As part of the Empowering Youths in STEM through the Arts E+ Project (2020-2-MT01-KA205-074304), Inizjamed one of our project partners, organised several online training sessions between the 20th and 22nd July, and 27th till the 29th of July. Throughout these sessions in relation to engaging youth in STEM, various topics were discussed such as the ethics of scientific research, fake news and misinformation on social media, and scientific writing, among others.
In continuation with the online training, Inizjamed planned another two-day training hosted at Esplora Interactive Science Centre. Representatives from Esplora Interactive Science Centre, NEMO Science Centre, Cosmo Caixa Barcelona, as well as youths and youth workers from Aġenzija Żagħżagħ joined this training between 13th and 14th of September. Throughout these days, several discussions, and team-working activities were held on concepts why youths between 16-24 years would be interested in joining the Science Centre. Throughout this training the collaboration between all project partners was highly visible, which in turn resulted in better cooperation to achieve the project’s objectives; that of developing an interactive resource specifically for youth between 16 to 24 years.
The youths joining this training were of a great benefit to the Science centre representatives, since they were able to directly ask them various questions of interest, and feedback was highly appreciated. The youths were able to open more on their ideas and provide their opinions with examples of various themes that the interactive resource would focus on.
From feedback gathered from the youths at the end of this training, they stated that they found this training very helpful in boosting their confidence. They highlighted how satisfied they felt that their ideas were being apprehended by adults, and through their participation, they were able to make a difference in how STEM- related subjects could be conveyed to youth.
Testimonials from the trainers of Inizjamed:
“With regards to the training personally I was pleased with its outcome. I was particularly impressed by the contribution of the youths. I really believe they were instrumental in providing the feedback required by science centres in order to be able to cater for visitors of this age group. I also feel that as a result, the project partners were able to collaborate and design an output which while fulfilling the Erasmus+ objectives, is also appealing to the general public specifically to the youth. The onsite training enabled project participants and partners to translate the more theoretical aspects provided by the online training into practice while also strengthening collaboration.”
Ms. Alexia Micallef Gatt- Trainer from Inizjamed
“I was very happy with the outcome of the onsite training. The youths were particularly cooperative, and all adult participants were interested in what the youths had to say. Furthermore, all participants were interested in how drama can be applied within their output, and I believe, the latter will be very successful, given the interest and commitment of everyone involved.”
Ms. Francis M.Saliba Hersey- Trainer from Inizjamed
Testimonials from youths
“I felt my confidence improve as I had the chance to meet new people, employees from foreign Science Centres and was given the chance to share my ideas and thoughts. I also built a better relationship with the youth workers. The science centre provided a stimulating experience as I met professionals who were also creative.”
“The training helped me to improve my confidence and encouraged a stronger bond with the youth workers. It increased communication through teamwork and helped to enhance the discussion since the setting offered a fun setting. The science centre was informative as it provided interesting and engaging hands-on science activities. It was a stimulating experience at the science centre since I met professionals who were also creative. It felt good to give feedback and to be listened to during the training, and to have the opportunity to get involved during the training. I am interested in participating in future similar events. Also, using the means of acting, I feel like it was a good way to help me speak my mind.”
Testimonials from Youth Workers
“The training gave me the chance to get to know the young people whom I have never worked with as the methodology used during the program made it easier to interact with them. The program was well balanced between the workshops and the discussions. It helped boost their confidence as they were given the chance to be heard. The science workers helped a lot during this process as they seemed to be very much involved and interested in what the young people had to say. It was an interesting experience especially since it is a field which I am not particularly knowledgeable at. I would be interested in taking part in similar trainings or pilot tests.”
“The training helped me to gain knowledge about the current ideas of how spaces can assist young people to fit in. It also helped us having a better understanding about the different interests the young people have. The training was well organized, and it encouraged open discussion, critical thinking, cooperation and decision making not only through teamwork but also between the professionals and the youth.”
“Although I already knew the youth, it was an opportunity for me to see young people express themselves and putting into practice what they learnt throughout the years. The confidence they had, the assertiveness and the creativity was of huge satisfaction. As outlined before, the fact that they felt empowered to express themselves and in most of the time they were the main focus, they felt that someone cares and felt good about themselves.”
