Universitatea Copiilor - UniCo - Children's University

At the UniCo (Children`s university) young people come in contact with science knowledge and activities, with scientists, researchers and university teachers, and they take part in innovative workshops organized in interesting places such as laboratories, university rooms or open air research areas. Besides the intensive UniCo period in summer, at the end of each school year, during the entire school year, children come to clubs, including weekend activities organized on different scientific topics, and they participate in trips and camps for scientific and practical research according to their age, organized in different areas of interest across the country. Children who attended UniCo became also ambassadors of science as workshop-leaders at the Europeans Researchers Night Event (organized on national and international level) and at other Local Science Fairs, beside acting as science communicators for their family, friends or younger colleagues in their schools.

Aims
The active contribution to the formation of generations of young people with real equal opportunities, aware of their abilities and competencies, uninhibited, responsible and communicative.
Bringing young people closer to all fields of science and research, constantly supporting them in discovering their passion and determination for knowledge.
Building a real team of future researchers and science communicators, being promoted both nationally and internationally, respected and supported by the whole community.

Objectives
Empowering at least 150 young people every year to discover the realms of science and knowledge, (as little "students" - 7 to 14 years old - or as guides for smaller ones - 15 to 22 years old) approaching at least 10 passionate researchers, developing critical thinking, finding the answers to questions about the world around through the most practical and interactive activities performed in research laboratories, research institutes, in the open air, museums and through exploratory trips, under the guidance of dedicated specialists and becoming a relay of scientific communication in their classroom, in their school, in their community.

The activity started in 2010. The funding members are experienced with projects regarding non-formal education for health and environment (since 1992), children of all ages being active participants.
Celebrating a decade of involvement in education, Universitatea Copiilor is in a continuous process of improvement and of growth.

The values of Universitatea Copiilor are:
Opening to the future Creative spirit Dynamism and flexibility Responsibility
Team spirit
The methodology relies on science communication through informal and non-formal education, practical and interactive activities, such as free discussions, brainstorming, working in mini-groups (5 to 10 children), different methods of empowering children to participate, laboratory experiences, creative workshops, observation, exploration and research trips.

Donations and sponsorship

Every year there was a growing interest for the participants, both students and teachers for new workshops. The young students who participated to "Universitatea Copiilor" workshops became more communicative, more involved in local projects in their school, and they developed a larger interest for science, while generally better highlighting themselves in their classes and in their schools.
There are some young people that remained as volunteers after they become 14 years old and they became helpers/guides for the little ones (aged 7 to 14) enabling the dialogue with the professors or researchers if necessary and guiding the little ones through campuses and buildings.
UniCo acts also like an incubator for teachers and has already provided the Romanian public schools a few valuable teachers, that have already experienced science within formal, informal and non-formal environments through the UniCo type of activities and that are aware of the necessity of open-schooling, bringing all this background to their work in the school, being supported by the school principal.

"Universitatea Copiilor" (UniCo) puts children in direct contact with the experiments, with the scientific tools and research methods, and they are encouraged to ask questions, to do the experiments themselves and to explain them to other children adding value to their school community by becoming workshop leaders for different science activities in their schools.
The dialogue with the adults and the other group members is a valuable key in the strategy of UniCo, very much appreciated and supported by the teachers. As an example, every year (starting with 2014) more children on behalf of UniCo became workshop-leaders to the European Researchers' Night Event ( in Bucharest, Romania, and also in Mersin, Turkey – in 2018 and in 2019) and other National Science Fairs as little scientists, participating next to real scientists in order to offer experiments to the external participants and to enable their friends and other children to attend the event.
The pass-it-on process: The alumni of UniCo workshops, after they become 14 years old, have the possibility to be guides for children aged 7 to 14.
UniCo is a center of resources for education in general and for schools in particular, empowering young people and teachers and researchers to reach their highest potential in science communication and providing the schools and the society with reliable members.

As a type of non-formal education complementary to the formal education in schools and taking into account the content delivered by schools on each level, the learning activity at UniCo is based on the learning-by- doing and learning-by-discovering didactic concepts, working in micro-groups, allowing all participants to participate equally and to ask as many questions as they want. All workshops are based on scientific education and team problem-solving regarding already experienced topics, in different domains of interest: environment, health, society, education etc. The workshops are based on practical activities which are conducted individually and in groups, under the presentation and guiding of a researcher or university teacher. Other used didactic concepts are didactic games and playing, and scheduled learning (children learn by taking small steps, according to their level of understanding and the rhythm of each child, while receiving continuous feedback).

Young people come in contact with science knowledge and activities, with scientists, researchers and university teachers, and they take part in innovative workshops organized in interesting places such as laboratories, university rooms or open air research areas. Besides the intensive UniCo period in summer, at the end of each school year, during the entire school year, children come to clubs, including weekend activities organized on different scientific topics, and they participate in trips and camps for scientific and practical research according to their age, organized in different areas of interest across the country. Children who attended UniCo became also ambassadors of science as workshop-leaders at the Europeans Researchers Night Event (organized on national and international level) and at other Local Science Fairs, beside acting as science communicators for their family, friends or younger colleagues in their schools.

Working in mini-groups (5 to 10 children), hands-on activities, brainstorming, role-plays, learning-by-doing, learning-by-discovering in scientific or research laboratories using real research tools and instruments (microscopes, substances, laboratory equipment, etc.), while becoming able to organize themselves different scientific experiments.

The professors and the researchers often state that "Universitatea Copiilor" is a place where they feel challenged by the children to have a new approach of their scientific communication.
Children aged 7 to 14 are often guided by other colleagues, older than 14 years, that have previous experience as UniCo "student" and enroll themselves as guides for the little ones.
UniCo "students" are workshop leaders at science fairs on national and international science fairs for a public of all ages.
UniCo organizes different events, conferences, meetings with its partners (school-heads, teachers, professors, partners, university representatives, NGOs) with the aim of mutual learning within the specific UniCo type of teaching/learning process.

- UniCo students - aged 7-14 years old
- UniCo alumni - guids - aged 14 - 19 years old
- UniCo volunteers- guids - aged 19 - 22 years old
- academic activities: UniCo professors/researchers/workshop leaders - aged 23 - 70 years old
- science fairs: UniCo professors/researchers/workshop leaders - aged 10 - 60 years old
- UniCo organizing team - aged 18 - 71 years old

Children from all social environments participate in the workshops and an open space for young people as well as for other interested people that want to be part of on voluntary basis. Young people can select the workshops they want to attend, or guide other children through, regardless of gender, race or minority group.

Ethical aspects are considered, as all activities develop under a respectful environment both from the view of managing the interaction with the participants and from the view of conducting the learning and research activities during the workshops.

"Universitatea Copiilor" is defined as a multi- and interdisciplinary space while the workshop leaders (researchers , university teachers) do not limit the content of their activities to only one academic discipline, but they allow themselves and the participants to think outside the box and to enhance the use of knowledge, models and methods of different science fields.
(for example: at biology workshops, young people talked about and used chemistry knowledge while they needed to build certain models with additional knowledge of mathematics, geometry and physics).

The activities integrate scientific and practical knowledge from different disciplines with the aim of understanding the world as a whole.
Every year, at the Graduation Ceremony of "Universitatea Copiilor", all the participants (children, rectors, professors, researchers, guides, parents, press etc.) take the following oath:

"I swear I won't stop asking questions I swear to rediscover the world
And what can I do for it
I swear to find out who I am
And what is my mission on this Earth I swear to stay my whole life
A Child"

It is a very special and an official moment, as it contains the core of UniCo's Philosophy which is based on sharing scientific knowledge to children through adapted practical knowledge and activities. Scientific knowledge which is used and enhanced within academic areas (Universities, Research Institutes) is also experienced "on the field", within museums, companies, or during field trips and research camps in different areas of scientific interest in Romania.

Each partner is informed about the activities and about the steps to be completed in order to be part of Universitatea Copiilor activity. All partners have the opportunity to get involved according to their resources (time, space, staff etc.) and as much as they decide to do it, without strict obligations and requirements as UniCo’s.

There were activities that referred strictly to the characteristics and issues of a certain place or of the region. For example, children from Corbii Mari (a commune in the rural area next to Bucharest) were involved into UniCo’s activities as they set up a garden within the school yard with aromatic and decorative plants under the guidance of a professor from Universitatea Copiilor.
The content that was used combined knowledge in the field of horticulture, biology, phytotherapy, but also in the field of arts, because they first made a sketch project with the plants grouped by colors.

All proposals, made by all partners, are discussed. Decisions are taken after all opinions are heard. It is a demanding job and a time-consuming one, but at the end, all partners share a very good relationship.

UniCo is organizing the activities and the enrollment of children, in partnership with the schools and with the Universities and Institutes, which are disseminating the need of involvement among their Professors, researchers and students.

The communicators are mostly professors, researchers and experts in their science field. The organizing team as well as the representatives of all the partners are supporting the work of the communicators and also of the teachers, offering support and coaching when necessary.

Information technology is an essential part of UniCo so that all activities take place by using ITC means and different virtual scientific applications.

The cooperation between the partners is a solid one as we have partnerships ongoing for several years now. The first partnerships started 10 years ago and they are still running. All educational partners are very open and looking for a long term partnership with and within UniCo. The representatives of each partner are being heard as part of the organizing team. So, the activity of UniCo is a joint effort for the well-being of the young people, a common aim understood by all partners, so that constituting a very fruitful partnership for all parts being involved.

Some of them are sponsors and with some of them we develop together workshops for children at their workplace and dissemination of the activities.

Partners for workshops and science communication activities The Schools
University of Bucharest
University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest University Politehnica of Bucharest
National Institute of Aerospace Research "Elie Carafoli”
Institute for Research and Development in Forestry "Marin Drăcea" Romanien Radio Broadcasting Society
NGOs: Fascination Association
The Federation "Junior Chamber International", through the project "We act responsibly-CSR" Museums
National Museum of the Romanian Peasant The National Museum of Art of Romania
The museum of the Romanian village “Dimitrie Gusti” Public authority
The General School Inspectorate
The General Inspectorate of Romanian Police Bucharest City Hall - partnership for transportation


Partners for dissemination
Romanien Radio Broadcasting Society Romanian TV Society

Partners as Sponsors
Rompetrol
Hofigal
Niculescu Publishing House

The activities encourage young people to reach their best version as students, to have active roles in the outcome of their education and to become a rely of science communication for their schools and for their community. Universitatea Copiilor provides a wide area of activities and scientific knowledge in order to give to its participants the possibility to experience and to discover what makes them really passionate about and what is their real personal aim, achieving more also on institutional level, within their schools of origin . The professors, teachers and school-heads are also improving their institutional level activity as their work and collaboration with UniCO is recognized within the report regarding the yearly evaluation of their scientific activity, therefore they are usually requesting participation certificates from UniCo besides the diploma of UniCo Professor which they are awarded with at the end of each intensive study program.
UniCo acts also like an incubator for teachers and has already provided the Romanian public schools a few valuable teachers, experienced and aware of the necessity of open-schooling.
There are also students that can improve their institutional level activity as they can make their mandatory internship at UniCo, receiving at the end observation form and a grade, regarding their work within the association, so that their work can be acknowledged by their faculty and, further, as professional experience by other institutions.

The working team is formed by a defined and a constant team (coordinating council has 3 people involved) on behalf of the Asociatia Universitatea Copilor (Children's Univeristy Association), completed by a growing number of professors and teachers (some of them participated to all 10 editions of UniCo intensive program) and a team of volunteers (some of them being alumni of UniCo). On behalf of the partners, each partner has its own representative within the UniCo organizing team.
Fallowing an internship agreement with their faculty, UniCo accepts students that want to develop their practical skills and want to experience the put into practice of the scientific knowledge that they are provided with during their university study. At the end of the internship period, UniCo provides them with an observation form and a grade regarding their work within the association, so that their work can be acknowledged by their faculty and, further, as professional experience by other institutions.

At the end of UniCO intensive program, evaluation questionnaires are applied to participating children, professors and volunteers.
Internally, there is a continuous evaluation: systematic observation (we have Observation files on some particular good examples of young people who further involved deeper in their schools’ activities).

There is a complete description of the activities regarding the vision, mission, objectives, methods and competences in accordance with the European Council Recommendations on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning.