Bridging gaps - effective links

Children by virtue of their curiosity about facts and phenomena, usually ask 'why and how' questions. This important behaviour in children who want to learn about the world was actively used in the project 'bridging gaps'. The aim of this research project was to foster the integration process as well as raise enthusiasm for science and technology among children and youngsters. As a strategy for cross-cultural intelligence, 'the bridge' was on the one hand used from a technical point of view and on the other hand as a symbol for socialisation. This was achieved by integrating schools into the project with a high proportion of children and youth with an immigration background. The intensive collaborative work with different class levels in various schools made it possible for researchers, some themselves with an immigration background, to be representative role models. With this approach, school children received impressions of both the technical and social aspects inherent in the concept of 'the bridge'.