Scifest
- Finland,City of Joensuu
- 2007
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The festival “Scifest” aims to provide innovative solutions for education and the workforce challenges of the future. The main element of the festival is workshops, where kids can experiment and try things out for themselves. Alongside classical science activities, the festival offers science cafés, public speakers and a national RoboCupJunior tournament, and much else.
The festival aims to provide innovative solutions for education and the workforce challenges of the future.
The first Scifest festival was implemented in 2007. The event is popular year after year.
The main element of the festival is workshops, where kids can experiment and try things out for themselves. Alongside classical science activities, the festival offers science cafés, public speakers and a national RoboCupJunior tournament, and much else.
Abloy Ltd.; Alfred Kordelin Foundation; City of Joensuu; Finnish Cultural Foundation; Finnish Cultural Foundation – North Karelia Regional Fund; Fortum Ltd.; (Former) Joensuu University Foundation; Karjalaisen Kulttuurin Edistämissäätiö; Maa- ja vesitekniikan tuki r.y.; Ministry of Education and Culture; Pohjois-Karjalan Sähkö Ltd.; Regional Council of North Karelia; Technology Industries of Finland Centennial Foundation; University of Eastern Finland (former University of Joensuu).
Pupils, students, parents and teachers get exciting experiences of learning about STEAM and culture.
Each time I have found the atmosphere of the event unbelievable. It is so inspiring to see how children, young people and adults are exciting when science, technology and research come close to them and are easily available.
At least experimental approaches and problem-based learning and socio-scientific issues.
Workshops have several activities where children, teachers and parents are challenged to use their ingenuity and hand-skills to experiment or solve problems.
The popularity of Scifest shows that people have a thirst of knowledge related to science, and they want to be part of the science world. Furthermore, Scifest verifies that science festivals are important supporters of the formal science education and disseminator of the scientific knowledge to the public both at the regional and international level.
The contributors and the visitors can have different expertise which they can mutually share during the planning and implementing the festival.
SciFest is an international festival by its very nature. People from different background are welcome to participate in the activities, and the contributors use English language as well. The accessibility of the event is improved each year by practical actions, e.g. paying attention to the needs of people with reduced mobility.
The history of the festival includes several ethical topics such as water consumption, challenges with energy usage and diversity of the world. http://www.scifest.fi/history_en.php
The festival brings together businesses, university research groups, schools, organizations and many other parties from different fields of science, technology and the environment.
The practical knowledge from different disciplines may come with partners who help to organize the festival.
The festival is a huge event, and it could not be arranged without close cooperation between citizens, institutions and organizations.
Although the starting point of the festival is global, the focus of most activities is many cases in regional issues and science topics related to the local people’s life. In 2019, the event was organized the first time in local garden with positive feedback.
The festival is an open forum to discuss and share ideas related to science, technology, arts, culture and education.
Some workshops have activities where visitors may come familiar with the latest digital tools and methods such as virtual-reality glasses and digital modelling of scientific phenomena.
Scifest is a great example of how regional organizations and citizens can have a huge power to work together for science, innovation and education.
The external partners contribute to the festival in many ways: setting up workshops, providing public lectures, or sometimes by creating theatrical performances.
For schools, the event offers special teachers’ workshops. For businesses and universities, the festival offers a scene for recruitment and advertising. For NGOs it offers a first-class chance for raising awareness of their operations.