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Poster Short Abstract

Citizen Science Month or CSM (2019–2025) has grown from a single day to a global movement. This poster highlights lessons learned and impacts measured, emphasizing the role of facilitators and sharing approaches for international collaborations, especially leading up to CSM 2026.

Poster Abstract

Citizen Science Month (CSM) has grown from a single day in 2019 to a global movement that has engaged hundreds of thousands of participants worldwide. This poster shares lessons learned, impacts measured, and approaches developed over six years of scaling CSM, with a focus on the critical role of facilitators in making citizen science accessible, engaging, and inclusive.

CSM has produced measurable outcomes across participants, facilitators, and project leaders. Participants report increased confidence in participating in projects, collecting and analyzing data, and sustained engagement: 94% of Foundations of Citizen Science trainees reported growth in skills, and 100% said they were likely to participate in another citizen science project. Facilitators have gained confidence hosting and facilitating events, and nearly all rated event clarity and impact as strong. Project leaders saw increased public awareness, additional contributors, and heightened engagement: 100% reported CSM raised awareness, and 82% felt positively impacted by being part of a larger movement. Between 2024–2025, CSM events doubled, Foundation of Citizen Science badges earned rose from 183 to 2,938, and social media reach grew to 14.1 million, including 70+ projects promoted in partnership with the European Citizen Science Association.

The poster also outlines approaches for fostering international collaborations, including the partnership with the European Citizen Science Association for CSM 2025, and ongoing coordination with associations leading initiatives in preparation for CSM 2026. These examples illustrate how facilitator-driven, collaborative efforts can transform a local initiative into a global movement, inspire community engagement, and support meaningful scientific contributions.