The HELLEUM II Youth Research Center, a cooperation between the Planetarium Berlin Foundation, the Marzahn-Hellersdorf district authority and the Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family (SenBJF), was officially opened today in Berlin-Hellersdorf. This extracurricular place of learning strengthens STEM education - mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology - for young people at secondary levels I and II.
HELLEUM II continues the successful educational concept of the Lernwerkstatt in the Marzahn-Hellersdorf district. Right next door is the already established and award-winning children's research center HELLEUM I, which is operated in cooperation with ASH Berlin, the district office and the SenBJF and has been inspiring daycare and primary school children since 2013. Today, it is regarded both nationally and internationally as a beacon of research-based learning, which was co-initiated by Prof. Dr. Hartmut Wedekind.
Prof. Dr. Corinna Schmude, Scientific Director of the Kinderforscher*zentrum, pays tribute to the role of the retired ASH Professor of Early Childhood Education and Didactics: "Hartmut Wedekind co-initiated HELLEUM I in 2013 and was its scientific director. He has now also been involved in providing ideas and advice for HELLEUM II."
The new youth research center builds on the many years of experience of the Kinderforscher*zentrum. Together, the facilities form a sustainable place of learning from primary school age through to vocational training.
Prof. Dr. Gesine Bär, Vice President for Research, Cooperation and Continuing Education at ASH Berlin, congratulates on the opening: "We congratulate the partners of HELLEUM II, especially the Planetarium Berlin Foundation, who, despite difficult circumstances, are creating another lighthouse project for the district and Berlin together with the district office and the Senate Department. We look forward to working closely together in the future."
About the HELLEUM I
The HELLEUM I children's research center is run jointly by the Marzahn-Hellersdorf district office, the Alice Salomon University of Applied Sciences Berlin and the Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family. Over 70,000 children have researched and learned here in recent years. In addition to a wide range of before- and after-school activities, the HELLEUM offers numerous training courses for educational professionals and continues to develop in close cooperation with schools and daycare centers.
