The two-year-project „Promoting Intercultural Science Education for Adults” (PISEA) aims at promoting intercultural awareness and competences in adult science education in informal science education institutions. With the ongoing refugee crisis, European societies are facing their greatest transformation and challenges for the last decades. Good-quality education and access to education play a decisive role for the successful integration of disadvantaged groups such as refugees and migrant groups into society as well as for social cohesion in European societies. Here, science centers, science museums and other adult science education institutions that use interactive, hands-on methods, can play a relevant role offering inclusive and accessible science education for adult refugees and migrants, but so far there is a lack of awareness on how to address these disadvantaged and diverse target groups and how to offer science education which is relevant for them. The objectives of the project therefore include: - raising awareness for intercultural issues and social inclusion, making it a priority for European institutions of informal adult science education - improving science educators´ competences regarding intercultural work and promotion of key competences of diverse groups migrants and refugees through resources and trainings - promoting the key competences of migrants and refugees (such as basic mathematics and science competences, language competences, social and communication skills and the ability of learning to learn) - encouraging intercultural dialogue by transforming the role of science centers and museums - networking and sharing expertise between refugee/migrant organisations and adult science learning institutions across Europe The project thus aims at elaborating a comprehensive set of innovative resources and measures to enable science centers and other institutions to offer relevant and interculturally sensitive science education for these target groups. The outputs of the project will include: - a definition of intercultural key competences for science educators/explainers - comprehensive training resources for science educators as well as management staff of science education institutions - a handbook with good-practise examples of tested science activities for/with adult refugees and migrants, tools for analysing and for promoting the institution’s intercultural competence The outputs and activities of the project will be disseminated at local, national and European levels through multiplier events, participation in conferences, and be easily accessible as Open Educational Resources on the partners’ websites and the EPALE database. Two transnational training events will be organised in order to train project partners and their staff in intercultural competences, specific science education approaches and the elaboration of relevant science education activities and formats for refugees and migrants. The project involves a total of 250 participants in trainings and multiplier events and further 250 direct participants (refugees and migrants) in small scale pilot activities. Indirectly about 6000 individuals will benefit through open access of outputs and several thousand individuals as visitors of science education institutions that were involved in the trainings and are applying their new competences. As for the innovative approach of integrating intercultural and inclusive aspects in science education in a systematic and strategic way, the project includes strong cooperation with a range of local refugee and migrant organisations in all partner countries, who will be involved as external experts and advisors from the start of the project. The project outputs will benefit from the strong European consortium, consisting of science education institutions, namely the Association ScienceCenter-Network in Vienna, Austria, the Science Center Città della Scienza in Naples, Italy, the Science Center NAVET in Borås, Sweden, the education and research institution Elinogermaniki Agogi in Greece, the educational think tank and science education institution Traces in Paris, France. The project organisation Missing Link of Caritas in Vienna, will contribute its profound expertise from the refugee and integration sector. All partners are well-linked to further national and European science education networks. Thus the expected impact at local, national and European levels will be: - greater awareness and commitment of science education institutions to their role in offering intercultural and inclusive science educationd - a professionalization of science educators/explainers in terms of intercultural competences and of effectively addressing diverse groups of refugees and migrants and their needs - specialised and accessible educational offers by science education institutions for disadvantaged target groups - a growing European community of “intercultural science education institutions” (mission statement)
The two-year-project „Promoting Intercultural Science Education for Adults” (PISEA) aimed at promoting intercultural awareness and competences in adult science education in informal science education institutions. The project started in 2017 after the refugee crisis had passed it’s climax. Because of the ongoing constant stream of refugees European societies faced their greatest transformation and challenges for the last decades. Good-quality education and access to education play a decisive role for the successful integration of disadvantaged groups such as refugees and migrant groups into society as well as for social cohesion in European societies. Science centers, science museums and other adult science education institutions that use interactive, hands-on methods can play a relevant role offering inclusive and accessible science education for adult refugees and migrants, but so far there was a lack of awareness on how to address these disadvantaged and diverse target groups and how to offer science education which is relevant for them. The objectives PISEA included: • Improving science educators´ competences regarding intercultural work and working with marginalized groups through resources and trainings • Encouraging intercultural dialogue by transforming the role of science centers and museums • Promoting key competences of migrants and refugees (such as basic mathematics and science competences, language competences, social and communication skills and the ability of learning to learn) • Networking and expertise sharing between refugee/migrant organisations and adult science learning institutions across Europe • Raising awareness for intercultural issues and social inclusion, making it a priority for European institutions of informal adult science education The project developed a comprehensive set of innovative resources and measures to enable science centers and other institutions to offer relevant and interculturally sensitive science education: • Key Competences for Science Educators, Facilitators, and Science Engagement Institutions: The idea of this set of Intercultural and Inclusive Key Competences for professionals in science engagement is to provide an overview of relevant and helpful competences and skills for working with marginalised groups of adult migrants and refugees. It is an extensive, but, of course, not complete list of competences and skills, that we as practitioners have found valuable. • Training Resources for Intercultural Training of Science Educators/Explainers: The professional development of science engagement institution staff and the development of intercultural key competences are essential for the initiation of deep and lasting intentional change. Scientific educators, facilitators and other staff members already possess many skills that are also useful for working with new audiences. For specific aspects and skills, staff may require additional training. This concrete and innovative tool offers practical tools for staff members to develop or improve their Intercultural competences. The resource is a series of training modules that are designed for use in training workshops. They can be held separately or as a tailor-made training course with several (or all) modules combined. • A Handbook for Adult Science Education Institutions that serves as a quick-start toolkit for institutions interested in improving their institution as inclusive science learning places for adult refugees and migrants and in offering relevant science learning activities. The handbook includes good practice examples and lessons learned from intercultural small scale activities, an intercultural/diversity scan for science centers and museums and examples of Intercultural mission statements. The outputs and activities of the project have been disseminated at local, national and European levels through multiplier events, participation in conferences, and are easily accessible as Open Educational Resources on the PISEA website, the partners’ websites, the EPALE database, the Scie-Citizens Smart Practices Repository, the AACMR e-library and others. Two transnational trainings were organised in order to train project partners and their staff in intercultural competences, specific science education approaches and the elaboration of relevant science education activities and formats for refugees and migrants. Several Pilots were conducted to develop and test small scale activities that promote basic science literacy and key competences of diverse refugee and migrant groups, or promote intercultural dialogue between refugees, migrants and other social groups.