And now, breathe... Creating equitable formats and safe spaces
Science engagement is often so full-on. Whether it’s the physical spaces or the active formats we use, our world is packed with vibrancy, information and interactivity. But have we gone too far? Have we left behind balanced experiences? Do we need to reflect more on the behavioural spans of our audiences? This session will explore the impact of peaceful settings by letting people experience them firsthand.
Within a carefully chosen, quiet venue, our speakers will share practical examples from labs, creative workshops and science exhibitions, and invite participants to reflect on the boundaries of their visitors' and their own comfort zones. There will be no information-heavy slides, no forced role play and no pressure to pipe up with a show-stopping opinion. In fact, there will be no expectation to do anything at all, other than let ideas sink in, leaving space for you to formulate your own thoughts and share them if you wish.
Facilitator
Head of Public Engagement
Session speakers
Niek D’Hondt coordinates Ekoli, a non-profit aimed at bringing custom experience based science to underprivileged groups. Designing activities for these groups means taking into account individual challenges and interests. Making sure each participant can leave the session relaxed, enjoyed and satisfied that they got the most out of it, means creating space during the activity for each individual to participate without pressure or expectations. Ekoli was founded in 2016 and was selected as a Falling Walls Engage finalist in 2018.
Head of Presentation at Naturalis
At NorthernLight, Lizzy Bakker works on content strategy of transformative experiences. NorthernLight aspires to create experiences that change minds, touch hearts and activate hands. Lizzy will share her experiences and results from visitor evaluations in creating balanced learning journeys for science exhibitions, in which the 'noise' of interactive exhibits is complemented with peaceful settings. Here, visitors can take a moment to reflect on and internalize new concepts, and discuss them in a low-pressure setting.
Saskia Noordhuis is founder en director of Noordje (2007), a non-profit organisation in Amsterdam Noord that organizes art and language projects for children and youths. Through her activities she contributes to their development in the areas of self-confidence, integration, cooperation, appreciation and respect. Noordje opened Noordjes writing centre in 2014, which is part of an international network of writing centres for youth inspired by 826 National in America, founded by internationally acclaimed author Dave Eggers. Saskia will share how Noordjes writing centre has become a safe space for children to explore their creativity.
