+YOU: ASK YOURSELF, ACT AND MAKE IT POSSIBLE! PHERECLOS PROJECT: A LOCAL EDUCATION CLUSTER AT PORTO, PORTUGAL

Abstract

"U.Porto plays a major role in the Northern region of Portugal and intends to continue to play a major role in the development of the region’s future, especially establishing connections with schools and its community, municipalities, companies, and others. establishing a Local Education Cluster (LEC). Based on the experience of the University of Porto (U.Porto) regarding young public engagement through many different succeeded initiatives, like Junior University and U.Porto’s Fair, the University aims to promote a closer relationship with schools and many stakeholders and not just opening its doors to the school public. These activities are well succeeded stories that illustrate the strong impact of such activities in the development of the region, together with their mobilizing effect on key stakeholders. In H2020 Partnerships for Pathways to Higher Education and Science Engagement in Regional Clusters of Open Schooling Project (PHERECLOS) U.Porto developed several entrepreneurship workshops based on an inquiry approach highlighting the importance and role of student’s questions. The U.Porto intervention in this H2020 project also engaged the participation of families and CEOs from companies with some storytelling activities. This activity was an inspirational factor to develop students’ involvement, strengthening the connections with the school project and also acted as a motivational factor. Other educational activities aimed to help students with innovative ideas and entrepreneurial challenges to follow in future careers, by highlighting STEAM competences that they can use in the future. All activities are done through collaborative work allowing students to learn with others and gather ideas, ambitions and interests in different careers. This group sharing initiative promotes and stimulate rethink in new approaches for a future job by the engaged students that voluntarily participated. With success in its initiatives for School Opening to society, PHERECLOS project developed diverse Local Education Cluster in the different partners’ countries that will ensure the continuation of the PHERECLOS aims in future activities even after the end of the project. In this presentation, we aim to introduce LEC developed by the UPorto University and explain how family members were invited to engage with the school community. In this moment our LEC involved almost reached 100 students and more workshops are schedule to be developed with students from two public schools. The results show an increase of students’ interest in entrepreneurship and a higher motivation in their academic future and employment."