“Tinkering EU: Building Science Capital for ALL” uses the innovative pedagogy of ‘Tinkering’ in activities and resources aiming to develop the 21st century skills and the Science Capital of disadvantaged youth and contribute to the development of inclusive science learning in schools.Tinkering is an innovative pedagogy pioneered by the Exploratorium of San Francisco. It supports the construction of knowledge through building personally meaningful artifacts. It designs opportunities for people to “think with their hands” to construct meaning and understanding and develop skills useful for a lifetime. Research shows that Tinkering holds key benefits for learning, especially for those who say “they are not good at science”, or young people with educational or integration difficulties. Science Capital draws from the work of Pierre Bourdieu and encapsulates the various influences that a young person’s life experiences can have on their science identity and participation in science-related activities, that is, the repertoire of knowledge, attitudes, actions, relations with science. Science Capital offers a different way to look at science learning and is a powerful tool to develop active citizenship, employability and social inclusion. The project emerges from: - the demands of contemporary societal challenges for citizens equipped with 21st century skills and competences, therefore the urging need for approaches and resources capable of building the knowledge and skills necessary to stand up to these demands.- the increasing need to foster learners from vulnerable groups and disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, thus the need for action towards social inclusion and equity that fights xenophobia and economic disparity. - the increasing importance of science as a tool for active citizenship.- the difficulty of schools, despite the efforts, to build a positive relationship between youth and science, especially those from disadvantaged communities. The project takes into account that science museums and schools together can play a key role in the development of 21st C. skills, Science Capital and social justice fostering science literacy amongst all individuals. In the project, museum and education institutions cooperated with the aim to:- develop young people's 21st C. skills and Science Capital.- improve school practice through an innovative pedagogy (Tinkering) and a new science education approach (Science Capital).- encourage exchange of expertise and practice between formal and informal learning institutions. - create a Europe-wide community of practice. Tinkering EU addressed teachers of primary and junior high schools and students of 8 to 14 years. It reached 195 teachers and 3450 students for a total of 3645 participants through:- the development of a methodology on the role of Tinkering for Science Capital.- the design of Tinkering activities.- training workshops for teachers and museum staff building knowledge and skills in Tinkering and Science Capital.- the organization of multiplier events for schools, some of them participating for the first time to similar initiatives. - an evaluation and self-reflection process for participating teachers.- dissemination actions at local, national and European level.Resultsa) Tinkering activities experienced by 3450 students, tested by 16 teacher ambassadors and evaluated by 179 more teachers.b) A methodological framework on using Tinkering to develop the Science Capital of young people.c) Training events for teachers and museum staff.d) Multiplier events for the wide implementation of the activities across disadvantaged schools.e) Evaluation tools that can be used to foster a self-reflection approach to teaching and learning.f) A website with resources and activities available to everybody and a dissemination reaching about 1000 more formal and about 500 informal education professionals, both inside and outside the consortium.The results from teachers’ evaluation of the Tinkering experience of the students indicated that impact was in terms of an experience highly beneficial for students developing broad-ranging skills and knowledge in STEM, and of support to students with lower science capital because of the way Tinkering deeply values their existing skills, interests and talents, provides multiple pathways for success and boosts motivation and confidence. The project also impacted on teachers supporting them to reflect on their practice as a way to see how they could utilise more learner-centred pedagogies into teaching and how to initiate different ways to approach science teaching. Long-term benefits regard the work of educational institutions towards social inclusion and Science Capital. The use of innovative and concrete resources and methodologies helped enrich practice and strengthen their mission towards a society founded on scientific citizenship, equity and democracy.

The Youth for Space Challenge - ODYSSEUS II project aims to inspire young people from all over Europe and to engage them in space exploration, through a series of educational activities, which will combine scientific learning with hands-on experiences. Through the organization of a fun oriented educational contest, which will be organized in multi rounds and which will target all pupils and students in Europe, wherever they are living and irrespective of their cultural background and the language they speak, the project will foster the development of qualified scientists, engineers and technicians in areas relevant to the priorities of the EU space policy. Besides the objective of providing the Space challenge to young people, the Odysseus II project will also strive to foster international collaboration and to attract attention to the field of science education related to space exploration. In this respect, the objective of the project is to involve national educational authorities and to engage with space industries and many science centres and space agencies across Europe on the exchange of experiences and knowledge on learning programmes about space exploration. Participation in the Odysseus II contest will be used as a good benchmark and indicator of how well space science and technology is accepted and integrated into the curriculum of different educational systems across the EU. Since educational competitions in general enjoy broader acceptance, the Odysseus II contest will also provide the opportunity to space industry and national educational authorities to show their support to educational activities related to space.

The goal of Science inspired was to show teachers and educators how to encourage youth over the age of 13 to deepen their knowledge and scientific interests during their visits in science centers. During the project there were study visits planned in all four partner science centers Experyment, VIDA! Agóra and NOESIS, during which in total 75 participants took part in trainings gaining knowledge and practical skills of how to use gamification, game based learning, ICT, recycling and tinkering, science performance, robotics, interactive exhibition and educational videos to create more innovative and exciting educational material for teenagers. Study visits were also a space for discussion about educational needs, challenges and (de)motivators of today’s youth, including common search for solutions, exchange of experiences and best practices.Within study visits participants created 23 short videos in which they explain scientific theories using chosen science centers' exhibits. They also developed game based tours, together with scripts for teachers how to creatively summarize their visit with the class, which are intellectual outputs of the project, designed to help teenagers explore and fully benefit from science centers exhibitions. Science Inspired project results were tested and evaluated by groups of teenagers, who have big influence on the final version of the games. Tools which are strongly connected with the exhibitions of science centers are open source, placed on the online platform and implemented to current science centers programs. Within the project, teenagers from all partner countries were also encouraged to participate in filmmaking workshops and take part in a competition for creating educational videos, where they present their own scientific interests. The video competition attracted 102 participants. Best 40 videos are posted on Science Inspired Youtube channel and the project platform.Educational tools designed within the project, in a form which is exciting for teenagers, can encourage them to develop and deepen their scientific interests.

European Union faces a shortage of specialists who have completed STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) studies. CEDEFOP’s (European Center for the Development of Vocational Training) official statistics show that by 2025 the demand on highly qualified workforce will increase by 12% compared to the current state, the employment structure will also change: about 80% of new established jobs will require high qualifications. Long-term forecasts clearly indicate that the demand for qualified employees will be increasing constantly due to changes in the sectoral employment structure and changes in knowledge-based technologies.The FUTURE SPACE project provides a significant change in learning and teaching STEM subjects in upper secondary schools in Poland, Greece and the Netherlands. The implementation of the project will allow to reduce the number of low achievers in natural science subjects, increase the number of candidates for STEM studies and introduce young people to career opportunities in the space sector and other innovative industries. Modern tools and innovative didactic forms combined with an attractive subject matter of classes, should also result in a better understanding of STEM issues.The two main deliverables of the project are the Space Schools Programme and the Space Programme for science centres and other non-formal education organisations. Thematic modules are devoted to the XXI century’s global challenges and practical solutions offered by research and exploration of the near space. Both Programmes indicate economic and social benefits of space exploration, as well as career paths in industry, available not only to STEM specialists, but also to lawyers or graduates in social sciences. The Programmes will use a variety of didactic materials, such as short videos, ICT tools, and even an astronomical show for mobile planetariums. The aim of the Space Schools Programme is not to replace the existing curricula of individual STEM subjects, but to extend their content, present real-life applications to theoretical school knowledge and indicate the interdisciplinary nature of all STEM subjects. The Programme will also contain practical information for schools on how to organize classes and teaching process.The Space Programme for science centres and other non-formal learning and teaching institutions and organisations is a significant modification of the Space School Programme. The Space Programme is based on a wide range of training experience as well as expertise of the project foreign partners: NEMO Science Museum, Amsterdam and NOESIS Science Centre, Thessaloniki. Both Programmes offer workshops to develop youth's skills and competencies: from basic scientific and technical ones, through cross-section to soft skills. We also have foreseen a pilotage for Space Schools Programme to guarantee it fits the upper secondary school needs. The target group of the project are teachers of science subject in upper secondary schools in Poland, Greece and the Netherlands, but also students to whom some of the materials will be directly addressed. Moreover, the Space Programme increases the target group by lower secondary school students. The Project will train a large number of science teachers and educators. The multiplier events allow to reach 10 000 persons it total (directly and indirectly) in Poland, Greece and the Netherlands and the next few thousands from all over Europe due to ECSITE conferences. Workshops and conferences for the teachers will be conducted by specialists of the teachers’ training centres and science centres. Schools which decide to implement the Programme should see positive results already in the second year of its application. Individual elements of the Space Schools Programme can be used separately in upper secondary schools, shaping the STEM science interests and showing interesting career paths for young people all over Europe.The implementation of the project will result in long-term benefits not only by improving the quality of natural science subjects teaching and introducing the latest didactic methodology to schools. It will also increase the number of candidates for STEM studies, and present attractive career paths in the space sector and other industry sectors related to new technologies. Both Programmes enrich the educational offer for schools and non-formal teaching and learning organisations and improve the competences of teachers and educators.