In the AHOI_MINT project, extracurricular activities in the STEM area (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) are networked and expanded. The aim is to get children and young people excited about science and technology and thus develop Northwest Lower Saxony into an interactive, learning STEM region.

Pupils between the ages of ten and sixteen are to be specifically supported in developing their problem-solving skills. This should enable them to find creative solutions for complex scientific and technical tasks in a self-determined manner. These skills are seen as key qualifications in order to be sustainably prepared for requirements in work and society in times of digitalisation and climate change as well as the associated energy transition.

The network therefore offers a wide range of activities, such as workshops in laboratories or museums, in which the students are given tasks for which they can think up different solutions and try them out themselves. In order to achieve this goal, the project partners will link existing individual offers and already existing smaller networks in such a way that individual opportunities for learning are opened up to the children and young people, even over longer periods of time.

OFFIS focuses in particular on the analysis of existing offers and needs in the area of computer science promotion for girls. In order to facilitate access to computer science and make it more comprehensible, the laboratories will be opened to girls. In addition, virtual lab tours are to be developed and offered to the girls digitally.

The network's region extends from Aurich to Bad Zwischenahn, Delmenhorst, Elsfleth, Jever, Leer, Rastede, Schortens, Varel, Vechta, Westerstede and Wilhelmshaven to the districts of Ammerland and Oldenburg. AHOI_MINT is supported by more than 50 schools, extracurricular venues, associations, companies and municipalities and thus addresses more than 78,000 pupils.