30 September 2016
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
A local Credit Union in Cork is a key sponsor of this youth education project.
Gurranabraher Credit Union, Cork City Council and Cork City Partnership have come together to sponsor STEAM Education for 5 Schools in the North West of the City.
Cork based company STEAM Education Ltd combine science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) with art to deliver fun and engaging programmes for primary school children. 6th class pupils from 5 schools will participate in a 10-week programme whereby a PhD student will show them how engineers solve a variety of human problems including shelter, transport and communication. The aim is to engage young people in engineering in a fun and interesting way and to address the serious gaps in science education in Ireland.
The partners came together as part of the Knocknaheeny Learning Neighbourhoods initiative. Knocknaheeny, along with Ballyphehane was selected to pilot the Learning Neighbourhoods Programme as part of the UNESCO Learning Cities concept. The intention of Learning Neighbourhoods is to celebrate and showcase the amazing learning that is already happening in the neighbourhoods and to develop new opportunities for lifelong learning. One of the aims of the Knocknaheeny Learning Neighbourhoods Committee was to establish greater links with UCC and local schools and community groups; the STEAM education programme will help to achieve this aim.
Dr Siobhan O’Sullivan (Learning Neighbourhoods Coordinator) said “I am delighted that Gurranabraher Credit Union, along with Cork City Council and Cork City Partnership have agreed to sponsor this programme for 6th Class pupils, I hope it will ignite their curiosity about the world around them and their imagination in problem solving, leading them into an exciting world of discovery and learning.”
