Audiences

Engaging individuals and communities throughout Scotland

We inspire a wide range of people to marvel at, and learn more about, Scotland’s marine environment and its wildlife. We do this through our learning activities which take place at our Centre in North Berwick, as part of our outreach programmes and through digital resources. Our Discovery Experience is a great asset for supporting people from near and far to learn more about Scotland’s marine environment.

Expanding our learning programmes to reach a wider number of young people within a day’s travel of our Centre remains a priority for us. We are also extending our focus to include more intergenerational content. This includes building our offering for tertiary audiences, as well as developing a culture of life-long learning and active ageing. Reaching out to new audiences is of great importance. Events surrounding Covid-19 have highlighted the inequalities which continue to exist in our society. These include the significant impact on mental health for those who are isolated, as well as the need to ensure digital inclusion. Evidence indicates that the assumption that young people are ‘digitally literate’ and confident using digital platforms is a misnomer.

We are also aware that there are many who face additional barriers to engagement including individuals and groups with additional learning needs or disabilities. As we develop our digital offer, we will use it as a way of engaging further with people who cannot visit our Centre in person, but who wish to learn more about our marine environment. We will use this as an opportunity to forge new partnerships working with harder to reach groups in society.