Giving Tuesday is right around the corner, so you might be thinking about the best contribution you can make for a charity this holiday season. With so many worthy organisations and good causes to support, it can be hard to know where to start.
As an educational charity, Techniquest is built on the generosity of every one of our supporters, including our Friends of Techniquest. We would not be where we are today without their contributions, with each donation helping us to achieve our goal of connecting everyone in Wales through fun and engaging science.
In order to cut through the fog and highlight their extraordinary contribution, we have put together the following list to help showcase all the ways in which Friends of Techniquest are shaping the future of our charity.
Inspire future generations
We have been helping young people discover exciting and interactive science for over 33 years. It is at the very core of who we are at Techniquest and we engage with over 140,000 young people every single year through our science centre and educational outreach programme.
Research has shown that participating in science outside of school at a young age can have a huge impact on the skills you develop and your likelihood to choose a STEM education or career pathway later in life. We want to capitalise on this and provide young people with the opportunity to explore, experiment and play; learning through creativity and curiosity.
With contributions from our Friends we can spark the curiosity to inspire a whole future generation of talented scientists, engineers and innovators.
Create connections between communities and science
“Working for Techniquest is a huge joy. I used to play there when I was a child and now working alongside Techniquest employees is a complete full circle. It’s helped me so much in my freelance career.” – Zaid Djerdi, freelance photographer and project participant March 2019.
Science should be accessible to everyone, regardless of background, economic situation or ability and we are on a mission to create a science centre that is of, by and for communities. Through inclusive, co-created projects Techniquest is working to foster a sense of ownership and greater relevance between new audiences and science.
Our approach is based on establishing local connections through collaboration and building a greater understanding of our community. Each member of our Friends scheme enables us to establish new connections which build on local strengths, increase chances for engagement and create new opportunities for skill sharing.
Find out more about some of our past projects here, which have already uncovered the scientists in our community and forged new links between science and the arts.
Celebrate science in Wales
Science is thriving in Wales and we have made it our mission to embrace and embed a culture which celebrates this success. Techniquest is partnering with a host of trailblazing companies and pioneering researchers to showcase the length and breadth of astonishing science taking place across the country.
Friends of Techniquest have been instrumental in helping us find the most relevant partners and are always the very first people to see our new exhibits and events in action.
Recent highlights include, examining the science behind some of Wales’ most talented service dogs, and exploring future technologies with the world’s first compound semiconductor cluster, located right here in South Wales.
Explore global challenges
Science is a fundamental world issue and it is our responsibility to empower people to think differently about the many global challenges that we face. By becoming a Friend of Techniquest, you can make a sustainable contribution to this end and leave a lasting legacy for the future.
Friends of Techniquest told us they wanted more environmental science and we heard them loud and clear. From this feedback, we hosted an exploration of the wonders of our oceans and the damaging effects of plastic pollution and have created new ways to learn about these vital world issues at our centre (with many more still to come in 2020).