The 2024/25 School Year Comes To A Close

As the summer began, another year of our educational programmes drew to close. Thanks to the hard work of scientists and voluntary members and the support from our partners, our Same Home Town (SHT) and Same Migrant Community (SMC) programmes reached 4,876 children this year, introducing around 51% of these children to a scientist for the first time in their lives.

In the past school year the SHT programme brought 100 scientists back to their home town, to meet with 3,881 children living there. From 48 municipalities and 146 schools, Year 4 students learnt about microorganisms, neurosciences, gender equality, food waste, seismic waves, emotions and archaeology among other topics.

A scientist from the SHT programme says “After finishing the activities, the kids said it had been the best day of their school year and asked if I could come back the next day.” The programme “brought new life” to the work teachers develop in the classroom and take the students “to other levels of knowledge” by making “‘distant science’ so close and accessible”

Photos from the Same Home Town programme.

Similarly, the SMC programme facilitated 4,248 meaningful connections between 995 children and 227 scientists, scattered across 34 migrant communities and ten countries: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom.

In a meaningful and engaging way, science came to life for hundreds of children from 28 European cities who, through 57 workshops, were invited to explore over 120 topics, from viruses and bacteria to artificial intelligence and natural phenomena. During this school year, the workshops were delivered in five different languages: 39 in Portuguese, nine in Italian, seven in Arabic, and one each in Spanish and Romanian.

According to Sofia Ferreira Teixeira, coordinator of the first workshop held in Spain (Pamplona, December 2024), “the presence of scientists and their stories allows children to experience science not just as a school subject, but as something accessible, dynamic, and deeply connected to their linguistic and cultural identity.”

Photos from the Same Migrant Community programme.

As we bring another cycle of our educational programmes to a close, the results reaffirm the transformative power of science when it is made accessible, human, and culturally connected to children’s realities. By offering children the opportunity to experiment with and explore the unknown, our programmes spark curiosity and strengthen the understanding that knowledge is accessible and deeply connected to their world. With the continued support of our partners and the generous involvement of the scientific community, we will keep building bridges between science, culture, and education, fostering meaningful learning and contributing to a world where all children, regardless of their background, can achieve their full potential.