Community Engagement
Making science accessible is a year-round commitment for Edinburgh Science. Our involvement in the community includes working with local centres and organisations to break down barriers and create more opportunities to engage with science.
We create strong relationships with community groups in and around Edinburgh to deliver bespoke activities in underserved areas and to make STEM outreach more accessible. For example, in 2019 we developed a brand-new health, wellbeing and nutrition workshop - the Great Plate, with the support of National Lottery Awards For All.
Typically during our annual Science Festival, our community engagement work involves providing complimentary tickets and specialised events to partner organisations, including transport where possible, and delivering science shows with our busking bikes in areas that rank highly on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD).
Over the course of the 2022 Edinburgh Science Festival we were able to bring over 600 children and young people to events across the city – work that we are proud to continue as we head towards 2023 Let's Experiment.
Carson Rowe with his family, winner of the 2022 Wild Scotland school competition
Our Community Supporters
With thanks to the Catalysts and all those who wish to remain anonymous.
This year we are proud to continue our Science Festival School Days, where we open the City Art Centre, our five-floor science playground, for two additional days pre-Festival, allowing local schools access free of charge.
Throughout the summer and autumn, we bring our busking bikes to partner events, playschemes and children groups, alongside working with partners on bespoke events tailored to the community’s needs.
We deliver this programme with thanks to our community engagement supporters, including funding through the PLACE Programme, a partnership between the Scottish Government, the City of Edinburgh Council and the Edinburgh Festivals, supported and administered by Creative Scotland.
