Frontiers for Young Minds launches a French-language version

Frontiers for Young Minds, a non-profit, open-access scientific journal for kids, in partnership with Jeunes Francophones et la Science, has launched a French version as part of a wider strategy to bring science to global audiences. The expansion provides free access to scientific articles for 300 million French speakers around the world.

Frontiers for Young Minds publishes articles written by renowned researchers that are peer-reviewed by children between the ages of 8-15. The young reviewers work alongside the scientists, providing feedback to make sure the articles are engaging and understandable for their peers before publication. The review process empowers the young reviewers with a better understanding of the scientific process and provides them with critical thinking skills, added Frontiers.

Jeunes Francophones et la Science (JEFS) is a not-for-profit organization that is passionate about communicating quality science to young, French-speaking learners. As part of the partnership, JEFS will translate existing articles into French, support French-speaking researchers in writing original scientific articles for young learners, and introduce the journal's innovative kid-led peer review process to a network of French-speaking science mentors and schools.

Frontiers says the first group of translated articles focus on microbiology and include:

• An Incredible Invisible World: How Microorganisms Could Take Care of Corals in Difficult Times by Jonathan A Eisen, Phillipe Rosado, et al.
• Sepsis: When a Simple Infection Becomes Deadly by Andrew G Farthing, Jessie Howell, et al.
• Microbial Mats: Primitive Structures That Could Help us Find Life on Other Worlds by Santiago Cadena, Paula Maza-Márquez, et al.
• Journey Into Darkness: Microbes Living in Caves and Mines by Cesareo Saiz-Jimenez
• COVID-19 Vaccines: Was the Writing on the Wall? by Anna Roitburd-Berman and Jonathan M Gershoni

The launch of the French version of Frontiers for Young Minds follows the expansion into Hebrew, Arabic, and Chinese, with plans also underway for Spanish, Portuguese, and Hindi, added the publisher. It also highlights Frontiers’ commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Goal 4, in particular, to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Laura Henderson, Frontiers for Young Minds’ head of program commented: “We’re very excited to partner with JEFS and their expert members to bring Frontiers for Young Minds’ exceptional science to kids not only in France, but in all Francophone parts of the world – a language close to our hearts as our headquarters is in French-speaking Switzerland. We are actively seeking funding partners to help ensure we can add all major global languages and make our articles available to the majority of kids worldwide, including those in lower socio-economic communities.”

The French version of the Frontiers for Young Minds can be found here. The publisher says further original and translated articles will be coming in 2024.