Due to the full-scale Russian military invasion of Ukraine, millions of Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes and seek protection in the safer parts of Ukraine and abroad. This includes about a million children of all ages who need conditions to continue their studies and leisure activities.
To ensure access of Ukrainian children to education and science during martial law, the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (JASU) has initiated a comprehensive programme providing for the launch of interactive exhibition spaces featuring educational laboratories in the western and central regions of Ukraine, as well as the reopening of the Science Museum in Kyiv which operation was suspended on 24 February 2022.
This initiative was supported by Ecsite and science centres and museums in Europe.
As part of the implementation of this initiative, Denmark’s leading science centre, Experimentarium, handed over to the JASU the Winter Sport exhibition for free as humanitarian aid to facilitate educational activities in Ukraine.
Such transfer was agreed upon during the Ecsite Conference back in June at the meeting between Kim Gladstone Herlev (CEO, Experimentarium), Sheena Laursen (Program manager, International Activities, Experimentarium) and the JASU representatives, in particular its President Stanislav Dovgyi and Head of the Department for Educational Programs Vasyl Dunets.
The exhibition arrived in Kyiv on 27 September. The Experimentarium’s team arranged the delivery of exhibits by Maersk, a renowned Danish shipping company, as part of charitable assistance to Ukraine.
"Now, during the war, our country has to focus its efforts not only on the development of Ukrainian children but also on protecting their rights to education and access to learning facilities and programs. I highly appreciate that we share these values with reliable partners and like-minded people worldwide. In particular, we started cooperation with Experimentarium, which kindly provides us with the Winter Sport exhibition. This exhibition will be delivered to the Science Museum in Kyiv, which will be open to visitors again soon. These exhibits will boost Ukrainian children’s engagement in science. At the same time, their natural curiosity will help them make up for all the opportunities lost due to the war by experimenting, researching, and learning." Stanislav Dovgyi, President of the JASU, said.
The exhibition will be open to Kyiv residents and its guests at the Kyiv Science Museum of the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
"We are both very happy and proud to support our Ukrainian colleagues at the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in this troubled period. Across Europe, we science centres all share the same mission striving to open the minds of children to science and technology – and to make learning fun! Winter Sport is a very popular exhibition, and I’m optimistic it will bring a lot of joy in Kyiv as well." Kim Gladstone Herlev, CEO of Experimentarium, said.
The Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine expresses its sincere gratitude to the representatives of the Ecsite network for their support and solidarity with Ukraine, creating moments and encounters to make cooperation happen. We also sincerely thank the people of Denmark, the teams of Experimentarium science centre and the Maersk company for implementing this educational initiative for Ukrainian children.
The Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine will soon be able to share the outcomes of other projects implemented jointly with foreign partners, i.e. science centres and science museums. We invite everyone to cooperate with us.