Too young for tough topics?
As parents and educators, there are topics we are not really comfortable talking about or we don’t have the emotional resources to deal with when children bring them into the discussion: disability, illness, death, racism, sexuality… and many more! This is why we need science centres and museums to tackle all these “awkward” questions raised by children in our community.
Some science centres and children’s museums have been developing initiatives to sensitise their young audience to accessibility or health issues. Children are the future of society, and the earlier they can understand these questions, the earlier they will naturally address them. With these initiatives, from exhibitions talking about disabilities or illnesses, to specific activities and workshops specially designed for children, science museums are overcoming our natural censorship or awkwardness.
Session speakers
Senior Graphic Designer | Project Manager
Heureka developed an exhibition about mental illness, targeting a family audience. Persons suffering from mental illness where involved all through the exhibition planning process, and also in the exhibition. What does it take to involve “unusual exhibit developers” in an exhibition project? How and why address kids about these topics, that most of the adults are not comfortable to talk about?
Developed by CRIG (Cancer Research Institute Ghent), in association with the University of Gent, Technopolis hosted a workshop to talk about cancer to their young audience. How did they use games to help kids understand this illness and treatments? How to manage their emotions and personal stories, as most kids participating knew someone or lost someone on cancer.
DASA is developing an exhibition on the subject of "death". Instead of confronting the family audience with bare facts, we use the method of storytelling: due to health problems an old lady passes away. The visitors accompany her grand-child to the nurse and doctor to hear about the circumstances and they go with her through the process of grief. We aim to create an exhibition space that inspires visitors to think and talk about death and that evokes feelings without dictating to them what to feel.
Introduction / convening the session (general info)
