Umicore concludes the pilot educational programme ‘Batteries charge our daily life’ and announces its continuation.
On 7 June 2023, the official conclusion of the pilot educational programme 'Batteries charge our daily life' took place. It was organized by Umicore in cooperation with the National Academy of Applied Sciences,. The project, developed by a multidisciplinary team of professors and experts, involved eighth-grade pupils from Primary School No. 1 in Nysa. The representatives of the local government, namely the Mayor, Vice-Mayor of Nysa and the Director of the Municipal Board of Education joined organisers in the meeting marking the end of the first edition of this initiative.
The aim of the educational programme 'Batteries charge our daily life' was to spark enthusiasm amongst years 6 to 8 primary school students for science, technology and chemistry and to raise awareness of battery materials, electromobility and sustainability.
Students of Primary School No. 1 in Nysa were invited to join the first edition of the seven-module programme, consisting of theoretical and practical experiments which started in November 2022. The teaching materials necessary for the lessons were prepared and provided by Umicore. The educational package consisted of a textbook for the teacher, an exercise book for the students and a kit with elements designed for practical experiments. For the seventh and final part of the programme, the pupils visited the Umicore plant in Radzikowice.
Batteries charge our daily life" is Umicore's own initiative aimed at getting young people interested in science, electromobility, recycling and sustainability. Thanks to the additional teaching activities carried out as part of the programme, we can proudly say that this goal has been achieved. This has been confirmed by results achieved by the students taking part in our initiative, says Agata Czechowska, Manager General Site Services and Communication, Umicore Poland.
We are satisfied with the course of the project and the outcome of the cooperation with the National Academy of Applied Sciences and Primary School No. 1 in Nysa. We are glad that thanks to our activities the pupils were able to broaden their horizons, which convinced us that programmes such as this are important. We will soon begin preparations for the next part of the programme. This time, however, we will consider extending its reach, she adds.
The meeting to summarize and close the pilot programme was attended by representatives of the National Academy of Applied Sciences, Nysa Mayor Kordian Kolbiarz, Vice-Mayor Marek Rymarz, the Director of the Municipal Board of Education, the Director of Primary School No. 1 in Nysa and pupils participating in the programme. During the meeting, the eighth graders told what they had learned during the activities and what had impressed them most. The young participants unanimously indicated that it was the practical experiences that were most interesting and developing for them. On the other hand, the teachers who had conducted lessons as part of the programme, when presenting the implementation report, appreciated the quality of the educational package provided by Umicore - in terms of content, graphic design and the prepared experiments.
The project was carried out with the participation of 30 pupils during educational activities, which lasted 10 hours. The lesson attracted great interest, , and the attendance rate was around 94%. Participation in the project brought a lot of satisfaction and benefits, students enriched their knowledge not only about batteries, but also about recycling, closed-loop systems and electromobility, says Ewa Szulc, a teacher at Primary School No. 1. and the project carer
A trip to the Umicore plant in Radzikowice, during which young people from our school had the opportunity to see with their own eyes what the process of producing cathode materials looks like, will also stay in our memories for a long time, she adds.
