#Erasmusdays is an international event that is organised with the aim of celebrating the objectives, values, and successes of the Erasmus+ funding programme. Last year, 6,295 events were held in 58 countries!
In this European Year of Skills, it is all the more important to celebrate Europe’s diversity. The #ErasmusDays event provides the opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of Erasmus+, a programme that enables participants to discover new cultures, improve their language skills, increase their employability and embrace the European values of tolerance, respect and diversity.
About the project:
Esplora has also benefitted from the Erasmus+ Programme. This Erasmus+ project entitled ‘Fostering 21st century skills through STEM’ assisted our participants in expanding their cross-disciplinary skills, which are essential for today’s students and workers. Science communication is crucial for Science Centres and similar organizations to continue serving society and to bring the general public closer to science in daily life. Throughout these mobilities, our staff from Esplora had the opportunity to participate in training events, with one of them taking place at the AHHAA Science Centre in Estonia. Throughout this mobility, our team has been trained to communicate science in the most interactive way possible, while integrating 21st century skills into their working environment by working with other scientific centres.
Testimonials from the training event hosted at the AHHAA Science Centre, Estonia:
Ryan Ruggier- Executive (Planetarium)
Being able to shadow someone with years of experience on the job was a great opportunity, especially since I only joined the Planetarium team at Esplora a few months ago. The sessions gave me plenty of ideas, which I now look forward to implementing at our own planetarium, along with a better understanding of the tools I can use to set these ideas in motion. Being able to visit their planetarium was also a great opportunity for networking and discussing possible future collaborations. I highly recommend such initiatives for the great deal of experience gained, both technical and socio-cultural.
Leigh Borg- Planetarium and AV Administrator
This was my first time travelling abroad, so I was feeling a bit anxious about this trip. However, I immediately felt comforted the moment I arrived in Estonia, thanks to the hospitality and kindness of our trainers, which made me feel at home. I really enjoyed witnessing the uniqueness of each planetarium I visited and how, at the end of the day, no matter what kind of planetarium setup is used, we all have common goals- namely to inspire younger generations to take up a career in science, while at the same time educating the people about the cosmos. The experience was beneficial for me not only because we were able to share knowledge about the various ways used for running a planetarium from the operational and educational points of view, but I had the opportunity to experience a planetarium film through the lens of a visitor rather than a planetarium administrator, thus giving me a better perception of our customers’ expectations.
