Discovery - from Great to Greater Bendigo - part 1

The Discovery - Science and Technology Centre in Bendigo, has been providing a critical focus for community and informal learning in the region for many years. In common with many small not for profit projects, its fortunes have ebbed and flowed over the years. It navigated a very tricky period in recent years, coming to within weeks of being closed.

The great team and staff, volunteers and managers and the wider community rallied around the project, and it has emerged, with a new lease on life. But even leases need to be renewed. The leadership group now driving Discovery along, have identified the revitalisation of there early childhood facility -Kaleidoscope - as one of the next areas to receive significant attention, along with longer term planning for general exhibit renewal, science communication training for its staff and volunteers, and exploring opportunities to be integrate even better into the bustling STEM and innovation sector in this regional centre.

I was honoured to be invited to visit and help fascinate some discussions and training around these priorities.

Like many science centres, globally, Discovery needs to fill - and be seen to fill - a essential function within their communities, not being NICE..but NECESSARY. The leadership at Discovery are aware and active in this regard, and much of our discussions focused on advancing this agenda.

A great example of how a science centre of very modest resources, can ramp up its value to the community if found in how the much loved Kaleidoscope space. This area for the youngest visitors and their families, is to be re-designed, given new activities, and an extended role. In addition to serving the curiosity of the youngest visitors, it will be re-developed in consultation with indigenous communities and their representatives, to become more welcoming, and reflective of the cultures that pre-dated the Bendigo's mining heritage. It will also greatly increase the range of activities available within the space, providing both old favourites, as well as a reason for multi visitation. but beyond even these changes, one of the most significant changes will be its use, by early childhood educators, as a venue for visits, More importantly still, it will be a platform for the training of early childhood specialists.  This provides these early educators with a diverse audience, from a wider demographic, than they might otherwise encounter during normal placements. It also embeds with them the role and opportunities facilities such as discovery can provide, and how to take best advantage of them. The dialog that emerges from the coordinating educators, and their students with the staff further enriches the understandings of all, in ways to support learning, but the young visitors and their carers, and families. Great destinations are reached only when you make a great start. It is deeply rewarding to work with such an organisation, to help knit these types of cross community interactions into the core of their organisation.