Democracy and education are cornerstones of our society—and both thrive on young people learning about values, skills, and opportunities for participation at an early age. Numerous initiatives are addressing this issue, ranging from science and cultural education to citizen science projects and international education programs. But how effective are these approaches really? What conditions are necessary for engagement to have a lasting impact—and how can this be measured?
These questions will be addressed in an online panel discussion organized by the OeAD Center for Citizen Science. Experts from research and practice will discuss opportunities, challenges, and concrete experiences from projects.
Guests on the podium
- Brigitte Tiefenthaler works for the Technopolis Group, where she was responsible for evaluating the Sparkling Science research funding program, and will present the latest findings. Sparkling Science makes an important contribution to intensifying dialogue between science, schools, and society.
- Doris Enzenhofer teaches at MS 5 Linz (Otto-Glöckel-Schule), where she participated with her class in the Sparkling Science project “Circus of Knowledge.” Enzenhofer was a farmer for 17 years before returning to her actual training in 2002 and entering the teaching profession.
- Werner Holzheu worked for over 20 years in companies in Austria and abroad, mainly in the finance and IT sectors. He has now been teaching at the Bergheidengasse Higher Education Institute for Tourism and Economics for 13 years, where he regularly participates in science education initiatives with his students.
- Christoph Musik is the managing director of “Acker” Austria, an international education project focusing on sustainability. Acker develops educational programs and concepts to achieve a sustainable impact on society. The work centers on multi-year programs for kindergartens and schools: on their own fields, children and young people experience first-hand where the food on our plates comes from and how many resources are contained in fresh food.
Moderator: Xaver Forthuber (Ö1)
The discussion promises exciting perspectives: from the question of the sustainable impact of measures promoting democracy and education to the limits of measuring impact.
You can register for the event HERE.
