The project “STEM in the Clouds” brings together five civil society organisations working in the non-formal education of children and young people in the field of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). It is aimed at strengthening the capacity of staff, volunteers and the organisations themselves to work in an online environment – through the procurement of equipment and software, and the introduction of new working methods.

According to an infographic produced by the Office for Cooperation with NGOs of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the civil sector grew in every respect between 2017 and 2019. However, the difficulties civil society organisations faced in 2020 (as a consequence of the COVID crisis and the earthquakes) put the organisations, their employees, members, volunteers and beneficiaries – most often the most vulnerable members of society – at a disadvantage. The civil sector has been forced to become more flexible and more open to the possibilities offered by the online environment and by technology. Children and young people from smaller communities, who already have fewer opportunities to explore STEM because no organisations working in that field exist where they live, were left without activities aimed at sparking an interest in STEM as a result of the pandemic.

Because of the need to strengthen capacity for delivering online STEM educational content to children and young people from smaller communities, we submitted the project “STEM in the Clouds” to the public call “Strengthening the capacity of CSOs to respond to the needs of the local community” (UP.04.2.1.11) under the European Social Fund, Operational Programme “Efficient Human Resources” 2014–2020. By a decision of the Office for Cooperation with NGOs of the Government of the Republic of Croatia dated 17 June 2022, the project was awarded HRK 464,562.46, of which the grant amounts to 100% (85% from the European Social Fund and 15% from the State Budget of the Republic of Croatia).

As part of strengthening the capacity of civil society organisations, between 15 September 2022 and 15 September 2023 the partners will deliver 3 training courses under the activity “Organising training for representatives of civil society organisations in financial management and fundraising and in the legislative framework for the work of civil society organisations”; 3 multi-day workshops, one training course and one workshop under the activity “Designing and delivering training and other forms of strengthening and improving the capacity of CSO employees and/or volunteers for direct work in the fields of employment, social inclusion and education, including adapting operations through the use of information and communication technologies”; develop and pilot an online volunteering programme under the activity “Encouraging volunteering in the local community”; deliver 5 cycles of workshops on 5 STEM topics and produce 5 animated video educational materials for online learning under the activity “Designing, producing and delivering online programmes and workshops and providing psychological and counselling support to people who have suffered trauma, stress or loss as a result of a crisis situation”; and, under “Producing online and digital handbooks, games, simulations and other self-help and support tools for vulnerable groups”, develop an online board game with educational content.

The planned activities, whose aim is to popularise STEM, will be carried out in order to introduce new working methods (delivering synchronous and asynchronous online training, producing courses and so on) and to strengthen the capacity of the organisations to create online educational content tailored to children and young people. Implementing “STEM in the Clouds” will make the organisations more agile in facing future crises and better able to offer their beneficiaries high-quality programmes in an online environment as well. It will also ensure the continuous delivery of programmes of general interest to our society and contribute to overcoming, in the long term, the crisis we all find ourselves in.

The lead partner of STEM in the Clouds is the Rijeka Technical Culture Centre, and the project consortium also includes Višnjan Astronomical Society, Bioteka – Association for the Promotion of Biology and Related Sciences, CARPE DIEM, an association for encouraging and developing the creative and social potential of children, young people and adults, and FabLab – Association for the Promotion of Digital Fabrication.

For more information about EU funds: www.strukturnifondovi.hr and www.esf.hr.

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