Promoting Engagement with Science with Rethink Ireland

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Engagement with science is an important issue for education and skills and also for the general public as everyday people make decisions informed by science. Midlands Science delivers work which addresses both of these challenges by providing a wide-ranging outreach programme which raises the value of science in society all across the midlands. The organisation has been supported by Rethink Ireland through the Education Fund and Boost It and is currently participating in the Rethink Ireland TikTok Digital Futures Fund.

Through free, fun, hands-on curriculum mapped activities, Midlands Science delivers STEM outreach which is focussed on building confidence, capacity and creativity among all of its participants. The region covers the four midlands counties of Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath. The organisation is particularly aware in its programme delivery of the need to reach those who may not usually engage with STEM due to issues of socio-economic disadvantage and associated issues. Its work in the current funded programme has brought the world of digital media and social media to this STEM outreach work by providing workshops for young people on creating media, whilst learning about STEM and the importance of STEM media being accurate and informative, as well as entertaining.

According to CEO of Midlands Science Jackie Gorman, this is an important focus; “ Science is in so many things we engage with everyday and people get a lot of their information about science now online and on social media, so the opportunity to encourage young people to be responsible and creative curators of content couldn’t have come at a better time. It creates more interest in STEM and it also builds a sense of being an engaged and responsible citizen. “

Midlands Science reaches 16,000 people per annum and has two core objectives – to create more interest in STEM education and careers but also to build a community that understands STEM. Through targeted supports, Midlands Science’s impactful work in STEM has been supported by Rethink Ireland  in a variety of different ways from direct grant support and non-financial supports which contribute to organisational capacity building. This support has allowed the organisation to grow its reach and impact in a way that is sustainable, diversifying its funding base and also growing new audiences for its work and finding new ways to measure its impact. Traditionally, the audience which has engaged with science outreach has been an audience which already predominantly says it has an interest in science. Changing this audience profile is a key impact measurement for Midlands Science and support from Rethink Ireland allowed the organisation to develop an online survey tool which tracks changes in audience profile over time and allows the organisation to focus on ways to reach new audiences.  This is vital if STEM is to be as accessible and inclusive as possible, allowing science to reflect fully the society it serves.

Midland Science, encouraged by feedback from many stakeholders and supported by a strategy focus on knowledge hub development, has also begun to compile its own practice in science outreach.  This strategy work was also supported by Rethink Ireland and this work towards developing as a knowledge hub has allowed the organisation to present papers at national and European level on the impact of its work and the uniqueness of its approach. This has included presentations at the Irish Oireachtas [Parliament] and EUSEA, the European Association for Public Engagement with Science. The sharing of best practice has been facilitated through support from Research Ireland which allowed Midlands Science to work with University College London’s Science Capital Research team and provide training to over 60 organisations across Ireland relating to inclusion and science outreach.

It also developed a best practice to accessibility in science outreach guide, supported by the Medtronic Foundation, and over 5,000 copies of the guide have been circulated. In addition, a series of training sessions were provided to share best practice with the Goliath Trust in Belfast, supported by the Shared Island Civic Society Fund [Department  Foreign Affairs].

This work of sharing best practice is complimentary to the continued work of delivering excellent STEM outreach in the midlands and the development of this twin-track approach and the sourcing of others supports to do this is hugely informed by strategy work with Rethink Ireland. Sharing best practice allows others across Ireland to benefit from tried and tested approaches and it also is the natural evolution of the organisation’s development in line with its strategy to influence the policy and practice of science outreach. The delivery of the work itself and the associated advocacy around best practice is about creating outreach that is focussed not just on the numbers engaged with, but also the equity and diversity within those numbers.

According to CEO Jackie Gorman, “Rethink Ireland has been a strong supporter of our organisation and saw the potential to share practice with others as important for creating more activities and impact. The support of Rethink Ireland for our work has informed our strategy development and delivery and the valuing of new outcomes in our work and this is hugely appreciated.”

Growing Science in the Midlands with The Ireland Funds

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”Encourage the young and they will flourish“ is an old Irish proverb. Perhaps a modern variation might be: “Encourage the young with science and they will flourish”. For over 10 years now, through various grants and guidance, The Ireland Funds has supported Midlands Science in its vital work promoting science, technology, engineering and maths [STEM] education across the midlands of Ireland. Through fun, hands-on curriculum mapped activities, Midlands Science delivers STEM outreach which is focussed on building confidence, capacity and creativity among all of its participants. The region covers the four midlands counties of Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath. The organisation is particularly aware in its programme delivery of the need to reach those who may not usually engage with STEM due to issues of socio-economic disadvantage and associated issues.

ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY with STEM

According to CEO of Midlands Science Jackie Gorman, this is an important focus; “ Science is in everything in our society and science serves society in so many ways. Therefore, we passionately believe that science should reflect society fully. We reach about 16,000 people per annum and have two core objectives – to create more interest in STEM education and careers but also to build a community that understands STEM. We all make decisions every day that demand some sort of scientific literacy and we believe this is an emerging right if we want to have communities of engaged citizens. A community that values and understands STEM is a good thing. It’s about the diverse workforce of the future but also making good decisions based on evidence.”

THE IRELAND FUNDS IMPACTFUL SUPPORT

Starting off with funding in 2013, which focussed on STEM outreach and maths education, Midlands Science’s impactful work in STEM has been supported by The Ireland Funds in a variety of different ways. Through a series of small grants, multi-annual funding and donor advised gifts from The Ireland Funds, Midlands Science has grown its reach, capacity and impact. Everyone knows STEM is important and it’s a national policy focus in Ireland but, in the midlands, STEM education and skills are going to be a vital part of the region’s transition from an economy based on extracting peat for the generation of electricity, to the green jobs which are coming. For a region in transition, STEM education is a vital tool for what is coming next in terms of new economic opportunities and how these can benefit as many people as possible.The support of The Ireland Funds and its donors has played a seminal role in Midland Science’s success. This support has allowed the organisation to grow its reach and impact in a way that is sustainable, diversifying its funding base and also growing new audiences for its work. Over the past number of years, Midlands Science has not only grown its reach and impact but has undertaken targeted measures to reach those who have not engaged as much with STEM in the past such as groups from the Travelling Community and adult learners.

EXPANSION, OUTREACH, and VISIBILITY

Midland Science, encouraged by feedback from many stakeholders, has also begun to compile its own practice in science outreach. This has allowed it to present papers at national and European level on the impact of its work and the uniqueness of its approach. This has included presentations at the Irish Oireachtas [Parliament] and EUSEA, the European Association for Public Engagement with Science. The sharing of best practice has been facilitated through support from Research Ireland which allowed Midlands Science to work with University College London’s Science Capital Research team and provide training to over 60 organisations across Ireland relating to inclusion and science outreach.

It also developed a best practice to accessibility in science outreach guide, supported by the Medtronic Foundation, and over 5,000 copies of the guide have been circulated. In addition, a series of training sessions were provided to share best practice with the Goliath Trust in Belfast, supported by the Shared Island Civic Society Fund [Department  Foreign Affairs]. This work of sharing best practice is complimentary to the continued work of delivering excellent STEM outreach in the midlands. Sharing best practice allows others across Ireland to benefit from tried and tested approaches and it also is the natural evolution of the organisation’s development in line with its strategy to influence the policy and practice of science outreach. The delivery of the work itself and the associated advocacy around best practice is about creating outreach that is focussed not just on the numbers engaged with, but also the equity and diversity within those numbers.

The support of The Ireland Funds through these various stages of development has been really important. According to CEO Jackie Gorman, “The Ireland Funds understands how long-term strategic development happens. Rather than requesting  a different project every year, they are interested in strategy and what is working well. Their approach includes asking open and encouraging questions, which is very helpful. Their ability to recognise and support the importance of STEM in the midlands region, a region undergoing huge changes due to decarbonisation measures, has been vital. We engage people with science with everything from astronomy to zoology, from asteroids to dinosaurs, it’s all about curiosity. The engaged and supportive approach of The Ireland Funds is truly unique and has been crucial in our success to date.”