University researchers, and explored nearby nature reserves to discover the fragile beauty of their ecosystems. These experiences helped students to see the threads connecting global environmental challenges, the landscapes that they know, and the careers and futures they might one day pursue.
Widening Participation Coordinator at the University of Cambridge, Katy Lewis, said that Cambridge Zero's Catrin Darsley and Dr Amy Munro-Faure brought climate and sustainability topics to life for students in the programme. The field trips offered a valuable opportunity for students to observe local biodiversity first-hand and to begin exploring how these global issues connect to their own lives.
We hope the experience has planted seeds of curiosity that will continue to grow.
Katy Lewis, Widening Participation Coordinator at the University of Cambridge.
Sustainability Conference: A Kaleidoscope of Climate Perspectives
Held in April, the Sustainability Conference welcomed 62 Insight students from Years 9 to 11 for a day of lectures led by University of Cambridge academics and researchers.
Each speaker offered a unique lens on climate and sustainability:
- Dr Jinx St Léger explored the power of problem-solving for engineers.
- Felicia Collins (pictured below) shared conservation efforts in Guyana and more locally at Wicken Fen.
- Professor David Reiner unpacked the political science of climate action.
- Dr Tom Norton examined behavioural and organisational psychology.
- Dr Antoinette Nestor discussed the intersection of climate and law.
- Dr Sam Stephenson tackled the economics of delivering a zero-carbon future.
The conference concluded with an all-female careers panel, led by Catrin Darsley (Education Manager, Cambridge Zero). The panel showcased how sustainability can be woven into careers across science, policy, innovation and conservation.
“Today I’ve learnt about applying sustainability in my future career and thinking more about the more specific career choices available to me. It has made me think about the economic impact of environmental choices.”
Students responded to an anonymous questionnaire.
Fieldwork and Biodiversity: Learning in Nature’s Classroom
In June 2025, 34 Year 8 Insight students ventured into the wild, choosing between Wicken Fen near Cambridge and Nene Park near Peterborough. Activities such as pond dipping and insect trap monitoring gave students a hands-on look at local biodiversity. Talks from nature wardens and contextual insights from Dr Amy Munro-Faure (Head of Education and Student Engagement, Cambridge Zero) and Catrin Darsley (Education Manager, Cambridge Zero) helped students link their observations to global climate issues and personal interests, such as sport, to environmental roles.
Through locally grounded engagement, students left with a clearer understanding of how sustainability plays out in their own communities and how they might shape its future. The journeys stirred something deeper; science no longer sat in textbooks, but surfaced in the quiet choreography of pond ecosystems, where every ripple told a story of balance, resilience, and renewal, revealing sustainability as a living story they were now part of.
The Insight programme is organised and delivered by the University of Cambridge’s Widening Participation team. Cambridge Zero would like to thank Holly Rowe, Katy Lewis and Ruairí McLarnon for their support this year, and commitment to inclusive outreach and climate engagement.
