Our mobile science center will empower 50 different smallest Slovenian municipalities and schools with accessible on-site production of science spaces for critical thinking through creative and research "minds-and-hands-on" exhibits and science shows for kids and adults.
To empower local communities in a process of making mistakes as a creative process and a process of developing critical and independent self-esteem we will integrate their scientific experience with local outstanding scholar.

The project idea will take place in 50 Slovenian Municipalities at 50 local schools premises.

Public and national infrastructure in Slovenia is quite centralized and has numerous small municipalities. Our local challenge is to interact with the smallest Slovenian municipalities and local schools, which have little or no resources to organize a public science event for children and other local citizens. As a research institution, promoting science and arts as the grounds for critical thinking we realize, that Slovenian scholars get forgotten far too quickly. The challenge is to tackle increased confidence and encourage making mistakes and spread the idea that mistakes are not failures but a process of learning.

Our idea targets citizens, eager to use critical thinking in general. The methods to develop critical thinking are not easy to access. We wish to empower civil and public bodies to strengthen their communication with the citizens, exploring and experiencing our science exhibits. A successful story of a scholar of local origin will strengthen local community awareness and their self-esteem.
By the project small municipalities as civil community targets would be able to develop a creative and interactive communicative event, where fun and curiosity bring citizens together.

Eager to connect municipality and school staff with local citizens, youth and their parents with our »minds-on, hands-on« experiments and science shows for each age period (pre-school, early-school and youth population) we are integrating their scientific experience with an important and outstanding scholar from their municipality with the method of STEAM education. We wish to show, that the place of origin does not pre-destinate the achievements in either science or art.Providing a safe environment for making mistakes - environment that guarantees the best sort of learning represents the open and equal access to science, arts and critical thinking we want to empower the young and local community with.

We anticipate up to 400 participants on-site per municipality, 20.000 citizens all together. Other result of the project will be on-line published Slovenian scholars Science Map, hopefully financially supported by municipalities. The number of schools, municipalities and participants, the number of news about the project in different printed and on-line media, the number of on-line published scholars and the number of supporting local businesses, are the project results qualifiers. The quality of the project will be measured by diversity of target groups, number of socially vulnerable participants included, the number of comments in our “Book of inspiration and gratitude” and through satisfaction survey.

Our science center stimulates creativity and critical thinking skills by communication, exploration and discovery. Active participation at our activities expresses participatory, independent, critical and creative thinking. Our vision, to live and participate in a healthy democracy, a society in which the significant majority think critically and address challenges proactively is best articulated through »hands-on, minds-on« exhibits and our science shows. Curiosity, which attracts various age, gender, nationality, culture and ethnic minorities participants empowers heterogeneous target groups and public bodies relations creatively.

Highly motivated to enhance critical thinking among the youngest, being private foundation which financially lives on the open market we cannot offer free activities for public institutions. The mission behind the idea is to enhance local communities self-esteem and to empower them with knowledge and creative approaches toward life facts in science or in arts. And at the same time we aim to provide broader society with information and digital Map on relevant and successful Slovenian local scholars.

Personnel cost: 18.000
External personnel (students work): 12.000
Travel and accommodation (mentors and students): 2.000
Food and space rental (participants): 2.000
Promotion: development and publication of Slovenian Scholars Paths Map: 2.000
Project coordination 1.200
Evaluation 1.000
Material costs 21.800

We would like to know who would join our initiative, who would invite our initiative, who would revise our initiative, who would be prepared to write a critical article about our initiative. All advice will be more than welcome and carefully thought over.