Engaging the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for Astro-Particle Physics in Outreach Activities

As scientists, it is essential to engage with the wider community to promote science education and inspire the next generation of scientists. Science faculties, and their respective departments, can play a significant role in outreach by organising various activities that cater to students from high school through university, and even the general public. Outreach activities that have been well received are activities such as mentorship programmes, creating online resources that can be shared, and organising trips to scientific organisations of interest. Some of the examples that will be discussed are the University of Johannesburg’s Faculty of Science ‘Take a child to work day’ initiative; the Centre for Astro-Particle Physics (CAPP) led HartRAO excursion; and the Soweto Science Centre, Department of Physics and CAPP physics revision boot camp for Grade 11 learners. By organising these activities and engaging with the wider community, we can make science more accessible to everyone and motivate high school learners to pursue a career in science.