Space for Conversation - what young people think about space and why it matters for your planetarium show

Presentation theme: educational advances in plaentariums

Are young people in 2024 excited by space or do they see it as a billionaire’s folly? 

Do they think we’d be better to spend our money on tackling climate change and wealth inequality instead? 

How should we use what we learn from our audiences to develop more relevant planetarium shows?

Bristol science centre We The Curious have been partnering with an inner city secondary school to deliver a series of hands-on workshops. Working with 13-15 year old students, the workshops encouraged participants to explore the question, »Should space science be a priority in the current time of crisis?«.

The pupils were able to meet and chat with specialists from multiple fields including research funding, environmental research, and the space industry. They explored the topics that most captured their imagination and shared their thoughts and opinions on the future of space exploration. 

In this session I’ll describe what we learnt from the students and ask you what it means for planetarium show development. We’ll encourage you to share conversations you’ve had with prospective audiences - especially those who are underrepresented amongst your regular audiences. What have you learnt and how have you developed your shows as a result. How can listening to our audiences increase our relevance?

Image © Arena Berlin