International Hub Meeting: Sharing Project Results and Gathering Feedback

 The International Hub Meeting held online on November 5th was designed as an interactive 90-minute session with the aim to share project results and gather crucial feedback on diverse co-creation methodologies.

The meeting started with a brief welcome and agenda outline, followed by an interactive "Get to know each other" activity. A brief project overview established the context for the session. 

The participants of the event on Zoom.

The core of the meeting was dedicated to the presentation of four distinct co-creation experiences titled "50 Shades of Co-Creation". This segment served to share diverse project outcomes and initiate the feedback cycle:

    US presented results on the co-creation of a "final product" by the audience;

    SCN addressed the important topic of risks and failure within co-creation projects;

    MUST focused on the critical role of listening and observing for successful outcomes;

    SEM and EM highlighted results from co-creation with the community from the very beginning.

EM representative Sarah Klemisch described their collaboration with Ukrainians and former Yugoslav diaspora.

The most dynamic element of the agenda were two structured, consecutive 20-minute Breakout Room sessions. Partners hosted individual rooms, allowing participants to choose their focus area. This structure was optimized to facilitate discussion and allow partners to receive targeted, constructive feedback on the co-creation approaches and results they had presented. The meeting concluded with a presentation of Dissemination Documents (project results intended for wider use).

The meeting successfully provided a platform for transparent sharing of project results and ensured a dedicated, structured environment for gathering essential feedback from all participants.

Exploring Climate Change through Creativity and Curiosity

How do we feel, think, and talk about climate change? 

In our recent workshops at the ScienceCenter-Network, participants were invited to explore this complex topic not only with their minds, but also with their senses and emotions. Through hands-on experiments and artistic imagination, the sessions opened new ways to connect scientific understanding with personal experience. The workshops were conducted with young women aged 20 to 25 who are registered as unemployed or seeking work and currently take part in the FutureFactory Vienna programme. This programme offers free career guidance, knowledge expansion, and support in finding vocational training or employment.

Get hands on the physics behind climate change 

The first part of the workshop focused on experiencing climate change through science. Participants explored the greenhouse effect and ocean acidification through simple, do-it-yourself experiments. Visible reactions—rising temperatures and changing water colours—made global processes tangible and relatable. Using everyday materials from the kitchen or household, helped facilitators to connect scientific principles to familiar, daily experiences. Participants also reflected on how scientific knowledge is created—discussing, for example, why controlling variables in an experiment is essential for drawing reliable conclusions. 

Enable dialogue for mitigation measures 

Beyond the physical effects, participants reflected on what these changes mean for life on our planet. In a discussion game called “Climate Perspectives,” participants worked with cards describing different measures to tackle climate change. They arranged the measures along a spectrum—from “likely” to “unlikely” to be implemented in Austria by 2040, and from “desirable” to “undesirable.” An important aspect of this activity is to shift the focus of climate action from an individual to a societal and political level, but still be able to discuss the impacts on individual lives. This exercise opened a space for personal viewpoints and life experiences to be shared, linking climate measures to participants’ daily realities and values. 

Discover personal relation through creative expression 

The second part, the “Climate Collage,” created space for imagination and empathy. In a guided exercise, participants closed their eyes and envisioned what climate change looks and feels like to them—whether it evokes hope, fear, transformation, or resilience. They then sketched their inner images and turned them into collective collages that expressed their shared reflections. 

Together, both activities showed that climate communication can be as much about listening and feeling as it is about explaining and measuring. By combining scientific discovery with creative expression, we believe participants developed a richer, more personal relationship with the topic as well as practicing discussion culture and argumentation.

Observe colour change in water by acidification through CO2.
Photo: Nina Kramer (SCN) 

Measuring pH Values of normal water and CO2-treated water where carbonic acid formed. 
Photo: Nina Kramer (SCN) 

Participants look for suitable pictures for their personal collage work.
Photo: Nina Kramer (SCN) 

Assembling a personal image through cutting pictures and gluing parts together.
Photo: Nina Kramer (SCN)  

Diverse results of climate collages. Photo: Nina Kramer (SCN) 

 

The Come Together Project Presented at a Diversci Webinar

On July 17, 2025, we had the pleasure of presenting the Come Together project during an online webinar held for members of the Diversci community.

Diversci is a European network of professionals committed to fostering diversity and inclusion in science. It brings together people from science communication, education, research, and civil society.
👉 Learn more: www.diversci.eu

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What We Shared

We were invited to present the project’s collaborative, European approach, and how it has been built step by step across countries, with local adaptations and shared learning.

We also gave an overview of the actions carried out over the past months:
✅ Nearly 125 professionals trained
✅ Over 500 people reached, many of whom are in situations of social exclusion

Some concrete examples of what was done in France:

• Two mini-exhibitions created by incarcerated people, for others in the same center
• A sound and visual map of biodiversity, built by young adults in professional and social reintegration programs, in collaboration with experts
• An informal creative workshop with a neighborhood association and a researcher
• A weather station and vegetable garden, co-created with a group of seniors

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A Space for Shared Reflections

Beyond the presentation, the webinar gave us the opportunity to share some open questions we’re currently facing as the project nears its end:

• What next, with such an active and committed community?
• How can we build new projects with new partners?
• How do we keep the momentum going?

Other project partners also joined the conversation and shared their experiences and challenges during small-group exchanges.

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Thank You 🙏

We were delighted to connect with the Diversci community — to share our journey, hear from others, and explore common paths forward.

Looking forward to continuing to build bridges between science, society, and inclusion — together.

Feedback on the Online Training by the Come Together Project: Supporting Science Communication on Climate Issues for Socially Excluded Adults

On October 15 and 22, the Come Together European project team organized a first online training session: two days dedicated to give to professionals the keys and tools to design science communication activities on climate issues, specifically targeting socially excluded adults.

A Diversity of Profiles and Perspectives

Twenty-five participants from the five partners’ countries (France, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and Italy) joined the training. They represented three main professional backgrounds: science communicators, researchers, and social workers. This diversity was a key strength of the training, fostering rich exchanges and constructive discussions through the confrontation of different perspectives.

The challenge was significant: delivering an online training in English (a non-native language for most participants), to a group of people who had never met and came from varying professional contexts.

Some take-away messages that participants would share about the training

A Well-Balanced Structure to Encourage Exchange and Learning

To meet this challenge, the Come Together team designed a balanced format combining theory, practice, and self-reflection:

• Informal sessions to encourage participants to connect and build relationships.
• Small group activities to ensure everyone had the opportunity to speak, share experiences, and discuss projects.
• Plenary sessions to deliver theoretical input and set the stage for deeper discussions.
• Individual moments for participants to reflect and process their learning, accompanied by a collaborative playlist created specifically for these self-reflection times (available ici).

Collaborative playlist for self-reflexion time during the training

Topics Covered

Over the two days, the training addressed central themes at the intersection of climate issues and social inclusion:

• Inclusion: role-playing exercises and expert interventions helped participants better understand the specific needs of socially excluded audiences.
• Climate issues: how to encourage audience to take in action ? How to manage emotions related to climate change ?
• Bridging the two: each session was designed to show how to incorporate climate issues into inclusive approaches.

To visualize the training process, check out our 2-days program below.

Why Was This First Training a Success?

The feedback from participants speaks volumes:

• Practical tools were explored, and some participants have already begun using them in their own projects.
• Participants gained confidence and legitimacy to design and facilitate communication activities on environmental issues for socially excluded audiences.
• Training materials (documents, slides, collaborative murals) were rated as highly useful for learning.
• 100% of participants agreed that this training increased their motivation to lead inclusive educational actions on climate and environmental topics.

A Co-Created Training with Hub members

This training was developed through the collaborative efforts of the Come Together hubs across the five partner countries, who shared their needs and expertise over the past six months. A heartfelt thank you to them for their contributions!

What’s Next?

The feedback gathered during this first edition will help enrich the next step of the project: the organization of a national training session in each country. Stay tuned for this opportunity to further advance inclusive science communication on climate issues!

 

Co-creation workshop in Milano

The project partners gathered in Milan for a three-day co-creation workshop (July 16-18) hosted by the project's lead partner, the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology. We were joined by three hub members coming from Austria, Germany and France. The meeting was centered on designing the initial version of the international training program for scientists, NGO workers and educators who will conduct educational activities with and for the project's target groups.

Project team at the beginning of the meeting. 

Catherine Oualian, the trainer at Universcience,
facilitates the meeting.

Catherine Oualian and Fannie Le Floch, two excellent facilitators from our French partner, the science center Universcience, carefully prepared and conducted the co-creation workshop, which included lectures, discussions, and varied activities. We heard from three outstanding speakers who provided insight into the intertwining of two project topics: climate change and the engagement of various vulnerable social groups in these debates. 

Sociologist Clémence Perronnet introduced the concept of inclusion and emphasized that there are numerous factors that contribute to social group discrimination, such as race, gender, age, religion, class, and disability, that must be taken into account when planning educational activities.

Lorenzo De Vidovich, also a sociologist, addressed the question of social justice in energy use, focusing on the relationship between the social and environmental crises, as well as how energy transition initiatives may affect marginalized socioeconomic groups and geographical peripheries. 

Sandi Horvat, journalist, writer and representative of the Roma Academic Club from Slovenia, provided a very comprehensive overview of crucial factors to take into account when working with and for underprivileged communities.

We also learned about the Green Ethics project, which is being run by the University of Turin's Social and Community Theatre Center and the university itself. First, Alberto Pagliarino provided us with the theoretical framework of their work, and then we attempted some of the community theater's approaches ourselves, guided by Maurizio Bertolini.

Community Theatre Center's workshop with Maurizio Bertolini.

We also served as an audience for activities created and implemented in our respective organizations which benefited us in developing the international training program. Sarah Klemisch from the Ethnological Museum Berlin introduced us to the Speculative Design through imagining the future of our city and its resources. Balduin Landl and Constantin Holmer from the ScienceCenter-Network have tested the discussion game, as well as conducted a series of experiments to teach us about CO2. Fabrizio Stavola of the National Museum of Science and Technology "Leonardo da Vinci" encouraged us to consider the complexities of the climate crisis by investigating the mechanisms of toy operation. Katarina Nahtigal and Tina Palaić from the Slovene Ethographic Museum presented the museum program of personal exhibitions created by various individuals and social groups, with a focus on collaboration with Roma communities in Slovenia.

         

Learning how the toy mechanisms work.

                          

CO2 experiments.

The majority of the meeting was spent planning the international training program, which we devised based on our professional knowledge and experience, as well as the skills, needs, wishes, and interests of the national hub members. We defined the critical themes we want to explore in the training, determined the pedagogical objective of the selected training sequences, and suggested a teaching techniques to achieve the goal. 

Working on the selected training sequences.

The two-day international training will be aimed at scientists, NGO workers, and educators who will be conducting educational activities with and for the project's target groups. It will be done online on October 15th and 22nd.

Dear hub members, thank you once again for your dedication and efforts. We look forward to continuing this journey together and making a meaningful impact.

The first in-person project meeting at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin

Following several online sessions, the project partners finally met in person! Our gathering was held at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin, where we were hosted by our partner museum, SPK - Ethnological Museum Berlin. 

We had an excellent opportunity to get to know each other better, particularly to exchange our experiences and practices in adult education and addressing climate change issues. We also discussed different approaches to including various individuals and communities in research and representation of their heritage.

In addition to very fruitful discussions regarding the project's goals and planned activities, we toured current exhibitions at the Ethnological Museum and addressed contemporary concerns of museum decolonization and collaboration with heritage holders. 

             

Photos: Constantin Holmer

First hub meeting in Vienna took place!

The first hub meeting organized by the ScienceCenter-Netzwerk in Vienna, Austria, took place on 10th of April 2024 in the Wissens°raum, our very own ScienceCenter in the 5th district of Vienna:

For our first hub meeting, we tried to bring together people with various backgrounds and collaboratively work on our understanding of socially inclusive cliamte education for adults. The main focus of the first hub meeting was to get to know each other, explore relevant topics and develop a common understanding of how we want to work together. Therefore, everyone introduced themselves with an object from the Wissens°raum that they found interesting and that they felt some connection to. Because we did not only want to call our hub meetings "hub meetings" we decided to give this exciting process a name, some colour, and a logo):

The Klima-Wissens°werkstatt is a process, workplace and hub at the same time. Therefore, we hope to be able to serve as a platform for socially inclusive climate education for adults for various interested people and institutions that want to work together with us. For this purpose, we noted down our thoughts and ideas on a paper roll on the floor where important topics, a timeline with possible specific foci, and other relevant information were written down. To complement the analog format of the paper roll, after the hub meeting, we translated our ideas and findings into a digital version, a mural which is open to all participants and interested people. In the next weeks, we will have further meetings to deepen our knowledge, experiment with different formats and work on ways of doing socially inclusive climate education for adults.

Come together for socially inclusive climate education for adults.

We are very much looking forward to this exciting process!

We meet every week Wednesday 3:30-6:30pm in the Wissens°raum.

Announcement: Project partners' first face-to-face meeting

After multiple online meetings, the project partners will finally get together in person!

We can't wait to talk about our experiences and, most importantly, about the planned activities for the project. The agenda includes a discussion of: the purpose, methodology, and results of hub meetings; the organization of trainings for scientists, researchers, museum staff, and other stakeholders to create educational programs about climate change. 

The meeting is scheduled for April 22nd and 23rd at the Berlin Ethnographic Museum.