Outreach, Engagement and Participation

The Department of Psychology participates in a range of activities aimed at communicating with the world beyond the University.

Our aims are:

to explain our research and its implications for society
to understand what society wants from psychology and universities
to demonstrate that psychology is:
- interesting, exciting and current
- a biological and experimental science
- not a body of dusty facts but an active process that generates new valid answers to unsolved questions
to inspire young people to:
- study science at school and university
- study psychology at degree level
- make choices at school and college which will maximise their chances of finding a fulfilling course at a top university
- choose York :-)
to demonstrate that
- psychology is a subject that uniquely combines subject specific knowledge about human nature with scientific methods and the critical evaluation of wide-ranging evidence.
- psychology graduates are equipped with a powerful set of skills enabling them to apply scientific tools with a wide range of applications in industry, commerce, health, education and research.

To further these goals we carry out many outreach and engagement activities each year:

We participate in the University of York’s initiatives including Green Apples, YESS, Next Step York, Shine. These schemes are operated with participating schools by the university’s Recruitment and Widening Participation Team who can be contacted for further information.
We also take part in University Open Days, which are ideal for people aged 16-18 considering applying to York; younger visitors may like to find out more about different subject choices at university and entry requirements, while older students can focus on their chosen subject and reach an informed decision about which universities to apply to.
Each year in Summer we also run a Sixth-Form Conference, which enables visitors to experience ‘taster’ lectures, practicals and demonstrations, to meet our students and showcase their own work.
Individual staff are often invited to participate in public lectures, festivals, media appearances and local school visits, and we are sometimes able to arrange “virtual outreach sessions”, with schools, colleges and other organisations outside the region. If you have an idea that fits with our objectives and would like to get in touch please email alex.reid@york.ac.uk. Due to teaching and research commitments we are not able to accept all invitations.