Inspiring Young People to See Risk Differently: Safety Rocks at Silverstone Futures
Safety Rocks was proud to exhibit at the recent Silverstone Futures schools event, where close to 500 students aged 13–14 explored the breadth of STEM careers linked to motorsport and high-performance engineering.
For Safety Rocks (invited to the event by the Silverstone Technology Cluster), it was a powerful opportunity to show young people that risk management is not about danger – it’s about enabling people to do extraordinary things safely.
Founder Carla Crocombe said many students arrived with a narrow view of what ‘risk’ meant.
“At that age, a lot of young people only associate risk with something going wrong. We wanted to flip that thinking and show them how risk management is a science – and how it underpins everything from psychology in motorsport to medical roles, engineering, data and event operations.”
Throughout the day, the team helped students understand the range of careers connected to managing risk and keeping people safe. Many were surprised by the diversity of roles available.
“We heard so many say, ‘I’d love to do this job, but I don’t know how to get there.’ Being able to map out those pathways was incredibly rewarding,” added Carla.
Safety Rocks also signposted students to Girls on Track UK and the Motorsport UK Inclusion Hub, helping them discover accessible routes into the sport. This aligns closely with the organisation’s social purpose strategy, ensuring young people from all backgrounds can see themselves in STEM.
The event also revealed how much this generation has been shaped by COVID-19.
“Some students were very shy and anxious after long periods of isolation,” continued Carla.
“But once they got involved in the ‘design sprint’ – creating a car that could fly, move on water and on the road – they absolutely shone.”
Even those without an initial interest in motorsport left inspired, especially after seeing F1 Academy cars testing on track.
Safety Rocks will continue this momentum at a Girls on Track event in Suffolk on 19–20 May, helping even more young people discover the world of opportunity within motorsport and risk management.