From: "Chuck Rippel" <wa4hhg
Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2006 11:10:02 -0400
Priority: normal
Cc: 

Good day all:

I belong to a local astronomy club, The Back Bay Amateur Astronomers located in 
Hampton Roads (VA Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk, VA).  I'll offer an overview of 
our program which might add to this discussion.

One of its prime missions is that of school and public outreach.  Within our school 
planning meetings with the teachers in August and runs till the end of the school year.  
The program goal is to reinforce that years curriculum in place albeit from a different 
perspective.

Our public outreach consists of typically a dozen events during a calendar year plus 
monthly public skywatches.  The range of support encompasses events such as  
supporting Astronomy Day to presentations that are uniquely designed in response to 
specific group requests.  Our last event, "Imagine the Universe,"  was to a Christian 
Mens Retreat weekend. I can arrange to get anyone interested a DVD of that 
presentation.

Finally we have a University Outreach.  A dozen or so members are supporting a joint 
project by the University of Virginia and Norfolk State University to build a Rapid 
Response, Remote Robotic Telescope on a mountain near Charlottesville, VA.  Link to 
the overview of that project, below:

http://groups.hamptonroads.com/pages1.cfm?page_id=11043

>From this perspective, let me suggest a few points.

The goals of our outreach program are fairly simple.  First, providing assistance to our 
educators is simply the right thing to do.  Second, we are always looking for that person 
in which the program ignited a spark of interest.  Out of 50 people, there will always be 
those who will want multiple looks through a scope or comment "I always wanted to try 
this..."  We try an fan the spark of interest into a flame of participation (good metaphor, 
eh?)  We get contact information, provide brochures with club meeting schedules and 
skywatch events.

The University program is essentially the same but a slightly different goal.  Besides 
actually working on the RRRT,  we inject experience, enthusiasm and sense of 
excitement into the students taking Physics and Astronomy.   Again, where there is a 
spark of interest, we make an effort to involve those who are interested and bring them 
into the club as active members.

So, my suggestion is there are really 2 basic goals in an Outreach Program:

develop and support their interest.

Chuck Rippel
S. Chesapeake, VA
N    36' 41" 07
W 076' 20" 00
http://www.r390a.com/VASkies/

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