Portuguese-speaking Native’s Community Gathered for the End of the School Year

To celebrate the milestones of the 2024/25 school year, for the first time Native Scientists brought together the people of our largest community who helped turn our goal into a mission.

On the 30th of June, Native Scientists’ Portuguese-speaking members, partners and volunteer scientists gathered to connect with each other and share the values of our mission. Through an online meeting, we showcased our 2024/25 school year journey, both using data and inspiring stories. 

Joana Bordalo, Mariana Ferreira and Sara Michels Martins conducted a clear and heart-warming presentation, explaining our Same Home Town and Same Migrant Community programmes, sharing wonderful success stories (such as Tiago Alves’ and Antónia Estrela’s) that resulted from these programmes and translating this to one of scientists’ favourite languages: numbers. 

Many scientists from Portugal and abroad shared how meaningful it was to take part in our mission. Their stories revealed the programmes’ positive impact not only on children’s ambitions but also on the scientists themselves. Ana Cristina Esteves, thanked Native’s partners, saying, “without your help, this wouldn’t  happen.” Like others, she spoke of how rewarding it is to inspire a child to think that they can pursue a career in science.  Piedade Lalanda highlighted how the programme helps deconstruct gender roles and stereotypes about science, whereas Ana Dias reinforced how the impact goes beyond the numbers we presented, recalling how children in her workshop discussed their medical conditions and treatment development. Finally, Maria Ana Bonito gave a different perspective by talking about the way scientists are impacted by the workshops. “Children have a very wide perception of things. We are used to discussing with adults but suddenly a child asks a question and my perception of my own work changes completely”, she says.

In addition to the scientists, the event saw the presence of entities and partners that have supported and funded our mission this school year. Among them were the Direção-Geral da Educação, the Direção Regional da Ciência, Inovação e Desenvolvimento do Governo Regional dos Açores, the Fundação Luso-Americana para o Desenvolvimento, the Haddad Foundation the Portuguese Association of Researchers and Students in the UK , and the Plano Nacional de Leitura. Áurea Medeiro, from Plano Nacional de Leitura, asked Native to continue to establish partnerships and “to, through this fascinating narrative, make it possible for everyone to deconstruct stereotypes and build inspiring journeys”.

“This year, we reached important milestones and have received feedback from scientists and partners that touched our hearts. It was beautiful to me!”, Joana Bordalo says, sharing how it was a privilege to close the year with the Native Scientists community. Mariana mentions how “closing out an intense year by showing our volunteers and partners the direct impact our initiatives have on children was incredibly rewarding. We’ve gathered so much interesting data and powerful experiences, and it only makes sense to share them with Native’s extended family”. Sara shares their heart-warming feeling, saying “After spending the last few months tracking results and working with numbers, it felt really special to hear the stories behind them and all the feedback. Grateful for this community, and already excited for what’s ahead!”

The event offered a refreshing and inspiring way to wrap up the school year, setting the tone for a summer of preparation for the future of Native’s initiatives. Through the words, smiles and enthusiasm of those who have worked with us to make science a possibility for children, we have refuelled our belief in a mission that is worth the journey.

About Native Scientists

Founded in 2013, Native Scientists is a pan-European non-profit organisation connecting children from underserved communities with scientists. It exists to broaden children's horizons, promoting scientific literacy and reducing inequalities through science outreach educational programmes.