Dundee Science Centre is tearing down its walls—literally and figuratively—to turn itself into a community hub where science learning happens everywhere, not just inside an exhibition hall. This matters because science centres often struggle to reach people who feel excluded from them: families in deprived areas, early-years children, and culturally diverse communities. CONNECT aims to close that gap by redesigning the centre’s physical spaces—a welcoming entrance, an interactive STEM exhibition, an auditorium, and a "Gathering Place"—and by embedding community co-creation into every programme. The problem is not a lack of science content, but a lack of trust and access. If successful, CONNECT will transform a single science centre into a replicable model for how informal science learning can serve as a tool for social impact. The centre will become a trusted local institution that builds capacity, integrates with community education and academia, and pilots new widening-access methods. The real change is systemic: other science centres and cultural venues could adopt the same approach, making public engagement with science more equitable across the UK.
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Capitalising on our well-recognised experience and passion for community engagement, CONNECT will take Dundee Science Centre's position in the local cultural economy and wider learning sectors to the next level and will solidify the value placed on science centres in society. CONNECT will transform Dundee Science Centre into a platform which fosters participation and reimagines where ‘science learning’ happens. We will become a trusted community hub which: - feels welcoming and accessible for people from all backgrounds and cultures - a place our community feels part of and continually shapes; - builds capacity - bringing people together and focusing on social impact while using science engagement as a lifelong source of inspiration, learning and development; - integrates informal science learning with community education and academia - providing a unique platform to co-create, pilot and disseminate innovative widening access methods. With our team, partners and community working in new and extended ways we will: - upgrade our in-centre facilities to make accessibility and science part of the whole visitor journey -with a welcoming and inspiring entrance foyer, interactive STEM exhibition, auditorium and 'Gathering Place'; - implement new, interlinked learning and engagement programmes to revitalise the visitor experience and to enable us and our partners to better engage underserved and underrepresented audiences (including early years children, and families living in areas of high socio-economic deprivation); - make a step change in our organisational culture and operation- embracing inclusion and diversity into our core function, integrating widening access into everything we do, and inspiring others to do the same.
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