Event(s) Summary
Number of Events Organized During Brain Awareness Week:
2
Year:
2015
Type of Events Held:
- Open House
- School Program
Target Audiences:
- Middle school students(6-8)
Approximate Number of People Reached:
500
Details of Major Brain Awareness Week Events/Activities:
We had two events: one in which 6th-graders from Malden came to Harvard and explored ten stations related to the brain, such as visual illusions, neuroanatomy (in which they touch real brains), EEG, neural modeling. In the second event, we took these stations to Rockport and did a similar event for 6-8 grades. Both were called Brain Awareness Day. Our objectives were to teach kids about the brain, dispel neuromyths, and impart ideas about how each of their brains is different and how they learn. I feel like we achieved our goals very well! We also connected with teachers to provide curriculum and ideas before and after the events.
Event Planning & Publicity
Publicity Methods Used:
- Other
Other Publicity Methods:
We didn't advertise our events because they were for specific groups of students. We did recruit for the events all over Harvard, MIT, and surrounding schools.
Which of These Publicity Methods Was The Most Successful?
Resources
Of the Dana Foundation publications/resources distributed at your event(s), if any, please indicate the three most popular. Please choose up to three. If "other," please indicate below:
- BAW Stickers
- BAW Pencils and Erasers
- BAW Buttons
What downloadable materials from the Foundation did you use for your events?
- Puzzles: Adult/high school
- Puzzles: K-12
- Puzzles: BAW Favorites
What other downloadable materials would you like the Foundation to provide?
- Fact Sheets
- Lesson Plans
- Activities/Experiments
- New Puzzles/Games
Which BAW graphic materials did you use in publicizing your events?
- BAW Logos
Feedback & Keys to Success
How do you feel BAW participation benefited your organization and the local community?
We have been participating for three years now, and word of our events has spread. Teachers and parents are so excited about what we do and there is a real hunger for these kinds of events and lessons. These events have had a great direct impact on the kids and it has also allowed us to connect more and more with the community, which is an ongoing goal for our group.
Please share any suggestions or lessons learned that may help others plan future events:
The lessons we learned are pretty specific to our circumstances. For example, it was hard to get school groups to commit this year due to changes in testing. A more useful lesson might be that it’s very useful to provide materials and lessons and support for learning before and after your event. While an event is useful and memorable, if it is not reinforced at other times, actual learning will be minimal.
Did/do you like our Facebook page?
Yes
Was the information provided on Facebook useful?
I don’t really use Facebook often.
Quotable comments which capture successful aspects of your event(s):
"Oh my God. Is that a real brain???"
