On Wednesday 9th April 2025, Inspiring Choices and partners hosted the first ever Destinations Festival, held on campus at York St John University!
The festival was aimed at young people in Year 9 and above from any background who have an interest in attending University and would like to know more. There were professionals from a variety of careers sharing their advice at careers stands, drop-in sessions on how to apply for student finance and through UCAS, guidance and support for certain groups including students eligible for DSA (disabled students' allowance), and taster sessions with the Policing department at York St John University. There were also lots of other activities to get involved with like adding your own design to a collaborative art banner, creating hot water bottle covers and trying to set the fastest time on the rowing machine! It really was a fantastic day for all involved.
We would like to give a massive thank you to everyone who was involved in Destinations Festival for making the event a great success. We are also pleased to announce that Destinations Festival will be returning next year! More information is coming soon so for now, stay tuned for an update!
What the day looked like
In the main hub of the festival within the Creative Centre, the day started with a welcome talk. Information was issued regarding the day and what the Des Fes goers could expect. After this, the drop-in sessions began where the young people and their parents/carers could explore what was on offer at their own pace. This was a good chance to speak with and ask questions of professionals from a variety of different careers whilst taking part in fun activities. In parallel with the drop-in sessions, talks on student finance and applying through UCAS were also taking place. This was a nice opportunity for those attending to hear first hand experience of these processes from student ambassadors from York St John University and the University of York. On top of that there were lots of conversations had with representatives of differing institutions like University of York, CU Scarborough, Askham Bryan College and of course York St John. This gave the young people especially a clearer understanding of these higher education institutions and hopefully they went home feeling positive about HE.
Across campus, one of the Policing professionals from York St John University led a taster session and gave information about studying Policing at university. This was a great experience for the people involved as they got to see the crime scene house where mock crime scenes are created for students studying on the course. There was also chance for the Des Fes goers to take part in a treasure hunt across campus. With the help of some orienteering type skills, once arrived at the correct building, there was a question to answer related to that building. Those successfully answering all of the questions received an Inspiring Choices goodie bag to take away with them!
