Horizontes da Ciência – junior
client
Rede de Bibliotecas de Lisboa
area
Project management & educational events
deliveries
A series of educational sessions with local schools
Horizontes da Ciência Júnior 2024/25 is an educational program that aims to bring young people closer to environmental sciences through practical and interactive experiences. The initiative took place in the BLX Network libraries – Alcântara – José Dias Coelho, Belém, Casa do Jardim da Estrela – Um Teatro em Cada Bairro, Marvila and Penha de França – and involved students from the 2nd and 3rd cycles of elementary school. Through the mediation of the Libraries, the schools were able to choose two activities from the range proposed by researchers Rebecca Mateus and Diogo Mendes, from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (FCUL) and members of the Germinate a Seed Bank project.
challenge
The central challenge was to create a program that not only conveyed relevant scientific content in the area of environmental sciences, but also promoted the active involvement of students. The activities proposed by the researchers were designed to stimulate questioning, creativity, autonomy, teamwork and imagination among participants — essential skills for developing a critical and informed environmental awareness.
result
The program included 10 sessions, held in the five libraries of the BLX Network, and involved 158 students. The activities, selected by the schools and guided by FCUL researchers, transformed the libraries into living spaces for learning and scientific discovery. Horizontes da Ciência Júnior 2024/25 ends with a very positive balance, establishing itself as an effective model of articulation between schools, libraries and universities, in favor of a more sustainable and participatory education.
An innovative and inclusive educational approach in the context of the BLX Network