A Final Update from Lesley Lewis,
Chair of the 5th Science Centre World Congress
Science Centres as Agents of Change – Locally, Nationally and Internationally
The Ontario Science Centre was honoured to be your host for the 5th Science Centre World Congress.
The more than 400 delegates from 51 countries who joined us in Toronto experienced a special gathering that allowed members of the science centre community to step outside their regional networks and engage with colleagues from around the world.
From June 15 to 19, 2008, the world’s top science centre leaders along with representatives from academic institutions, corporations and government, joined together to discuss the central role science centres play in creasing the public’s engagement with science. A pivotal outcome of the Congress was the Toronto Declaration, which was read and endorsed by delegates at the closing ceremony.
I am convinced this is a landmark event for our field. For the first time, science centres around the world have worked together to issue a collective statement that identifies the issues facing our field globally. Now we have committed to a series of actions that will guide us for the next three years.
My deepest thanks to the committee from the global science centre community as well as the leaders of the regional science centre networks who contributed to drafting, reviewing and final approval of the Declaration.
Finally, a very special thank you goes to the sponsors for their support of the 5th Science Centre World Congress. The government of Ontario was the lead sponsor of this congress. Other partners came from an impressive range of leaders in innovation, including Presenting Sponsors Nortel and Siemens; Plenary Sponsor Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; and IMAX Corporation as Sponsor of the Keynote speech Creating the Future.
Yours sincerely,
Lesley Lewis, Chair, 5SCWC