The Children’s University of Zurich helps young minds find answers to some of the world’s most fascinating phenomena. It provides schoolchildren with playful glimpses into the world of science, whetting their appetite for academic research.
Creating opportunities
In only 10 years’ time, the children of today will be young adults. The Children’s University inspires curiosity in our kids and helps them develop independent and critical thinking. Some of the lectures and workshops pick up on current social debates and encourage the youngsters to start thinking about important issues at an early stage. Topics include asking why wars exist or exploring the digital footprint we leave behind using our smartphones, or finding out how AI can be harnessed in medicine.
One of the main goals of the Children’s University of Zurich is to appeal to children regardless of their social background. Studies have shown that it is more difficult for children from non-academic families to access higher education, among other things because they lack role models. The Children’s University has adopted several measures to attempt to reduce this inequality.
The Kinder-UZH on Tour project, for example, gets UZH instructors to visit schools and teach two lessons on a particular topic which is chosen together with the class teachers. The project focuses on schools with a higher social mix.
Another new project, dubbed Tagesschule@UZH, sees the Children’s University team up with day schools in Zurich. The children in these schools get to attend various workshops on STEM subjects on their afternoons off. One of the aims is to help parents with their work-life balance.
«Our goal is to get children excited about science, to encourage them to think for themselves and at the same time to make them curious about university and its possibilities. Your donation will help us achieve this.»
Prof. Dr. Moritz Daum, Professor of Developmental Psychology, University of Zurich
We want all interested children to continue to have access to the Kids-UZH in the future. As the Children’s University of Zurich is a third-party funded institution, it remains dependent on support from foundations and private individuals. Help us to ensure that UZH can continue to support interested children and foster their talents.
