Space in your Living Room

Space in Your Living Room! gives a unique perspective on our Planet Earth and provides an opportunity for children to interact with space professionals of different backgrounds. It also celebrates the accomplishments and contributions of historic and contemporary women and minorities in space exploration.

Programme highlights

Space in your Living Room! includes 

• live events, 
• online workshops, 
• a weekly programming game in collaboration with Hedy and Kahoot! 
• quizzes hosted on the spaceEU Instagram and Facebook pages.

Space in Your Living Room! - Arts and Space Collide

Arts and Space Collide brings together astronauts and artists for informal conversations about the overlapping power of arts and space exploration.

This programme will explore how human endeavours can help us question our place in the universe, our responsibility to Earth and its citizens, and how these topics can inspire children to question and explore.

You can meet the following astronauts live: 

• the first Syrian and second Muslim cosmonaut Muhammed Ahmed Fares (22 July, in Arabic),
• the first Belgium astronaut Dirk Frimout (5 August, in Dutch),
• the first female French astronaut Claudie Haigneré (date TBC, in French), and 
• future astronaut Mindy Howard (26 August, in Dutch), scheduled to be the first Dutch woman in space.

Space in Your Living Room! - Meet a Space Person

Meet a Space Person is a series of weekly hands-on online workshops where you will have the chance to meet a Space professional by engaging in short interactive activities. The workshops are 45 minutes long and will be held in Dutch and English for youth across the globe.

Space in your Living Room! - Thursdays' Science and Art 

Thursdays' Science and Art will feature astronomer and author Dora Klindžić, who will present two workshops: Adventure Games and Space Story. 

• Adventure Games is a three-session workshop on how to write your own interactive fiction
• Space Story - young pupils explore linear storytelling and imagine worlds beyond their own (both workshops will be held in English).

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Contest and Prizes*

Ask an Astronaut your question!

Ever wanted to ask a question to an astronaut? This is your chance! Submit a question to Muhammed Ahmed Fares, Dirk Frimout, Claudie Haigneré and astronaut candidate Mindy Howard.

Young people up to the age of 18 with the most creative questions in text and media form (e.g. submitted in a video or image) will be invited to ask their questions live during Space in Your Living Room! - Arts and Space Collide events.

Among the invited participants to the live events we will also raffle a signed telescope, courtesy of SSVI, during the annual Ars Electronica Festival in September. Questions must be submitted on spaceEU Instagram or Facebook in the language that will be used for the live event. In other words: for Muhammed Ahmed Fares in Arabic, for Dirk Frimout and Mindy Howard in Dutch and for Claudie Haigneré in French.

Adventure Games and Space Stories

Share your story with the world! Join the storytelling sessions with astronomer and author Dora Klindžić and write your own adventure game (ages 13 - 18) or space story (ages 8 - 12). The most imaginative and creative entries will be published on the spaceEU website and will receive signed books chosen by Dora.

Winning entries from each age category will be presented and announced live during the Ars Electronica Festival in September. Stories must be submitted in English and sent to spaceeu@strw.leidenuniv.nl by Sunday 30 August 2020.

Design your Alien!

Make your own alien and win a telescope for your school! Children between the ages 8 and 12 can design their own 3D alien, while keeping the natural conditions of the planets in our solar system in mind. For more details, check out this activity or participate in the Meet a Space Person workshops during the summer programme.

All entries will be presented during the Ars Electronica Festival in September, during which three winners will be announced live and will receive books and signed telescopes courtesy of SSVI. Send a picture or video of your alien to spaceeu@strw.leidenuniv.nl or share it with us on spaceEU Instagram or Facebook by Sunday 30 August 2020.

*Eligibility, Terms and Conditions of Prize Contests

• All entrants and winners must be a real person and no older than 18 years in 2020 (proof of age may be required).
• Entrants must have a genuine account on social media and must 'like' at least one of the spaceEU social network pages (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) as part of the entry process.
• The maximum number of entries to each contest per person is 1.
• To enter a competition you must enter as directed on our website or social media channels.
• Our contests are free to enter.
• Any entries received before the opening or after the closing of the contests will be invalid and will not be entered into the contests.
• All decisions of competition organizers about any aspect of the contests, including eligibility or disqualification of applications, comments or images are final and cannot be appealed.
• By submitting information for the contests, contestants consent to the use, reproduction, publication, transmission and dissemination of their name, and information relating to the award by the competition organizers and/or partners, without compensation, in any publications or promotional material, to promote the competition and its winners.
• spaceEU reserves the right to make changes to the contests at any time without prior notice, to temporarily interrupt the contests, or to cancel the contests without justifying or being in any way accountable for this decision. No damages or compensation may be claimed.
• spaceEU does not guarantee a delivery date for the awarded prizes, as they may be delivered separately and at a later date.
• Unless otherwise stated in advance, the winners must respond to the announcement within a) (3) working days by email for contests that require email entries, or b) within (24) hours for social media contests, otherwise another winner will be chosen.
• No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received for whatever reason.

Target Audience

Everyone! Specifically, young people between 8 - 18 years old, families and educators. Space in Your Living Room! features events in Arabic, Dutch, English and French.

Participant Information

Live events will be streamed on spaceEU Facebook and YouTube pages.

Workshops will take place on Zoom, with a limit of 40 children per workshop (a link will be provided to registered participants).

Registration

• Are you younger than 16? One of your parents or legal guardian can sign you up here: 
  Register your child
• Are you older than 16?
  Sign up here!

All Space in your Living Room workshops and events are free.

Mahbobah Ahmadi - Space in Your Living Room! Coordinator
E-mail: ahmadi@strw.leidenuniv.nl

Suzana Filipecki Martins - SpaceEU Project Manager
Tel.: +31 (644) 07 01 53