Abstract:

Nowadays the problem of knowledge exchange and dissemination is one of the most topical in the world science community. Researchers of different specialities are stimulated and promoted to move out of their comfort zone in scientific communication, conventionally restricted to participation in conferences and publishing articles in scientific journals, and vary the ways of sharing essential findings and results of their scientific activity. Though demanding a lot of time and effort, public engagement and science communication events are important in disseminating and communicating the breadth of scientific research. They inform on research, increase public awareness of various science issues, help to recognise multiple perspectives and domains of knowledge. Very often during such events young people are addressed as one of the most perspective target groups. It is important to choose appropriate ways to evoke their interest and hence to ensure an active and productive feedback.

In the frames of the present report the focus is set on possibilities to address young audience outside formal schooling environment taking into account the current challenging situation with Covid-19. In the course of implementing the research on literary and political discourse of translations in Soviet Latvia several public engagement and science communication activities for young people of Latvia were undertaken. To generate an active interest in the theme under study brain game elements were employed when presenting the main research findings.

In the modern education system, gaming technologies are increasingly being used by teachers both in class and extracurricular activities. With a competent organization and a professional approach, the use of different game models provides students with comfortable learning conditions, allows to activate their creative potential and acquire different forms of work: individual, in pairs, in teams following the previously agreed rules. The most important structural game element is game tasks combined with educational tasks that appear in a ‘disguised’, implicit form. When incorporated in different activities, brain game elements help to activate young people’s thinking processes and make their involvement more active.

In the article the structure and procedure of three public engagement and science communication events to address the young audience and performed online are discussed presenting a possible model of organising similar events.

Keywords:

Synthetic games, online activities, young people, cultural processes, ideology.