Architect Mark Trotter has been awarded a 2013 Churchill Fellowship which will see him travel overseas to develop new architectural initiatives to enhance education facilities for disadvantaged and disengaged youth.
In honour of Sir Winston Churchill, the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust was formed to award Memorial Fellowships with the aim of providing opportunities for Australians to travel overseas to conduct research in their chosen field that is not readily available in Australia.
Currently more than 3700 of Australia’s greatest and brightest are included as Churchill Fellows.
Around 100 fellowships are awarded each year, with each person choosing their own projects which are diverse and innovative, and the result of extra endeavour showing strive for excellence.
Trotter will be visiting education facilities in Canada, United States of America, Ireland, Britain, Finland and Singapore.
“I propose to visit 16 exemplar schools in six OECD countries to see their facilities, meet with their designers and educators, understand their contexts and critique their success,” Trotter says.
“Each of these schools cater for different groups of disadvantaged or disengaged youth and represents alternative methods of re-engagement and empowerment.
“From this experience, I hope to develop new ideas for schools that address similar youth issues in the Australian context,” he says.
