Get your science on: Science Spaza lights up youthful curiosity and collaboration

Imagine a community where kids can create cool science projects with easily accessible materials. Or maybe find a passion for growing food after nurturing their first seed?

This has been our vision for Science Spaza since its inception in 2013, to create a community of inquisitive pupils who want to explore the world in an engaging and safe environment. And hopefully spark a passion for being part of the solution to the challenges we face.

But, in a country where 20,000 schools have no science labs, where are young people supposed to find the support they need for discovery based learning?

The Science Spaza initiative, developed by Jive Media Africa, provides information and learning opportunities in an easily accessible form, through the medium of hands-on activities and information contained in comics. The activities are designed for low-resource settings and include step-by-step instructions with photographs.

Comics provide a powerful tool for bringing audiences into closer engagement with complex subject matter. They also allow for projection and identification. Young people see themselves represented in the comics, building a sense of inclusion and harnessing their natural drive to be part of something bigger than themselves.

With a smashing 10,000 newspapers printed every three months for 100 science clubs across the country, Science Spaza aims to make science accessible and exciting by encouraging students to physically participate in experiments and projects and to share their discoveries and learnings within the clubs network.

A former science club member from a decade ago, Goratileone Oepeng, is now a proud success story. Recently featured in our latest edition, he reminisced about founding a science club which he registered with Science Spaza. Goratileone is currently working on his master’s degree in entomology at the University of Pretoria and highlighting the critical role that bees play in maintaining the health of biodiversity on which we all depend.

Stories like Oepeng’s have given us a deeper understanding and appreciation of just how much can be achieved when young passionate individuals are provided with the support they need to navigate.

As Jive Director Prof Albert Thembinkosi Modi eloquently states, “Growing up, I had no hope of being a scientist. My rural school did not have the facilities, but I managed to succeed and become a professor of science. I am proud to say that through Science Spaza, many young people, technicians, teachers, and professors can interact. This enhances career choices, regardless of a person’s background. Science Spaza makes science-oriented community engagement fun and easy for everyone.”