by Imô Logo, Community Engagement Officer at the British Science Association

To mark the end of Volunteers’ Week 2017, we are celebrating some of the exciting and innovative community engagement activity our branches are already working on within their local communities.

From events that encourage dialogue about, and amongst, scientific and religious traditions, world views and groups, to working with a local community garden to explore how pests cause diseases in plants; connecting with the local community in your branch city contributes to our commitment to expand the audiences that engage with science.

Here are just a few of the amazing examples of the community projects our branches have been running recently.

Norwich

Our Norwich branch has been collaborating with a small charity run project for adults with moderate learning disabilities based in the north of the town. They hope to run a series of events working with the charity to identify and deliver a programme that supports these adults through hands-on craft and practical activities, offering opportunities to engage with science in new and different ways.

Glasgow

Our Glasgow volunteers are getting their hands dirty and collaborating with a local charity to run a community bio blitz event to identify wildlife in Glasgow’s urban green spaces. This is a multi-agency project with local friends of parks and local naturalist societies also geared up to be involved.

Manchester

The branch will be celebrating Manchester makers and creators during a Makers Day in Moss Side Library. The event is aimed at families and children in the Moss Side area, delivering hands-on electronic and computing activities that allow participants to ‘have a go’ at simple computer programming and electronic engineering.

Feeling inspired? We have recently launched Community Connecting Strategic grants to support BSA branches to form new links with local communities that do not usually engage with science activity. The primary aim of this work is to involve new partners in the curation and delivery of branch events as outlined in the cases above.

To find out more about how you can work with community partners, read our new community connecting guide. 

Best of luck!