Parenting Science Gang needs you!

Are you a member of a parenting group with lots of questions? Maybe a large Facebook group?

Parenting Science Gang is about uncovering questions that matter to parents, but which science isn’t answering.

Four Facebook communities have taken part this year, they’ve been exploring the parenting questions that matter to them. Each group choses the a parenting question to investigate – we then help them become citizen scientists, designing and running their own experiment to answer that question.

We supply access to scientists and expert advisors, also funding and a project team to help make it happen. But as this is a user-led project, the direction the group takes is completely up to the members.

We’re now recruiting for up to eight more groups for 2017/18.

We’re looking for large online communities of parents brought together by a common interest or shared identity.

This project is for everyone. You don’t need a science background – simply curiosity and a willingness to get involved!

Tempted? What to know more? Detailed info on the project and how to apply.

Why get involved?

Here’s what some of this year’s participants had to say:

PSG has given me more confidence in parenting: I’ve read studies that I wouldn’t have come across otherwise, considered new approaches, and I feel empowered to refute or question statements that don’t seem to come with a strong evidence base.

I’ve loved being involved, helping to guide the experiment to something that matters to me. The facebook group feels like a whole new template for science: meetings that fit in around daily life; organisers who tap into the extreme intellect and passion of a group of people who struggle to make themselves heard in more traditional academia. This is the ultimate flexible work scheme.

Both in terms of the science PSG does and the way it does it, I really feel like I’m at the start of something important here.

Life changing, quite literally. I decided to go back to uni and study neuroscience (no previous science background since school). Its been amazing to help design a study around something I genuinely would like to find out. Speaking with scientists and professionals with the chance to ask them questions has been an amazing opportunity. Thankyou PSG!!

I’ve loved being involved with PSG – I’ve found out a tonne of stuff I wanted to know through the amazing opportunities to chat with experts in various fields, and another few tonnes of stuff I didn’t even realise I wanted to know!

It’s exciting to feel part of something which might find evidence based answers to questions I’m interested in and which might actually be scientifically useful and interesting to others too!

Taking a little bit of time to get more information about our choices for our children

It gives me a chance to flex the science muscles that I haven’t exercised since leaving education.

I come to learn, to be educated and to be able to ask questions that I don’t have the academic background to work out, without being ridiculed or made to feel silly.

Everyone has valuable skills and you never know when your random background skills may hold the answer to a question.

Interested?

Check out our detailed info on the project and how to apply.

Parenting Science Gang is funded by Wellcome and supported by several partner organisations.