Hello, I would like to invite you to find out about, and support 3-2-1 Ignition*…I am a writer and consultant in the arts, for young people and creativity in education. Until July 2006, I was Project Leader of Ignite! at NESTA.

Ignite! continues as an independent organisation dedicated to promoting creativity in learning; and I am engaged by Ignite! as Director of Programmes and leads on developing new partnerships.I have worked as a teacher, actor, writer and director of theatre for young people, and was Director of Artswork, the youth arts development organisation from 1991 to 1995 and now act as its Chair.  All this and more has led me to drive forward the current work of 3-2-1 Ignition…

In 2007 I led a pilot of Ignition8. It is a learning programme designed to encourage young people to regard STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) as innately creative. I have been delivering creative workshops for a number of bodies including the Stephen Lawrence Centre, University of the Arts, BBC and NESTA to realise this ambition. In May 2008 I was appointed to an Honorary Fellowship at Nottingham University in the School of Education and I am also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
3-2-1-Ignition* is the world’s first Science pop up shop, attracting over 3,300 visitors in its first 4 weeks in Nottingham’s Broadmarsh shopping centre, between the bus station and the pound shops… Set up and operated by Ignite! the creative learning agency based in Nottingham, the idea behind 3-2-1-Ignition* is to create a space where members of the general public, families, children and adults alike can explore the science questions that matter to them in a fun and accessible way.
Since the first run of the shop in Nottingham, we have developed a portable version suitable for festivals, conferences and community celebrations.  3-2-1-Ignition* on the road has played to the Barbican festival of Neuro-science, the Latitude and Shuffle Festivals and the BIG Conference at Glasgow Science Centre.
Now Ignite! want to raise the funds to run the pop up shop again in Nottingham to test the viability of an all year round space for Citizen Science, with themed activities and workshops linked to events like Autumn Watch, Star Gazing Live and National Science and Engineering Week. The aim is to provide opportunities for science engagement that overcome the inhibitions of many people, that science is hard, geeky and not for the likes of us.

The joy, surprise and delight experienced by people who enter 3-2-1-Ignition* are testimony to the effectiveness of the project and the appetite for science understanding and the curiosity of the general public.  If you are interested, want to know more and would like to support the project please have a look at the Kickstarter campaign – curated and promoted by the RSA and NESTA here:

www.kickstarter.com/projects/853479407/3-2-1-ignition-making-science-creative-accessible