Reaching out and welcoming in – giving young people a glimpse into university life

MacEwan has a long history of inviting young people to explore our programs – from psychology talks, science demos and youth conferences to our Youth Jazz Orchestra, a partnership with the Sarah McLachlan School of Music and Math Kangaroo.

Dr. Lucio Gelmini demonstrates dry ice with students at MacEwan's Open House Chemistry prof Dr. Lucio Gelmini (pictured here at MacEwan’s 2022 Open House) gets a good reaction whenever he takes his science literacy show on the road. Each year, he does upwards of 140 demos for almost 30,000 kids. This year, he visited 100 schools in Edmonton, Calgary and Grande Prairie armed with chemical reactions, exploding balloons and more to get kids excited about science as a career.

Sarah McLachlan stands with her arms around two students who participate in her school of music In January 2023, the Sarah McLachlan School of Music took up residence at MacEwan. The free program is geared towards children and teens who otherwise would not have the opportunity to study music. Read more.

A psychology students presents her work to junior high students For years, Dr. Rodney Schmaltz has emphasized one key lesson to students in his 400-level psychology students: the importance of communicating effectively. To drive the point home and prepare them for giving future talks, the psychology prof invites over 50 junior high students and their teachers to attend a mini-conference on campus each April. Read more.

A young student plays piano Two groups of talented band students from high schools across the city come together in MacEwan University’s Allard Hall each week during the school year for another kind of rehearsal. Nominated by their band teachers, the group of students are all MacEwan Youth Jazz Orchestra members. Read more. The Department of Music also has a MacEwan Youth Audio class and is launching a new youth global percussion group in 2023/24.

Youth walk across the pedway from Building 8 to the Robbins Health Learning Centre Youth from the Indspire Soaring: Indigenous Youth Empowerment Gathering visit the university’s campus for tours and demonstrations.

Kristina Poplawski stands wearing her hockey uniform Kristina Poplawski’s early MacEwan experiences happened years before she was a student. Read more about the recent grad who played Junior Griffins Hockey long before she decided to register in the Police and Investigations program at MacEwan. Read more.

$A young learner smiles while holding a pencil$ Young math whizzes gather at MacEwan every year to prepare for the Edmonton region’s Math Kangaroo competition. Over 10 sessions, students prepare for the competition with sample questions and guidance from volunteers. Listen to our Research Recast(ed) podcast with Dr. Cristina Anton, MacEwan’s Math Kangaroo coordinator.

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