Discovery Planet CIC

Q&A

What was your role within the team?

Vicky Mason: My role within the team is the science lead. I liaise with our collaborators to co-design exciting hands-on science workshops which show off the amazing variety of STEM based work going on in the local area at higher education institutions and in local industry. Experience of teaching in schools and at University, years of delivering STEM outreach sessions in schools, and a passion for widening participation in STEM mean that I really enjoy hearing about the cutting edge science that our collaborators are working on and the challenge of taking that subject and creating an accessible, exciting workshop.

Nikki Hildesley: My role is Director and creative producer. I look after the budgets, the accounts and schedule the shop activity. I’m the first point of call for teachers and local community groups. I also liaise with local industries. We all work really hard to inject creativity and ensure all the practical details are correct to deliver the best possible outcome for our visitors - from the bright, bold graphic identity and shop front to the ‘fun’ original workshop experiences that obviously work since our school and community visitors keep returning for more.

Xanthe Pitt: My role is mostly strategic and creative. I bring my skills as a community regeneration consultant to ensure that Discovery Planet is properly set up, has the capacity to deliver a full programme, is able to demonstrate impact, and is attractive to funders. I also have enormous fun getting involved in presenting what we do creatively. We’ve been told that we don’t need to spend too much time on presentation, but I know that getting the look and feel right is critical. We aim for engaging, fun, high-quality production values with a slightly homemade edge. People know that they’re getting something really good and exciting but are not put off by the feeling that it’s too slick for them. You can usually find me with a paintbrush in my hand or hanging something from the ceiling.

What different strengths did different people bring to the team?

Vicky Mason: It is a big responsibility to develop workshops based on other people's research and deliver them in a way which is accessible, empowering and inspiring. Having a permanent location has allowed us to strengthen our relationships with our academic and industrial researchers as well as our target audiences (local primary and SEN schools, home-schooling groups and other community groups for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and refugees). It is these strong relationships that allow us to develop high quality, engaging workshops that really show off different careers in the chemical sciences and beyond in a way that our audiences can engage with.

Xanthe Pitt: Like every other third sector organisation, finding funding to carry on what we do is a constant issue, specifically the core funding we need to plan our programme and carry out the essential backroom tasks which keep the show on the road. Unfortunately, most grant funders want to fund specific activities or projects. This is obviously wonderful, but it’s so important to spend time doing things like meeting with new potential collaborators, collecting feedback from stakeholders so that we can devise future events that meet their needs and unglamorous things like cleaning the toilets and changing the lightbulbs. We’ve given so much of our time to this as volunteers, but that’s simply not sustainable over the long term.

What different strengths did different people bring to the team?

Xanthe Pitt: Each member of our team brings a completely different set of skills to the table, which has resulted in a really beautiful synergy and is definitely key to our success. We know each other's strengths and weaknesses, so there's little duplication of effort or dispute over input. I can only think of one argument we've had, which is pretty extraordinary in ten years. Perhaps we'll be fighting over custody of the medal, though!" Although our core team is strong, bringing in the contributions of partner organisations has also been essential. You can, therefore, say that the shape of our project delivery team is dynamic, depending on who we are reaching out to. We were only able to access the group of unaccompanied minor asylum seekers and refugees, for example, because of the dedicated work of another local organisation, Pie Factory Music, who have established an incredible project called Open Arms, which gains their trust and welcomes them to share in what's on offer locally.

Why is this work so important?

Vicky Mason: STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) plays a pivotal role in shaping modern society. However, achieving diversity and inclusion within STEM remains a challenge. Research has consistently highlighted the underrepresentation of certain groups in STEM education, training, and employment. By bringing creative STEM learning experiences directly to the heart of the community, we provide an accessible way to learn for those who would not normally have access to such opportunities. Our range of collaborators helps us to provide a diverse group of STEM role models and our permanent location provides a focus around which the whole community can pull together to offer unique learning experiences.

Nikki Hildesley: We are intentionally based on the High Street. You can’t miss us; we are easy to find, and our huge glass windows show off the space. We break down some of the barriers to participation by working with school children first, and then inviting them to return for free on Saturdays with their friends and families. Our work is important because we include everyone, we promote science subjects that we adapt to suit schoolchildren of all ages, needs and backgrounds. We are especially proud and excited by our work with SEN children whose schools are rarely well equipped for science and for refugee children who have such huge gaps in their education. It’s nice to see them challenge themselves, achieve a result and feel good about that.

What inspires or motivates your team?

Nikki Hildesley: I’m particularly inspired by meeting scientists and local businesses engaged in really cool science activities or research as a full-time job. We love picking up the threads of those meetings and weaving them into meaningful, exciting, and fun learning experiences with hands-on activities that everyone can understand and learn from. I have especially loved activities involving Discovery Planet money, telescopes, microscopes and elf poo!

Xanthe Pitt: I love seeing the look of amazement on participants’ faces when they discover something new or link chemistry to the world around them for the first time. Those expressions are mirrored on my own face since I was encouraged to drop all science subjects when I chose my O-Levels at age 14. Looking back, that was an absolute crime, and thank goodness it doesn’t happen now. I’m constantly learning through our workshops and am sure my own joy at discovering new things helps to shape our workshops and drive us forward.