Starting a Café

Who?

Cafés need a member of staff ready to take responsibility for the café in their school. It doesn't have to be a science teacher - cafés cover a wide range of issues and would be of interest to teachers involved in citizenship, media studies, environmental science and other subjects; librarians; staff responsible for specialist school activities and so on. Ideally, the staff co-ordinator will gather a group of students to form an organising team or, at a minimum, help with selecting topics for the café programme.

How?

The format is very simple - the speaker (a working scientist or researcher) will introduce the topic and their interest in it. This introduction will last about 10 - 15 minutes. After that the floor is opened up for discussion - students questioning the speaker, the speaker questioning students and students questioning each other!

Where?

Cafés are informal, and for that reason we prefer them not to take place in a classroom. Speakers are not bogged down with technology (no microphones or slideshows allowed) so you can be ingenious about the venue. Cafés have been held in cafeterias, common rooms, libraries and even outside - anywhere that students can relax, eat and join in.

When?

Lunchtime or after school, whichever suits your school best. Some schools provide simple drinks and food to help generate a good atmosphere and encourage students to come along. Student organising teams have in the past been very inventive in getting sponsorship for this bit! How often cafés happen depends on the level of enthusiasm but most schools aim for 4-6 in the school year.

Topics?

Suggestions for topics will come from the students themselves. Typical titles might be: 'The physics of "Dr Who"', ‘Will men ever have babies?', 'Science and Religion' and 'Which Is Safer, GM or Organic Food?' See Topics and titles for more ideas.

Help!

You can call on the Project Organiser for help and support. See 'Project Staff' for details.