Local Science Engagement Network Community

Welcome to the LSEN Trust(ed) Scientists Project! Your first prompt is to find a local series of events (such as a book club, knitting club/craft night, coffee hour, church group, walking group etc) or a local venue (like your local library or local cafe) where you could easily dovetail some community engagement and science outreach into an event or series the community is already supporting. Other options include 4-H club or scout meetings if you want to do youth outreach/education. 

Start by identifying a group you're already involved in locally (or are interested in getting involved in). If it's a group you aren't already established in - get the info on joining and plan to go into that community space with an intent to learn and understand.

To enter for a chance to win the prizes at the end of the project just comment below about the event, group or venue of interest you've identified in your local community where you feel you can connect with others.  

Any questions? Comment below! Looking forward to taking on this project with you all!

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Camille Ledoux
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For those of you who want a bonus entry for sharing the LSEN Trust(ed) Scientists Project on social media (we recommend sharing on LinkedIn), you can copy and paste the text below:

It's an uncertain time for science, and it's on us as scientists to do something. We face a trust crisis and a crisis of digital isolation into inaccurate narratives. It's easy to feel overwhelmed, or as though we can't make the changes we want to see in the world. And perhaps we can't make changes nationally right now, but we definitely can locally. A vital part of building trust is getting people to connect and engage with you, not just your work or field or interests. What better place to do that than your local community? 

While we train brilliant scientists, it is so easy for the skills of connection, engagement and persuasion to be overlooked in our professional education. 

AAAS' Local Science Engagement Network is launching a Trust(ed) Scientists  Project, open to any scientist, to empower STEMM professionals with the knowledge and skills to increase engagement and trust.

Each month's challenge is designed to be customizable to your area of expertise and to be low effort to entry, with a high potential for reward. I'm sharing this project so any STEMM professionals in my network who want to get involved can participate. 

The first prompt is to find a local series of events (such as a book club, knitting club/craft night, coffee hour, church group, walking group etc) or a local venue (like your local library or local cafe) where you could easily dovetail some community engagement and science outreach into an event the community is already supporting. Other options include 4-H club or scout meetings if you want to do youth outreach/education. The goal of this is to start very simply by identifying a group you're already involved in locally or could get involved in. If it's a group you aren't already established in - get the information on joining and plan to enter the community space with the intent to learn and understand. 

Want to join? Comment about your plans to participate below!