"ViteMeir on wheels" will be continued

Jan Petter Vadheim, Head of Corporate Marketing at Sparebanken Sogn og Fjordane, handed over the gift of NOK 750,000 to ViteMeir on wheels. Agents Sandra, Iselin, Eskil and ViteVero are delighted with the gift. 

Through "ViteMeir on wheels", more than 3,500 pupils have experienced science shows or learning programs during the fall of 2023. "Of course we have to keep this up when we get feedback such as 'This is the best science lesson in the world!"," says Åse Neraas, head of communication at ViteMeir. 

ViteMeir is located in Kaupanger in Sogndal municipality, but is the science center for the whole of Sogn og Fjordane. The distances in Sogn og Fjordane create challenges related to time use when both travel and programs must be completed during a school day.  

- The distance does not make it sensible for everything to happen at Kaupanger. The experience you get from visiting us at ViteMeir cannot be fully replaced by traveling out, but by going on tour with "ViteMeir on wheels", far more students will benefit from our offerings. ViteMeir will still be the science center for the whole of Sogn og Fjordane, so I'm therefore investing in further developing "ViteMeir on wheels"," says Neraas.  

"This is the best science lesson ever!"

From the end of August to the beginning of November, more than 3,500 pupils from the municipalities of Sunnfjord, Stad, Kinn, Høyanger, Hyllestad, Gloppen and Stryn have been visited by ViteMeir and have been able to complete learning programs or experience a science show. With the exception of Sunnfjord, these are municipalities that do not have a permanent use agreement with ViteMeir.  

- "Many of these pupils would probably not otherwise have received an offer from us. So it's extra rewarding to get feedback like the one we received from a pupil from Eid who exclaimed "This is the best science lesson in the world!"," says Neraas.  

Project funding has made it possible 

In order to carry out such tours, ViteMeir is dependent on special funding, either through the municipalities paying for the offer or through other players providing funding. In 2023, a trial project was first carried out at the end of February, where facilitators conducted learning programs for nine school classes during two intensive days at Campus Verftet in Førde. The experience was good, and the feedback from students and teachers was that this was something they wanted more of. Sunnfjord municipality has now signed a new usage agreement with ViteMeir. From now on, the agreement will include both visits to ViteMeir and ViteMeir coming to Sunnfjord to hold learning events.  

Funding from the Research Council of Norway financed the tour's activities in Stad. The activities were linked to the Research Days, which this year had energy as its theme. In addition, donations from Tekna funded the "ViteMeir on wheels" tour activities in Kinn, Høyanger, Hyllestad, Gloppen and Stryn. The tour has reached over 1700 pupils.  

Øyvind Heimset Larsen of Tekna Sogn og Fjordane is concerned about preparedness and recruitment. 

- We work for good education, Sustainable Development Goal 4, by recruiting students to science subjects with active support for ViteMeir and Reodor initiatives, and we support all science and science studies in the region. In this work, we are making particularly active use of Tekna's internal calls for community funding. We have already submitted a new application for funding that, together with other good forces, can expand and renew the initiative in 2024.  

May continue touring in 2024  

ViteMeir aims to cover all municipalities in the old Sogn og Fjordane county over a two-year period, including both visits to ViteMeir at Kaupanger and "ViteMeir on wheels" elsewhere in the old county. Vestland County Council has granted funding for the purchase of mobile installations that will help to make the offer on wheels even more exciting. 

- Our goal is for this to become a permanent part of our operations and for the offer on wheels to include both science shows, learning programs and, not least, science center installations. For example, we're really looking forward to eventually being able to take students on a visual journey to outer space in a mobile planetarium," says Åse Neraas, Head of Education at ViteMeir.  

Tekna will be 150 years old in 2024 and wants to mark this by contributing to activities that can stimulate interest in the sciences throughout the country. They are doing this through their own anniversary project with the science centers. Each of the 13 regional science centers will receive a donation of NOK 150,000 to implement an educational program for grades 5-7.  

- "Tekna Sogn og Fjordane is proud that the 2023 project in Sogn og Fjordane has inspired the national initiative. We look forward to celebrating both Tekna 150 years and Tekna Sogn og Fjordane 85 years in 2024," says Heimset Larsen.  

Åse Neraas at ViteMeir is delighted with the gift for 2024.  

- This donation will make it possible to continue with "ViteMeir on wheels" in 2024, and ensure that even more students can take part in science center education. And there's no denying that it's great that what we've achieved together with Tekna in Sogn og Fjordane may have contributed to a better offer to other districts in the country as well!  

Long-term commitment 

Sparebankstiftinga Sogn og Fjordane has joined ViteMeir's initiative on wheels and applauds the focus on the whole of Sogn og Fjordane. They have recently approved a donation of NOK 750,000 to "ViteMeir on wheels" for the period 2024-2028. The donation comes from the surplus of Sparebanken Sogn og Fjordane. The aim is to reach out to secondary school pupils in municipalities with long travel distances to the science center. 

 - "We want to support this project so that as many pupils in Sogn og Fjordane as possible can benefit from the expertise at the science center. By ViteMeir bringing learning programs and traveling to schools, we can reach many students in an effective way," says Jan Petter Vadheim of Sparebanken Sogn og Fjordane. 

- This gift can be decisive for "ViteMeir on wheels" and the offer we want to put in place. We believe that the municipalities will see the benefit of such an investment in science subjects for their pupils, and we will enter into a dialog with them to invite them to join the project. This is a gift that will benefit many children and young people," concludes Åse Neraas.