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ReelLIFE SCIENCE Video Competition

Year Awarded

2023

Amount

€50,123

  • Organisation:University of Galway
  • Audience:Primary Students
  • Format:Formal Education
  • Location:Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow, Online
  • Topic:STEAM

Project Summary

ReelLIFE SCIENCE is a nationwide public engagement programme, which encourages young people and the public to discover more about STEM and its impact on individuals, society and the environment, while at the same time developing participants’ creativity, communication and digital skills.

Young people from primary schools, secondary schools and youth organisations are challenged to research a STEM topic and communicate it for the public via an engaging and educational three minute video. The best videos are awarded prizes of €1000 and are screened for the public at the Galway Science and Technology Festival, at other public events and online.

Based in University of Galway and launched in 2013, ReelLIFE SCIENCE has enabled more than 23,000 young people from all over Ireland and Northern Ireland to directly engage with STEM in a novel way. The videos produced have had a secondary audience of over 570,000 online and at public screenings, increasing the public’s knowledge and engagement with science and technology.

In 2024, ReelLIFE SCIENCE will continue to engage a growing number of students and teachers across Ireland in primary and secondary schools, while through an expanded partnership with Foróige, specifically target, train and empower youth workers to drive STEM engagement in youth groups and youth development programmes around Ireland. In this way, ReelLIFE SCIENCE will increase participants’ science capital and develop the digital skills of young people from a wide range of backgrounds, making it more likely they will choose STEM subjects and pursue future STEM careers.

Evaluation Findings

Challenges:
Challenge 1: No approved social media provider during promotion period.
Cause: University of Galway was in procurement transition; programme director also changed roles, limiting post volume.
Solution: Ran limited organic posts; plan to increase social media promotion in 2025 to boost engagement.

Challenge 2: Drop in school and youth group participation.
Cause: Reduced promotion and increased competition from other science engagement options.
Solution: Targeted outreach and enhanced promotion planned for 2025 to retain and grow participation.

Challenge 3: Decline in video submissions.
Cause: Shift from remote format and broader engagement landscape post-pandemic.
Solution: Renewed promotional efforts and audience expansion strategies to reverse the trend.

Findings:

  1. Early collaboration with the Foróige Digital Team helped deliver a successful STEAM Showcase, supporting broad and diverse audience engagement.
  2.  In 2024, young people from 26 counties participated, many from areas with limited access to in-person STEM activities.
  3.  Since 2013, 790 schools and youth groups across all 32 counties have taken part, with strong participation from older primary students and Transition Year students in secondary schools.
  4. Printed and emailed posters remained the most effective recruitment method (87%), while social media engagement dropped without paid promotion.
  5. Participants reported increased interest (88%) and knowledge (90%) in STEM, along with improved communication (91%) and video production skills (92%).
  6. In response to low youth organisation engagement in 2024, a new structured ‘Exploring STEAM’ programme with Foróige was developed to support future participation.
  7. The project continues to evolve based on formative, process, and summative evaluation insights, ensuring relevance and accessibility.

 

Learnings

  1. The enduring impact of ReelLIFE SCIENCE on participants’ science capital and skills development continues to motivate the team, volunteers, and partners to support the programme.
  2. The project aligns strongly with Discover objectives, promoting inclusion, public awareness, and engagement among groups not typically involved in STEM.
  3. In 2024, 99 schools and youth groups from 26 counties participated, demonstrating the format’s wide reach and appeal.
  4. Digital familiarity post-pandemic, supported by training and online guides, has made the project more accessible and attractive to educators and youth workers.
  5. Remote STEM Ambassador visits are increasingly welcomed, with teachers eager to connect students to external role models.
  6. A mix of promotional approaches will continue in 2025, with a renewed social media campaign needed to re-engage secondary school students.
  7.  Volunteer feedback was highly positive, with many expressing interest in deeper involvement, making team-building a priority for future development.