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Hello all,
 
I just thought I ought to keep you up with some recent events – and I hope others will keep us up with what is happening to them!
 
In the EU Science Café Project, one of the ideas is to produce a booklet on Science Cafes round the world. This would include chapters on History, Philosophy, How to Do it, Cafes and cultures, Round the World in 40 Ways, Schools Cafes, Cafes and the Web, and Second Life. We would be asking for articles, stories, photos, etc. the plan is that this would be published as a booklet, but also put on the Science Cafes website that will emerge. Hopefully this will be done in the next six months. If you have any ideas about it please let me know.
 
As part of a Project on informal learning we have done a number of Cafes in council estates here in Yorkshire. The idea is to find a small community group – usually a mother’s group who meet with their small children during the day. We ask them what they might be interested in and then try to find a speaker who will come along. The topics they were interested in were very practical – about violence, criminality, teenage behaviour, teenage mothers, living on benefits, depression, health, etc. We did one on Teenage Brains, about recent research into the changes in teenage brains, and one on teenage mums, and how much of a problem teenage motherhood is. Both went well, and, curiously, the smaller the number who turned up the better the discussion.
 
Another one was on ‘Cheap and Healthy Eating’. When I approached the local university a lecturer suggested that 2 students could do the talk as part of their work experience project. So two female 2nd year students are doing this now. Because it is part of their project they have expanded it into 4 Cafes, one overall talk and then different ones on Breakfast, Lunch and Evening Meal. They also do research into local shops to see what is healthy and also cheap. What is very interesting is that the discussions are very lively, because the students are as interested in what the mums and children are eating, as the audience is interested in what the students are saying. So the discussion is on a level playing field. I hope we can expand this form, because the university is keen for the students to do practical work, and the students are keen because it goes into their portfolio (although they had no idea where this council estate was in Leeds).
 
In Africa things are hotting up. The first Café in Ethiopia started last month, and in Kenya there was a ‘Grand Debate’ – Does Kenya Really Care about Science?

Some of the key discussions at the Grand Debate were centered on funding for science and technology in Kenya, Brain Drain, women in science, capacity building/training of Kenyan scientists, science and religion and the coverage of science in the media. Discussions also touched on Kenya’s ranking among the international scientific community, the quality of science education in the country, the amount of money spent in Kenya’s research and development and the quality of science coverage in the country amongst other issues.
   
In Uganda there are now Junior Cafes in 40 schools, mainly around Kampala, because there is limited money for transport. However hopefully there will a schools Café Conference in Science Week in September, and that may attract schools from different parts of the country. The Organiser, Betty Kituyi, is hoping to provide Café Scientifique T-shirts for those attending the Conference. At present there is no money for the T-shirts, but if any Cafes want to take a T-shirt collection and sent it via Western Union to Betty, just email her on [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]
 
So that’s all for now, but I would love to know what’s happening in North and South America and Japan!
 
Duncan Dallas