A place of lifelong learning
Xplore!’s Mindsets + Missions project researched how co-production with community groups can develop science centres as places for lifelong learning.
The four community groups were KIM-Inspire (who provide mental health support), Dynamic Voice (a group for children and young people), Mold & Buckley Contact Club (who aim to integrate people with special needs into the community) and Arts from the Armchair (supporting elderly participants in the early stages of dementia).
The project presented a change to how the centre usually works, featuring longer engagement over an extended period of weekly sessions. It brought together community and science communicator teams at Xplore! to work more with adults, and embraced the uncertainty of co-production while building confidence to develop work together.
Outcomes across the four community groups can be identified around several shared themes: confidence, problem solving, communication and teamwork. Participants were able to look back to see their personal levels of progress and reflect on feeling inspired and confident to try something new.
Across staff and participants, co-production has increased pride and agency in the work produced, and has broken down barriers to build understanding that Xplore! is for everyone to engage with science.
Building on their Mindsets + Missions project, Xplore! has embedded the co-production methodology into its work with 10 Wrexham based community groups with a Shared Prosperity Fund grant.
Takeaways
When working on projects like this, be sure to:
- Pay attention to participants’ interests to ensure activities are enjoyable and relevant to their lives, while still stretching them and inspiring them to engage with science.
- Invest in staff development and support collaborative working, as co-production is a learning curve for staff too.
- Take time to develop relationships and nurture participants’ confidence to contribute.