At the end of February, the Cabinet Special Envoy coordinated an educational program to introduce students in Bonaire to space travel and STEM subjects in an accessible way.
From February 24 to 28, 8th-grade students from various primary schools and VWO 4 students from Liseo participated in a special lesson program focused on space travel and STEM subjects. The program was a collaboration between the Cabinet of the Special Envoy, SGB Liseo, Strong Technical Education (STO), and the Da Vinci Satellite Team (DVS team) from TU Delft. The latter prepared and presented the program.
The program consisted of various components; knowledge exchange during lessons and presentations, a visit to the Galileo ground station, and a train-the-trainer workshop specifically for teachers, enabling them to pass on the acquired knowledge to future students.
The teaching materials were specially developed for this program, aiming to make this field more accessible to the youth in Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba. Teachers from Sint Eustatius and Saba also traveled to participate in the Train-the-Trainer workshop. Additionally, the program demonstrated how space travel contributes to technological advancement, sustainability, and innovation in everyday life.
The visit to the Galileo ground station was the highlight of the week for many students. They received a tour of the facility and gained insights into how the station operates through various presentations.