BIG STEM Communicators Network upcoming events

How to centre the needs of participants within community engagement (22 Sep 2026)

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 09:00:00 GMT

How to centre the needs of participants within community engagement

Location: Online via Zoom

The first of a three part series of skills events is now on sale! Join us for this session with professional trainer and facilitator, Ray Cooper.

This session will explore how to meaningfully engage different people and communities in your work, ensuring that it’s not tokenistic, harmful or extractive and creating a valuable experience for everyone involved.

Tuesday 22nd September ; 10:00am - 1:00pm (BST)

Cost:

£85/90 for non-Members (includes BIG Membership)
£50/55 for BIG Members (login before registering)

During the session you will:

Learn multiple grounding techniques to use in spaces where dysregulation might occur
Experience how to facilitate group agreements
Use creative techniques to share knowledge and work collaboratively with a diverse range of people
Understand how power dynamics, fears and unmet needs might show up in your contexts and work with peers to explore these challenges
Set commitments for how you want to embed your learning

Your Trainer

Ray is a facilitator and DEI practitioner working with civil society and community/activist groups for the past 15 years to deepen their connections, build understanding, navigate conflict, and create shared commitments.

Alongside their paid work Ray also runs a housing co-operative, provides facilitation and culture development support to Radical Routes (a network of co-ops) and regularly facilitates community organising groups such as OUT prison abolition group, and the Queer Care Collective.

Ray is also a level 4 trained Restorative Justice Facilitator and doing more transformative justice and harm reduction work within their communities.

They also regularly write about the nuances of facilitating different dynamics and groups.

Developing your Leadership for Outreach and Public Engagement (08 Oct 2026)

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMT

Developing your Leadership for Outreach and Public Engagement

Location: Online via Zoom

The second of a three part series of skills events is now on sale! Join us for this session with Head of Public Engagement for University of Bath and former chair of BIG, Helen Featherstone.

In this practical session we’ll explore what it means to be a leader for Outreach and Public Engagement. We’ll assess the culture of OPE in your institution or setting and identify how to develop it further through a range of activities. We’ll look at these activities and work out how to get the best from them to support your leadership work. We’ll consider the value of having an OPE strategy and outline how to write one. In the session we’ll look at some top tips and identify how to apply these to your settings. Running throughout the session we’ll consider how to ensure your leadership is inclusive and the activities you develop can help to dismantle structural inequalities

Thursday 8th October; 10:00am - 1:00pm (GMT)

Cost:

£85/90 for non-Members (includes BIG Membership)
£50/55 for BIG Members (login before registering)

During the session you will:

Participants will understand the key attributes of being a leader for Outreach and Public Engagement
Participants will have a suite of activities they can implement in their settings to foster their leadership
Participants will understand what makes for an effective strategy and how to write one

Your Trainer

Helen Featherstone, PhD, is the Head of Public Engagement (University of Bath). She works across the university creating the conditions for engaged research to flourish. Helen’s research interests lie in understanding the publics' roles in public engagement. As a consultant, Helen generates insight for the sector, mentors teams and delivers training.

Making STEM Engagement Accessible (19 Nov 2026)

Thu, 19 Nov 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Making STEM Engagement Accessible

Location: Online via Zoom

Lightyear Foundation are delighted to offer a bespoke Making STEM Engagement Accessible training session for the BIG STEM Communicators Network.

This session covers the audience experience from start to finish, exploring best practice in STEM engagement with disabled and neurodivergent participants, visitors, and community members.

We also explore how to support disabled and neurodivergent colleagues and employees, and how to take care of yourself as a disabled and/or neurodivergent person working in STEM engagement. Participants will leave the session feeling empowered to support and advocate for themselves, each other, and their audiences.

Thursday 19th November ; 10:00am - 1:00pm (BST)

Cost:

£85/90 for non-Members (includes BIG Membership)
£50/55 for BIG Members (login before registering)

During the session you will:

Participants will understand the barriers facing disabled and neurodivergent audiences, and the ways they can be reduced or removed.
By applying their understanding to relevant case studies and examples, participants will develop their skills in planning, delivering and evaluating accessible STEM experiences.
Participants will feel confident that they have the skills, tools and support needed to deliver accessible and inclusive STEM engagement.

Your Trainer

Hannah is an equity, diversity and inclusion and evaluation consultant, specialising in engaging and advocating for neurodivergent audiences. With a Physics background and nearly a decade of STEM education experience, they are deeply passionate about STEM engagement that is accessible and genuinely inclusive.

Hannah is also a freelance science communicator, presenter, and content developer, and has worked with BBC Bitesize and Blue Peter. As Communities & Partnerships Programme Manager they are leading on the delivery of a range of projects, including the new Lightyear Youth Group.