The first year of STEAMbrace started timidly and stretched while the engine was getting temperature to run at full speed and made steam the power to make its partners run.
After a KoM in Zaragoza where all the partners got together and planned the first months, all the project management guidelines were designed and shared. Special attention was given to the use of information of children and its anonymity with the permission and consent from parents, following all the EU regulations. Besides, although STEAM education is not just a question of girls and women, there is a pivotal component of gender issues in STEAMbrace as we are using the soft skills associated with STEAM education to improve the role of girls and women in the STEM fields.
Much of the work done in the first year has been dedicated to three main points:
1. Setting the baseline of STEM fields and STEAM education in Europe, thanks to the deep analysis of the previous scientific bibliography. The state of the art has proven most of our previous theories, the ones that made us choose this topic for the project, but have also refined some of our concepts. This has been a huge influence in the next point.
2. Co-creation of STEAM activities for formal (schools) and non-formal (museums, etc) education. This process was not only the idealization of the activity but also writing the guides and the age parameters or the list of materials.
3. Establishment of the STEAM Alliance for Europe with all the statutes, mission and vision and the search for members. The inauguration of the office in Zaragoza was a very good PR event, though in 2025 already, with the city council of Zaragoza, the regional government of Aragón, the University of Zaragoza, ITA (Instituto Tecnológico de Aragón) or Fundación Ibercaja, as well as several entities related with STEAM education. This was made under the frame of 11F, the international day of women and girls in science, which enlarged the impact of the event, the project and also our objectives in gender issues.
4. And finally, though this has taken place in the second year, the STEAM Congress that was held in Göthemburg; Sweden, with experts in STEAM education and everything related to equality of men and women in science, thanks to our partner WiTEC.
5. The first annual meeting was held in Zagreb, Croatia, hosted in November 2024 by EFZG, and helped us prepare the STEAM Congress and all the activities for the second year.
The development of STEAMbrace is keeping the consortium very busy but also very active. It’s a very challenging project but also very exciting: education is such an important foundation of the European society that we all feel that we are achieving something. The consortium is working hard and enthusiastically so we are very confident that the results will come.
