Young people’s perceptions of space report

This report covers the findings from two projects between We The Curious and City Academy Bristol, a mixed gender secondary school with a high percentage of students eligible for Free School Meals as well as a high proportion of students from a minoritised ethnic background. Both projects were run by the Association for Science and Discovery Centres (ASDC) with funding from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

The projects (involving students aged 12-15) aimed to increase young people’s sense of agency and belonging in discussing STEM topics, as well as to share their perspectives with the engagement and space sectors. Both projects took an ‘authority sharing’ approach, in which students and experts, including researchers and space sector professionals, were invited to share their experiences in a knowledge exchange. Small group discussions were observed by WTC facilitators.

This report, including qualitative analysis of the project data, has been funded by STFC and the UK Space Agency.