Values and philosophy

STEAM’s values are

• participation (there is a personal path for every pupil, student and teacher into the world of science and technology)
• openness (all information and practices are shared, everyone can participate in the cooperation, we are ready to learn from others)
• innovativeness (we want to seek and find new solutions and opportunities, we also believe that failures are learning experiences)

STEAM comes from the words Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics, but let’s start with steam...

The Greek inventor Hero of Alexandria developed a primitive steam engine back in the first decades AD, but no real use for such an invention was found in the slave-based Greco-Roman society of the time. This kind of waste of potential is what STEAM Turku aims to prevent by seeking to provide all children and young people in Turku with the opportunity to learn new things, to apply and utilise what they learn and realise their full potential in the process.

James Watt was a Scottish mathematician and engineer whose improvements to the steam engine triggered the industrial revolution in the late 18th century. Right now we are living in the middle of a new industrial revolution that will change the world in unprecedented ways. STEAM Turku wants to support the children and young people of Turku in becoming the heroes of this change and growing into developers of solutions that will benefit all of humanity.

Global economic growth is nowadays at least a hundred times faster than it was in pre-industrial times. Of course this growth has also resulted in major problems, such as the population explosion and climate change, which future engineers, mathematicians, scientists and visionaries will have to solve. It is these future problem solvers to whom STEAM Turku wants to provide opportunities and expertise.