The Odyssea’s Launch Event took place under the umbrella of the Horizon Europe-funded SENSE project. 

The event began introducing participants to the project, and informing them about its implementation stages and its next steps. In particular, STEAM-Labs were presented and potential partnerships were discussed with the teachers and representatives of the organisations present. There was an emphasis on the importance of Space in which the educational process takes place, on the importance of inclusion, but also on Art and how it can be included in educational activities.

As a next step, the group utilised  the “human bingo” icebreaker activity to get to know each other better, and to identify work readiness characteristics that were included in it. Establishing an atmosphere of cooperation and willingness, the participants were divided into groups and were set to identify all those characteristics and skills that are essential for job readiness for both students and prospective employees. Examples of the characteristics found by the groups are empathy, conflict resolution, openness, and active listening which were ranked in a hierarchical pyramid and shared with the teams.

The next stage of the workshop involved the creation of a STEAM activity, using the key principles of the STEAM Manifesto, which aims to reinforce/cultivate one of the characteristics/skills needed to be work-ready. The participants worked enthusiastically, and the results were shown on paper! They used colours, sketches, and note cards to visualise their activity, which they were happy and proud to present to the teams.

The workshop ended with a reflection and evaluation of the day’s activities. 

We would like to thank all those who participated in this event for their participation and for their good mood and willingness to get involved and bring their expertise. We look forward to our future collaboration at STEAM-Labs.

SENSE. promotes an innovative approach to STEM education, based on sensory research and the integration of science and arts. This approach recognises the importance of direct experience, connecting students’ everyday knowledge with science-based knowledge in order to promote motivation, self-direction and lifelong learning.