Effectively Engaging Diverse Audiences from product to promotion

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Effectively Engaging Diverse Audiences - from
product to promotion

• Attracting teenagers
• ECSITE - Lisbon - June 1st 2007
• Sheena Laursen - Science and Education projects -
  Experimentarium, Denmark

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Attracting teenagers toscience centres

• What is important?
• See themselves (mirror)
• Relevant and goal oriented
• feel themselves important

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Where do we know this from?

• Experience from Xciters - a PENCIL project

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The Xciters concept

• Communication skills
• Scientific knowledge
• Social element
• Progression

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Xciters - learning by teachingscience

• A method to learn science
• Creates reflection
• Concrete - and easy to reach
• Pupils take responsibility
• Creates confidence in regards to science
  understanding

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Why are pupils motivated when working as Xciters?
They keep their integrity - they can see
themselves as Xciters
We meet them where they are - seeing them as
individuals - they feel important
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Xciters - learning by teachingMotivation

• Self-reflecting
• Confidence - I can do this
• Its cool to be a role model
• Social dimension
• Keeping your integrity
• Doing what you find interesting
• Having fun
• Learning from each other

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Fondazione IDIS Città della Scienza
Italy Innovations in the Communication of
Science - International School of Advanced
Studies - Italy Warsaw University - Youth
Research Center Poland Pavilhão do
Conhecimento Ciência Viva Portugal Royal
Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Belgium
Experimentarium - Denmark NEMO - The
Netherlands
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First objective
- to understand the loss of interest from young
people, particularly girls, in science and
technology studies and careers by exploring
differences in their perception of ST
professionals, while raising awareness among
experts and stakeholders on this issue.
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Second objective

• to implement social dialogue between the research
  community, teachers, students, parents and other
  social actors in order to identify main issues
  and expectations from these groups.

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Third objective

• - to develop and test a range of practical
  activities that go in the direction of overcoming
  gender differences and creating a connection
  between high school students and the professional
  worlds of science and technology.