Project summary

[This content was written by human and checked by an AI, it represents an actual project. See imce.institute for more]

The Institute for Metacognitive Education (IMCE) www.imce.institute is seeking £35,000 to develop and test educational tools that help young people strengthen their agency, build emotional resilience and protect their agency in a world of advanced adaptive and relational influence.

We have developed an entire solution over the last few years, and have called this project "Experience Studies" the missing layer in modern education. The project explores how the mind shapes experience: how we interpret reality recognise influence and create space between a stimulus and our response. We teach children what to think, but not what thinking is, or how our perception can be influenced. This project aims to address that.

Starting in Cambridge, we will work with young people, teachers and parents to refine and pilot workshops and toolkits all drawn from this initial work. Feedback and evaluation will guide the development of digital versions, which helps us expand access.

What are this project's goals? How will you achieve them?

Our primary goal is to create the evidence that enables a major shift in education that we believe is essential. Through Experience Studies, we want to give young people practical ways to understand their own minds, recognise influence, make more considered choices, and remain self-directing.

Over 12 months, we will work towards three connected goals:

1. Develop and test a practical offer in Cambridge.
We will refine our workshops and printed toolkits with young people, teachers and parents, drawing on Psynapp, our existing framework. Sessions will combine physical activities, discussion and reflection, exploring attention, interpretation and the pause between stimulus and response. Digital safety will be woven into this work, including recognising manipulation, questioning AI-generated advice and protecting personal information.

We will begin with a small number of school and community relationships, including the pilot being developed with Newton Primary School. Feedback will shape the language, activities and supporting guidance before we extend delivery.

2. Establish what participants gain and what needs improving.
We will use short activities before and after workshops, participant feedback and follow-up with educators to explore whether people can recognise influences on their thinking, consider alternative interpretations and apply the ideas in everyday situations. We hope to involve an academic research partner in refining this evaluation.

We will publish what we learn, including limitations and findings that challenge our assumptions. The aim is to build early evidence of usefulness and understand where further testing is needed.

3. Translate the learning into an accessible digital toolset.
We will use the pilot findings to select suitable activities for interactive digital delivery, then develop and test an initial version. This will give participants opportunities to revisit the ideas and help educators use them beyond a workshop. Feedback tools will support improvement while keeping personal data collection to a minimum.

By the end of the project, we aim to have a tested set of physical resources, an initial digital toolset and a public evaluation report. These will provide a foundation for wider delivery through schools and community partners, alongside paid workshops, training and resources that can help sustain the work.

How will you know it worked?

We will look for simple, practical signs that people can use what they have learned: recognising influence, pausing before reacting and making more considered choices, including online.

Short activities before and after workshops will help us see what participants have understood. Follow-up conversations with young people, teachers and parents will explore whether the ideas are being used in everyday life.

We will also ask what was useful, what was confusing and what needs to change. The same approach will guide testing of the digital tools.

We will share what we learn in a public report, including what did not work. Success means useful changes for participants and resources that people want to keep using.

How will this funding be used?

The £35,000 will support three stages of work over 12 months:

1. Cambridge pilot — £9,300
Refining and printing the teaching toolkits, with input from an education editor and teacher; running workshops with local schools and community groups; and covering outreach, materials, insurance and travel.

2. Digital toolset — £14,000
Turning selected workshop activities into interactive digital tools. This includes design, development and testing, alongside simple ways for participants and educators to give feedback.

3. Evaluation and wider delivery — £11,700
Reviewing what we learn, improving the physical and digital resources, publishing a report and supporting delivery through further school and community partners.

The work will be staged so that findings from the Cambridge pilot guide what we develop digitally and how we expand. If we receive partial funding, we will prioritise a smaller local pilot and the materials needed to deliver it.

Who is on your team? What's your track record on similar projects?

IMCE is currently led by me, James Engwell. My background combines service design, media production, mindfulness teaching and experience as a youth trauma counsellor. Being the parent of a struggling teenager also helped shape the questions behind this work.

Over the past five years, I have developed Psynapp, the framework underpinning our workshops and resources. It began as a simple practical tool for managing overthinking and grew through research, writing and informal testing. I have explored the approach with around 30 people, mainly young adults, and shared 50 printed copies to help refine its language and presentation.

We are developing a school pilot with Newton Primary School in Cambridge and exploring an academic research partnership. Funding will allow me to bring in an editor with education experience, a teacher to help develop resources and technical support for the digital tools.

This is IMCE’s first project of this scale. My relevant experience is in developing ideas into practical tools and improving them through participation and feedback. The pilot will help establish our delivery track record and build evidence of the approach’s usefulness.

What are the most likely causes and outcomes if this project fails?

The most likely risks are difficulty securing time in schools, trying to develop too much at once, or finding that the ideas do not translate into tools people use beyond a workshop. The digital work could also take longer or cost more than expected.

If these problems arise, we may reach fewer people, delay the digital toolset or need to substantially rethink the materials. Participants might enjoy the sessions without gaining lasting benefits, which would limit the case for wider delivery.

We will begin with a small pilot, seek honest feedback and develop the digital tools only as the findings justify them. If the approach does not show enough promise, we will report that openly and revise or stop the parts that are not working. A smaller, useful result would be preferable to expanding an approach we cannot yet support with evidence.

How much money have you raised in the last 12 months, and from where?

I have funded the entire venture from my personal savings to date. No external funding has been raised in the last 12 months as we have been working on developing the core materials. I have recently applied for an £8,000 UnLtd Starting Up Award, and am now actively fundraising to help make sure we can deliver.