About Verus Mundus
Verus Mundus is a non-profit educational initiative conceived to support young students in their understanding of the natural sciences and enable active participation by both junior and secondary schools from anywhere in the world. It is a truly unique initiative which offers equally unique benefits to individual students, teachers and schools as outlined below.
The fundamental premise of Verus Mundus is to inspire young students and introduce them to the natural sciences in a manner which is both enlightening and highly enjoyable. In addition, it enables them to work collaboratively and produce outputs which are of real pertinence and value to the broader community, preparing participating students for research in higher education. Furthermore, it allows them the opportunity to use all of the knowledge and skills acquired within the standard curriculum, in a project which is orchestrated largely by themselves, providing valuable experience of practical research while enhancing personal confidence and social interaction. From the students perspective, it is a wonderful opportunity for hands on learning and collaboration, introducing them to a global network of like-minded individuals and groups and forging future associations and friendships across boundaries of geography and culture.
From an individual school perspective, Verus Mundus offers a unique opportunity to demonstrate and celebrate the special abilities of the school to inspire and motivate students beyond the norm. Furthermore, it enables the opportunity for teachers to demonstrate expertise in particular subject areas in which the school excels. Perhaps most important of all, it unites faculty and students in a pride for their school and its achievements, providing a channel through which this may be expressed. There is no associated cost of participation to either school or student, other than a small investment of time. Consequently, Verus Mundus offers a valuable enhancement to the standard curriculum at no cost to the participating school, together with a unique opportunity for visibility among the broader community.
The Verus Mundus activities themselves are defined within a general Natural Sciences framework within which specific research may be undertaken on topics of interest, building into an annual body of work from each participating school which will be summarised into an annual general report. The value of this annual report will be significant as the number and diversity of participating schools constitutes a uniquely powerful research vehicle. Verus Mundus students, while relatively un-experienced in academic or commercial terms, are nonetheless fully equipped from an intellectual perspective and quite capable, with a little guidance, of undertaking and documenting meaningful research. Furthermore, as each successive wave of students participates and annual reports are produced, a unique body of work will develop, representing the unbiased thoughts and conclusions of successive generations. This will itself be extremely valuable from a social history perspective.
In conclusion, Verus Mundus represents a uniquely valuable addition to both junior and secondary school education, inspiring individuals to embrace the sciences with enthusiasm and discover much about their own abilities in the process, leading to creative outputs of which they may be justifiably proud. Schools and teachers may equally benefit, with a ready made vehicle with which to demonstrate their own special abilities and be recognised accordingly. It is an initiative with the potential to change lives for the better and yet costs nothing to implement. It is also truly international in scope, without boundaries of geography, politics or culture. If you would like to join the Verus Mundus community, please study the materials provided on this site and enquire via the Contact page.