Comenius Children’s University courses run every Wednesday during the months of July and August. The program consists of 8 lectures in 8 weeks presented by Slovak and foreign university lectors.
The first lecture is always after a matriculation ceremony, while the last one is followed by a graduation ceremony. Both ceremonies take place at Comenius University main auditorium, giving them a flare of a gala event. The remaining 7 lectures take place at Arena Theatre.
Upon registration each child is given a sort of “school uniform” – a Children’s University branded T-shirt and a baseball cap. As Children’s University is based on a real university model, students also receive a university record book to mark their lectures attendance. At the end of each lecture we provide lunch to all children. To qualify for a graduation, a child student has to attend at least 6 lectures.
The lectures´ topics are based on real subjects and are presented only by university professors and associated professors. Although – obviously – the lectures are adapted to meet children age and interest.
Each lecture lasts from 30 minutes to 1 hour and often includes an experiment, demonstration or a practical exercise to bring the subject closer to children and to make it more interesting.
Lectures are followed by a general discussion with the children during which many additional questions are answered by the presenters. The lecture with discussion usually last about 2 hours together.
Majority of professors are from Comenius University but there are some from others (f. e. Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava…).
Besides Slovak lectors, Children University lectures were given by many foreign personalities – since its establishment we welcomed guest speakers from, for instance, University of Applied Arts in Vienna, University of Oxford, British Columbia University Vancouver or University of California Berkeley. Foreign lectures are translated to Slovak for those children who are yet unable to follow the original language.
Each lecture is published on Internet, in one of the major Slovak newspapers Pravda and included in the Children’s University Yearbook.
The main organizers are: Arena Theatre, Comenius University, The Foundation of Max Reinhardt, advertising agency Commercium.
The Children’s University is held under the auspices of chairman of Bratislava Self - Governing Region Ing. Vladimír Bajan.
Children Comenius University
