The Belmiro de Azevedo Foundation will finance the return of scientists to their hometown schools

A new partnership will allow the Same Home Town Programme to increase the number of pupils that will meet a scientist in this school year.

Native Scientists established a new partnership with The Belmiro de Azevedo Foundation (Fundação Belmiro de Azevedo) to support the Same Home Town (SHT) Programme activities. Sharing Native ethos,  the foundation considers education as a generator of social inclusion and works to promote scientific literacy and equal opportunities in education. To this aim they agreed to financially support 15 SHT actions. Thanks to this partnership, over 600 pupils will have the chance to meet a real-life scientist within their classroom, often for the first time. The workshops will take place in Portugal through the school years of 2023/25 and will see 15 scientists returning to their hometown primary schools to broaden the horizon of underserved children.

About the Foundation support Joana Bordalo, leader of the Same Hometown Programme, says “I am really glad to collaborate with Fundação Belmiro Azevedo as we both believe in the role education can play in shaping the future of young students. I strongly believe our coordinated efforts will have a great impact in the rural communities we will reach in these two years by increasing scientific literacy and reducing educational inequalities”

To launch the partnership, pupils from Centro Escolar de Rio Maior had the chance to meet Tomás Guerreiro on the 18th of March, learning about cells and the immune system. 

Daniel Carvalho, from the Foundation, says “it is with great enthusiasm that the Foundation embraces this project. We can, therefore, provide young children with direct contact with science and enhance scientific literacy in younger generations. Contact with role models is an important step in motivating children to learn, and if it is someone who is often perceived as inaccessible, as is the case with scientists, the impact is even greater.”

If you are a scientist who attended primary school in Portugal or a school teacher in Portugal and are interested in the programme, please contact Joana Borbalo.