Play Africa Play Africa Play Africa Play Africa

DONATE
  • EXPERIENCE
    • VISIT PLAY AFRICA ONLINE
    • VISIT PLAY AFRICA AT CONSTITUTION HILL
    • INVITE US TO YOUR COMMUNITY
    • JOIN OUR NETWORK
  • FREE RESOURCES
    • WOMEN IN STEM
    • STEM SEEDS
    • MY CONSTITUTION
    • TOOLKIT
    • ACTIVITY PACKS
    • RESOURCE LIBRARIES
    • AFRICAN STORYTELLING
  • PARTNER
  • ABOUT
    • ABOUT PLAY AFRICA
    • WHO WE ARE
    • WHAT WE DO
    • WHY PLAY?
  • SPEAK TO US
  • BOOK
Play Africa Play Africa
  • EXPERIENCE
    • VISIT PLAY AFRICA ONLINE
    • VISIT PLAY AFRICA AT CONSTITUTION HILL
    • INVITE US TO YOUR COMMUNITY
    • JOIN OUR NETWORK
  • FREE RESOURCES
    • WOMEN IN STEM
    • STEM SEEDS
    • MY CONSTITUTION
    • TOOLKIT
    • ACTIVITY PACKS
    • RESOURCE LIBRARIES
    • AFRICAN STORYTELLING
  • PARTNER
  • ABOUT
    • ABOUT PLAY AFRICA
    • WHO WE ARE
    • WHAT WE DO
    • WHY PLAY?
  • SPEAK TO US
  • BOOK
Sep 06

Play Africa honours 3M’s support for changemaking ‘I am a Scientist’ programme

Play Africa pays tribute to 3M’s two-year partnership supporting the ‘I am a Scientist’ programme that promotes equitable access to science, using hands-on playful learning education.

Play Africa’s ‘I am a Scientist’ programme bridges digital and geographic divides and inequalities in South Africa, and this is achieved through three different touch points for children and educators:

  1. I am a Scientist travelling exhibit (a modular 340m2 temporary travelling exhibition that provides a unique, interactive learning experience);
  2. Meet a STEM Role Model (a virtual programme to introduce children to local STEM professionals); and
  3. Science at Home activity booklets (to promote hands-on science education at home)

The pilot programme, launched in September 2020 during COVID-19, saw the production of a modular 340m2 temporary travelling exhibition designed with input from 27 participating children and scientists. The final design included 12 exciting exhibition areas that were built to represent three South African geographies including urban Johannesburg, Kruger National Park and Northern Cape.

During the pilot, a total of 46 partner primary schools and community groups as well as 38 scientists from diverse backgrounds, working across South Africa, helped to bring the excitement of STEM to South African children of different backgrounds, ages and abilities.

In the second year, more than 14348 children in South Africa, from 11 schools and partner organisations again discovered first-hand the wonder of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) through the travelling exhibition at three locations in Gauteng – Doornfontein (Johannesburg Polytech Institute in March), Jewel City (March/April) and Brixton (Brixton Recreation Centre, March).

With the primary aim to ensure access to equitable science and STEM outcomes, Play Africa:

  • used seven languages (English, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi, Setswana, Tshivenda and
    Afrikaans) to bridge divides and promote science education;
  • engaged and partnered with six South African universities that helped facilitate participation by faculty scientists in the virtual programme;
  • enabled 120 children to participate in the ‘Draw A Scientist’ research project undertaken in partnership with the University of Stellenbosch under the guidance of researcher Dr Marina Joubert;
  • had 19 virtual Meet a STEM Role Model and the Women in STEM video series which saw diverse scientists and STEM role models share their career pathways and encourage children to see themselves as emerging scientists; and
  • distributed 492 Science at Home booklets to schools and partners that participated in the programme.

To date the ‘I Am A Scientist’ programme has reached well over 15 000 children from low-resources schools and communities, facilitating them to imagine and discover the wonder of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), in the world all around them.

Play Africa’s ‘I am a Scientist’ programme, implemented in South Africa, was made possible through an educational grant from 3M, a science, technology and manufacturing company based in St. Paul, MN, USA.

“3M partners with schools, universities and other community organisations around the globe to ensure students and teachers have the tools, resources and knowledge they need to succeed in STEM,” says Laszlo Svinger, Vice President & Managing Director, 3M Middle East & Africa. “In 2021, we set a new STEM goal to empower underrepresented individuals globally by creating five million unique STEM and Skilled Trades learning experiences by the end of 2025. This is another step for us in helping to improve every life — making science approachable and accessible.”

“The 3M partnership enables us to bridge the opportunity gap and promote equitable science outcomes in South Africa; inspiring a new generation of scientists, innovators and inventors in elementary-age children”, says Play Africa Managing Director, Rongedzayi Fambasayi. “We celebrate and honour the role and support of 3M in this life-transforming programme and travelling exhibit.”

The response from educators has been uniformly positive:

“Learners were so enthusiastic about the activities they were involved in. We’re so privileged to attend the I’m a Scientist programme,” said Thokozile Manyate, a Grade 2 Educator, Soweto.

“It’s an absolutely stunning initiative! I was blown away at how much the children loved it,” added Jean Clarke, a Grade 4 Educator, Parkview.

“Children have learnt different career paths that they can pursue in their lives,” said Boitumelo Makopanele, a Grade 3 Educator in Soweto. “The children’s energy level was breath-taking, they were excited to learn and experiment with everything. It shows that this programme is very productive because it enhances learning in every aspect. The I am a Scientist program is a fundamental learning experience and should be implemented in every school as it builds up good knowledge and vocabulary, not only for the learners but the educators as well. Play Africa is improving the way of learning through different aspects and has empowered us as the Igugu Primary team to do the same in classes.”

Play Africa’s programmes are centred on the best interests of every child, offering life-changing learning opportunities in low resourced communities to ensure that we leave no child behind.

“Getting kids excited about science and technology is the first step in building a pipeline of science and engineering talent,” comments Naresh Sanjith, Country Leader South Africa & Sub-Saharan Africa. “We believe everyone deserves access to impactful and possibly life-changing STEM experiences and our partnership with Play Africa is helping bridge equity gaps and provide more resources to help our students achieve their career goals right in their own communities.”

Get involved and support Play Africa’s existing and new programmes by contacting us on: hello@playafrica.org.za

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • E-Mail

Related Posts

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Play Africa’s Announces a Nationwide Open Call for REAL SCIENCE
  • Play Africa honours 3M’s support for changemaking ‘I am a Scientist’ programme
  • Play Africa’s free STEM Seeds resource measures significant impact among ECD educators
  • Children’s rights lawyer Rongedzayi Fambasayi joins Play Africa as Managing Director
  • Building Bridges of Peace through Empathy and Compassion
  • Play Africa is Open for Bookings!
  • The Hyena Who Could Not Stop Laughing
  • The Musical Tree
  • Thaka and the Aloe Tree (Thaka le setlhare sa legala)
  • Why the Giraffe has a Long Neck
  • The Enchanting Bird Song
  • The Water Snake (Inyoka Yamanzi)
  • The World of Dreams (Lehantshe la Ditoro)
  • Where Stories Come From
  • Children of the Stars (Bana ba Dinaledi)
  • The Rabbit and the Lion (Mmutle le tau)
  • The Fox and the Grapes
  • Khuluza the Spider Boy
  • The Needle Tree
  • Khuluza’s Dream
CONTACT US
Play Africa Group NPC
Non-Profit Company

Registration (2014/101533/08)
T: +27 (0) 10 211 9912
T: +27 (0) 11 480 4892
E: info@playafrica.org.za
VISIT US
Play Africa at Constitution Hill
11 Kotze Street
Johannesburg
South Africa
2017


OPENING AND CLOSING TIMES
Currently open on a limited basis.
Space is limited. Pre-booking is required.
Click here to join our waitlist.
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • linkedin
  • twitter
  • youtube-play
SIGN UP FOR EXCLUSIVE UPDATES

By entering your details, you consent to be contacted via email by Play Africa with news and updates. To opt out, click “unsubscribe” at the bottom of the email sent to you or email info@playafrica.org.za. View our website policies for details. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA. The Google Privacy Policy and Google Terms of Service apply.

Terms & Conditions  |  Website Policies
All content © Play Africa Group NPC, 2023. All copyright and other intellectual property rights in all logos, designs, text, images and other materials on this website are owned by Play Africa or appear with permission of the relevant owner. All rights reserved.
Website designed and developed by One Hundred Percent
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT