SonS Ukraine looks back at the summer 2024

The summer of 2024 passed rather fast and of course, the highlight of the summer end had been the International Science on Stage Festival in Turku, Finland. That became a really impressive event for all STEAM teachers. Ukrainian participants (the best teachers from our country) came to their cities overwhelmed with ideas for new projects and possibilities for the new collaborations with their colleagues from Europe. Together with the Institute for the Modernization of the Content of Education (Ministerial Structure of Kyiv), it was decided to organize an All-Ukrainian online Seminar on September 24, 2024, where the SonS members demonstrated their projects so the best projects from their colleagues from Europe. The point is that we have never missed the chance to spread our absolutely positive emotions concerning the Fair of STEM teaching innovations. There were 157 followers (from 15 Ukrainian Regions) during that two-hour event, and it was greeted by outstanding Mr. David Featonby.

Despite the complicated political situation in our country, we are going on to work creatively. The next event where SonS had been presented was the Karazin University Open Day, which was held on October 20, 2024, in Kharkiv. The event was organized in the University basement and the best ideas from the last SonS Festival were successfully presented by Pedagogical Department students to the wide Kharkiv public (The visitors were mainly STEM teachers with their secondary school students and pupils with parents). There were more than 600 school students including more than 150 STEAM teachers from all Kharkiv Oblast.

 We believe in our victory, and our STEM teachers are temporarily working in lots of European countries, waiting for the opportunity to return to their Motherland. We are glad that the Science on Stage community supports all our initiatives. The new project which was recently developed with some of my colleagues from Kharkiv for  October 31, 2024. It was called STEM Halloween (which is going to be presented at the National SonS Festival in 2025). We regularly communicate with our future partners from Poland, Germany, Latvia, Italy, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Thanks to the Ukrainian defenders for the opportunity to live and to work in our hometown. We are happy to teach the motivated and ambitious young students who are confident about the European future of our country.

Report: Nataliya Kazachkova

Video about the event at the Karazin University: