Science has always played a key role in the achievement of a sustainable world. According to the UN Secretary‐General’s Scientific Advisory Board (UNSG SAB), Science is critical to help meet the challenges for sustainable development as it lays the foundation for new approaches, solutions and technologies to identify, clarify and tackle global challenges for the future. Science provides answers that are testable and reproducible, and thus provide the basis for conclusive decision‐making processes and effective impact assessments. Both in its scope of study as well as applications, science spans from the understanding of natural processes and human impacts thereon to the organization of social systems, the contribution of science to health and well‐being, and on ways to improve subsistence and livelihood strategies so as to meet the overriding goal of poverty reduction. Moreover, an everyday dangerously growing distrust in science seems to be spreading among the population. This loss of trust can sometimes lead to dangerous consequences. For example, anti-vaccine movements are believed to have contributed to low rates of immunisation against the highly contagious disease in countries such as Italy and Romania, which have both seen a recent spike in infections. New data published by ECDC in the Communicable Disease Threat Report (CDTR) show that the highest number of measles cases since 1 January 2017 were reported in Romania (8 274), Italy (4 885) and Germany (919). The spread of measles across Europe is due to suboptimal vaccination coverage in many EU/EEA countries: of all measles cases reported during the one-year period 1 December 2016 to 30 November 2017 with known vaccination status, 87% were not vaccinated. When people say they don’t like science, it’s most likely because of a bad experience they had during the learning process. This “educational trauma” often turn into a rejective attitude towards scientific subjects and sometimes the scientific community. It’s important, then, to foster science education and improve the learning process. Non-formal learning revealed itself to be a powerful tool in the field of education, but when it comes to science a lack of methods is experienced. Through a strategic partnership, the partners, involving both figures from formal and non-formal sectors, will create an online platform fully dedicated to Non-Formal Science Education, containing at least 18 Non- Formal methods and a forum to let people interested in science and Non-Formal Education network, discuss and propose their own methods. The aim of the project is to foster improvements in school science education, preventing disengagement in science caused through Educational trauma. The following objectives have been identified - Develop new methods in science education that foster student engagement and inquisitiveness - Share and utilise best practices from Non formal education within the school sector - Develop an active network of pedagogues with a commitment to innovation in science learning - Foster the recognition of the role of science in society and daily life The target group addressed by the methods will be students aged between 11 and 14 years old, the partners believe that these are the years where the action can me more effective. The dissemination activity will target: teachers, youth workers, youth organisation representatives, educational institution representatives and individuals intending to work in the field of science education. Moreover, to rebuild the interest and trust in science a strong dissemination action is necessary. Social medias seem to be the strongest disseminative tool at the moment, so a series of video about the importance of science in society will be created to be spread on them. Science is universal, social and cultural barriers are meaningless and inefficient in the scientific world. This is why it is so powerful when it comes global challenges and this is why it can be the basis for a transnational cooperation to achieve a sustainable world. At national, European and international level, if the population is fostering science it is then automatically fostering sustainability, as science has a key role in the achievement of a sustainable world on every aspect, directly and indirectly. From green technology to medical innovations, science has many times successfully addressed global challenges with a positive impact perceivable in everyday life. In this regards the project will contribute to the attainment of the EU2020 strategy and the future ambitious visions of the EU.
According to the UN Secretary‐General’s Scientific Advisory Board, Science is critical to help meet the challenges for sustainable development as it lays the foundation for new approaches, solutions and technologies to identify, clarify and tackle global challenges for the future. Both in its scope of study as well as applications, science spans from the understanding of natural processes and human impacts thereon to the organization of social systems, the contribution of science to health and well‐being, and on ways to improve subsistence and livelihood strategies so as to meet the overriding goal of poverty reduction. However, a growing distrust in science continues to spread among societies and this loss of trust can sometimes lead to dangerous consequences. For example, anti-vaccine movements are believed to have contributed to low rates of immunisation against highly contagious disease in countries such as Italy and Romania, which have both seen a recent spike in infections. During the project and the COVID-19 pandemic these issues have become more visible.Project Context When people say they don’t like science, it is often because of a bad experience they had during the learning process. This “educational trauma” often turns into a rejective attitude towards scientific subjects and sometimes the scientific community. It’s important, then, to foster science education and improve the learning process. Non-formal learning reveals itself to be a powerful tool in the field of education, but when it comes to science, the partners found there to be a distinct lack of non-formal learning methodologies for science education. Based on the above context, the partners aimed to foster improvements in school science education, preventing disengagement in science caused through educational trauma. The aim was addressed through the following project objectives: 1) Develop new methods in science education that foster student engagement and inquisitiveness 2) Share and utilise best practices from Non-formal education within the school sector 3) Develop an active network of pedagogues with a commitment to innovation in science learning 4) Foster the recognition of the role of science in society and daily life To fulfil the project objectives, a consortium of 6 diverse organisations worked together to develop, test, and disseminate two high quality intellectual outputs. Throughout the project there was a core team of circa 20 persons from the partner organisations, who contributed to the different stages of the project with specialised knowledge, skill and experience. As a result of well-functioning cooperation, the project resulted in the creation of: - A physical and digital book containing detailed instructions for the delivery of 26 non-formal learning methods for teaching science in schools. The methods primary target group are school children aged 11-14 years old. The methods address topics covered by school curriculum within the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, geology and computer science. - A series of 10 videos, that utilise current trends in social media and current debates to foster a broad recognition of the role of science in society - An active forum of pedagogues who are dedicated to high quality and engaging science education. The forum currently has circa 140 members. The new science education methods developed by the partners were tested during the project by 56 teachers and other pedagogues on 585 students and other learners. A training course was organised in which 28 members, volunteers and staff of the partner organisations were given the opportunity to meet together and develop a complete understanding of the developed outputs, and a shared commitment to exploiting the outputs for maximum impact. Physical multiplier events were organised in Romania, Turkey and Italy in which the outputs were presented to 96 relevant stakeholders who have expressed their intention to use and share the results of the project. The project results have been highly commended by those who have engaged with and benefited from it. The project’s intellectual outputs, activities and visibility has created a sense of a surging movement and engagement in discussion and action for improved science learning. Students across Europe are already benefitting from an increased focus on how to make science education relevant and engaging. At a local, national, and European level, if the population is fostering science it is automatically fostering sustainability, as science has a key role in the achievement of a sustainable world in every aspect. From green technology to medical innovations, science contributes to successfully addressing global challenges with a positive impact in everyday life. As such this project has contributed to the attainment of the EU2020 strategy and will continue to contribute to the EU’s social, economic and environmental ambitions, such as those within the EU Green Deal.