Empowering Youths in STEM through the Arts Erasmus Project

Project Title

Empowering Youths in STEM through the Arts

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; Creativity and culture; Research and innovation

Project Summary

Our priority is that through this project all project partners will be collaborating with the youth workers and with the youth to engage them in informal education in relation to STEAM and science communication. Moreover, sharing the knowledge and experiences would enhance the projects’ outputs; namely the interactive resource including a high quality video of a science show, and public speaking/ debate skills sets.

Youth participation strengthens personal and social development, provides expertise for youth programmes and services, and promotes a more democratic society. In the context of complex inter-generational challenges such as climate change and sustainable development, it is increasingly important for scientists and policy-makers to actively engage with and support the meaningful participation of youth in policy and decision-making.

Art, theatre and storytelling will be used as media for youth upskilling and engagement. The first phase of the project will involve a triangulation research with youth and the surrounding communities and a training programme by a well established cultural organisation in which together with the youth entity will provide a comprehensive upskilling programme for science communicators on collaborating with youth.

Using the research and the training through several matchmaking sessions youth workers, science communicators, artists and the youth will work together to produce the interactive resource. Transnational meetings will be used for the science centres, youth agency and the artistic organisation to monitor progress and plan ahead.

Upon its completion the interactive resource will be presented during the three non formal multiplier events named Youth Science Cafes. During these multiplier events youth will be actively involved in their organisation and will also actively participate in the science show and science cafe. These multiplier events will be targeting more youths through the participation from the surrounding communities.

Through these cafes, youths are presented with the opportunity to speak about their involvement in informal education; in connection to science communication and STEAM subjects. Furthermore, the interactive resource would be freely available to the public on the Websites of science centres. The innovative aspect of this project is that the science show would be developed on the basis of research conducted as part of this project in collaboration with the Youth Agency, involving the youths.

Further more, a concluding conference would be held in Malta bringing together representatives from stakeholders in non formal education, science communication, youth work, youths and the art sectors. The conference will enable sharing of best practices and experiences, dissemination of the project outputs through the active involvement of the youths and specific workshops.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 132915 Eur

Project Coordinator

Esplora Interactive Science Centre & Country: MT

Project Partners

• FUNDACION BANCARIA CAIXA D’ESTALVISI PENSIONS DE BARCELONA LA CAIXA
• STICHTING NATIONAAL CENTRUM VOOR WETENSCHAPS- EN TECHNOLOGIECOMMUNICATIE
• Inizjamed
• AGENZIJA ZGHAZAGH