Through the Tschira Youth Academy (TJA), the Klaus Tschira Foundation (KTS) works with young people and regional schools to expand interest and understanding in the biological sciences. With experience-based learning as the guiding principle, a diverse range of courses and workshops provide unique opportunities to discover the wonders of biology and related natural sciences through research and experimentation. As the study of life, the intricacies of biology are best taught in a lively manner by enthusiastic scientists, researchers and experts in authentic learning environments—the scientific collection of a natural history museum, the great outdoors or the TJA’s own LearningLab.
Effective science communication remains a top priority: Our in-house teaching and display collections LebensRaum and KlimaZone, created by the TJA team, explore subjects including earth history, evolution and climate change in a clear, comprehensible and engaging format.
The TJA was first supported by the Klaus Tschira Foundation in 2011. Initially a short-term project, the TJA quickly became an in-demand extracurricular learning location in the Rhein-Neckar metropolitan region and now exists as an established entity. Over the years, the TJA expanded its range of full-week courses and one-day workshops for young people and in 2019 initiated “TJA Goes to School”, an enrichment program specifically designed for regional secondary schools. Additionally, since its inception, the TJA has authored and executed a slate of professional development courses for early-childhood educators with its KTS cooperation partner, Forscherstation.
Tschira Youth Academy
Heidelberg
