Four years of transforming worlds with the Same Home Town programme

We celebrate the journey of the three scientists who helped build bridges between the past and the future, pioneering the access to science in Portugal

Native Scientists was born with the mission of bringing science and society closer through language, culture, and, above all, people. However, no mission comes to life without those who make it possible. For the Same Home Town (SHT) programme, three pioneers, Margarida Palma, Paulo Marques, and Raquel Branquinho, came in to make an impact. The three scientists returned to where they first began dreaming many times, to awaken in children the same curiosity that once led them to pursue science,  and inspire them to ask: "Why not me?".

Four years since the launch of Native’s SHT programme, this period has represented a true transformation in how science reaches children. The three pioneers' commitment to the SHT programme has been constant and truly transformative. With their support and dedication, we have been able to bring science to hundreds of children, taking concrete steps to make Portugal the first country where all 10-year-old children have met a scientist from their hometown. Over these four years, Margarida, Paulo, and Raquel have been much more than facilitators of knowledge. They are proof that science is made by real people who can also sit at the desks of a classroom.

Margarida, who in early April returned to Mértola, at the Mértola School Group, for the fourth time sees these returns as an opportunity to give back to the community where she grew up. For her, showing children that someone local  became a scientist, is a way of expanding their horizons, inspiring them to dream bigger, and thus, transform their future. For her, science is a powerful tool for change, capable of opening doors and changing the course of lives, offering new perspectives and pathways.

Paulo's journey demonstrates that a child's dreams can indeed take shape. As a child, he drew spaceships when asked for trees and ran outside in search of rockets in the sky because, deep down, he already sensed he wanted to understand the world differently. Today, he believes that science is one of humanity's greatest achievements: a way of thinking that is more rational, more curious, and more human. What he desires is simple yet essential: for children to never stop asking questions. "If we are always questioning what surrounds us," he says, "we will be better and more interested people" - and it is precisely this seed of inquiry that he carries with him every time he returns to the Centro Escolar de Valdonas, in Tomar.

Raquel, from the village of Armamar, in the heart of the Douro, four years ago, realised that, thanks to the SHT programme, she could return as a scientist to the school where her journey began, shortening distances, inspiring other children, and giving back, through science, what she once received as a student. For her, this reunion holds profound meaning. "When a scientist returns to their school, they don't just return to their memories - they open up space for futures that might have previously seemed distant," she says.

Margarida considers the SHT initiatives transformative. Not only for the children and teachers but also for the scientists themselves. She highlights how the programme builds bridges between worlds that often remain distant, and stresses that science can and should be accessible to all. "I feel I am contributing to a more just future, where all children have access to opportunities and can envision a place for themselves in science", she says.

During the 2023/2024 school year the programme created 2,454 connections between children and scientists - with 1,138 of them meeting someone in this profession for the first time.  Over its four years of existence, has ensured that in 16 municipalities in Portugal - 6 in the Azores, 1 in Madeira, and 9 on the mainland - all 4th-grade students had the opportunity to meet a scientist from their hometown before moving on to the 5th grade, strengthens the bond between science, territory, and local identity.

The educational proposal gives scientists full freedom to design workshops tailored to school audiences, resulting in a great diversity of themes and approaches. In 2024, for example, Paulo brought several musical instruments and invited a musician to explore the concept of sound waves with the children. With the support of the drum and other percussion instruments, it was possible to visually and intuitively demonstrate how sound waves propagate in the air - depending, for example, on the strength of the beat and the vibrations generated in each sound.

Despite the great moments during the past workshops, for the three the most emotional moment remains the first time they returned to the primary school. Margarida also recalls that running a workshop on microscopic observation of yeasts and an experiment on fermentation, the children were able to knead bread with the village baker, prepare a traditional Alentejo soup - açorda - and have a snack with warm bread and butter. It was a perfect fusion of science and cultural identity that left a deep mark on all those involved.

Paulo highlights that, with each return, the students remember who he is and eagerly await to discover what new science he will bring. According to Paulo, there is always curiosity at the door, as if the students are eagerly waiting for a new story, and this impact is profoundly significant, as he realises how he touches the lives of those children, year after year.Raquel adds that the impact goes beyond that moment of the encounter: the legacy the programme leaves is visible in the professional journeys of the scientists, in the way they think about education, and in the bridges built between generations and territories. In her view, valuing the knowledge that emerges from these experiences is essential - generating a sense of belonging and transforming access to knowledge into true equality of opportunities.

Initiatives like Native are an important step towards deconstructing stereotypes associated with the scientific profession and reinforcing the idea that science is made by real, close people with stories like theirs. For Margarida, her participation in the programme is one of the most rewarding experiences of her career, and with great enthusiasm, she hopes to continue contributing to this mission in the coming years, clearly seeing the potential of the programme to grow and expand, reaching new communities.

With the same hope for the future, Raquel reinforces this vision and believes that the programme can become even more consolidated, reach new places, and continue to inspire a new generation of scientists - and citizens - who are more critical, more curious, and more aware of their role in the world. 

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The future of the programme is a source of inspiration and hope for many. Over these four years, many of the children participating in the SHT programme had the opportunity to learn, thanks to Native, about microorganisms, renewable energy, philosophy, linguistics, and even space exploration - and they they did so in their own accent, listening to someone who, just like them, grew up in the same area and attended the same school. Hundreds of unique workshops, such as those from our pioneers, created by real people, who are planting seeds for a future with more scientific literacy, broader horizons, and fewer stereotypes.

Finally, it is fair to say that the Same Home Town programme represents, not only for our pioneers but also for all the scientists passionate about the project, a celebration of the future.