New program introduces young people to university experience with free lectures

The university experience is starting a few years early for young people who sign up for
a new McMaster program called Children & Youth University.
The pilot program of five free Saturday-morning lectures is aimed at students between
eight and 12 years old, with the goal of educating them on appealing topics while
introducing them to university life. The monthly lecture series starts Saturday and ends
March 17.
The initiative is sponsored by McMaster's faculties of health sciences and science, its Alumni office and the Office of the President.
“It's important for McMaster to be accessible to the broader community,” said McMaster
President Patrick Deane. “This initiative allows us to give young people a taste of
academic life before they make high-school choices that can put them on track for a
university education.”
The interactive lecture sessions are to cover a broad range of subjects, including the
human body, the importance of children, the 1918 flu epidemic, aboriginal
contributions to Canada and perceptions of disability.
The goal is to stimulate the intellectual curiosity of young students before they reach
high school, while familiarizing them with campus. The program is available to all
children, and its organizers hope it will hold particular appeal to those whose families
have never been exposed to post-secondary education.
“We'd like to create another connection to the community. We'd like these young people
to see where we are and what we offer,” said organizer Katrin Scheinemann, an assistant
professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, who is the
program's lead co-organizer with Sandeep Raha, an assistant professor in the same
department.
Scheinemann said the idea for McMaster Children & Youth University comes from
Europe, where university programs for children have been popular and effective.
There is room in the pilot program for a combination of 300 students and adult escorts.
(Children under 12 are required to be accompanied by an adult.)
Though the program is free, registration is required, either by phone at 905-521-2100,
ext. 73790 or by email at cymac@mcmaster.ca.