Non-formal education is a branch of education proper that is distinguished by having a goal of educating, but in an environment outside the classroom. It is versatile in terms of the modalities that it can use, since it can be carried out remotely or in person and also individually as well as in community outreach activities. This diversity of modalities grants a special flexibility and breadth when it comes to educating. Furthermore, non-formal education is carried out spontaneously, with a minimum of structure. This results in a relaxed education, which is effective, as humans learn better when their stress levels are low. It is an excellent means to understand the relationship of science, especially chemistry, in our daily lives. Through simple and fun activities with everyday materials you can learn a lot and, above all, motivate yourself to continue exploring and learning about a concept.

Our goal is to provide resources that make it easy to recruit volunteers to serve as educators. However, it is considered good practice for volunteers to receive some training to “master” the necessary knowledge of the material they will be discussing with their audience.

This project has been developed together with research students and with the collaboration of the Student Chapter of the American Chemical Society (ACS) of the University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras Campus.