From shared ideas to shared action: the Forgotten Pioneers partnership comes together in Prague.
The Forgotten Pioneers partners recently came together in Prague for several days of focused discussion, planning and collaboration as work on the project continues.
Hosted in the home city of project coordinator Czech Technical University in Prague, the meeting brought together representatives from the project partnership: Czech Technical University in Prague, Inspiring Girls Portugal, Melissa Network, the European E-Learning Institute and Momentum.
The partnership brings together organisations from Czechia, Portugal, Greece, Denmark and Ireland, combining experience across education, youth engagement, migration, gender equality, communication and European cooperation.
Reviewing our first steps
A key focus of the meeting was taking stock of progress so far.
Partners reviewed project management and reflected on the results and learning emerging from the Work Package 1 event. This gave the consortium an opportunity to consider what worked well, what participants responded to and how lessons from the first stage of activity can inform the next parts of the project.
Attention then turned towards Work Package 2, with partners beginning to shape the next project event and discussing how its activities can continue the work of uncovering and sharing overlooked histories.
These early stages are particularly important for Forgotten Pioneers. The project combines archival recovery with education and youth engagement, creating opportunities for people not simply to learn about forgotten histories but to actively explore how and why certain voices disappear from public memory.
The project plans to use forums and practical learning activities to help young people, educators and cultural practitioners engage with erased histories and develop approaches for recovering and communicating them.
Building a shared approach to communication
Partners also worked together on the project’s dissemination strategy and plans for the months ahead.
Communication has a particularly important role in Forgotten Pioneers. If the project is about challenging invisibility, its findings and stories need to travel beyond the partnership.
The project will therefore use accessible digital communication, educational resources, storytelling, exhibitions and partner networks to reach young people, educators, migrant organisations, universities and cultural institutions across Europe.
The wider aim is to make the stories recovered through Forgotten Pioneers useful and reusable, allowing educators, youth workers and cultural organisations to integrate them into their own work.
Collaboration beyond the meeting room
Alongside the working sessions, partners had the opportunity to explore some of Prague’s most important landmarks.
It was a welcome chance to spend time together outside the formal programme, continue conversations and strengthen the relationships that will support collaboration throughout the project.
With the first activities underway and plans for the next stage taking shape, the Prague meeting provided a strong foundation for the work ahead.
Together, the partnership will continue working to bring the stories of Europe’s migrant women scientists back into view and ensure they become part of a more complete understanding of our shared European history.