AI Junior Section

From the AI newsletter;

"Last Tuesday the special 'in studio' guest on the Astronomy Ireland Radio Show was Amy Farrar who has started the Junior Section of Astronomy Ireland (see website and new magazine pages from the September issue onwards). I thought she gave a brilliant performance and so did many others, especially for such a young person."

Well... it's a great idea, have to give him that.

Indeed, get them when they're young and they'll be hooked for life!

From the AI newsletter;

"Last Tuesday the special 'in studio' guest on the Astronomy Ireland Radio Show was Amy Farrar who has started the Junior Section of Astronomy Ireland (see website and new magazine pages from the September issue onwards). I thought she gave a brilliant performance and so did many others, especially for such a young person."

Well... it's a great idea, have to give him that.

it is a good idea, and other clubs have done it before but unless you have to have someone to keep it going and interesting for them or they lose interest.
stephen.

it is a good idea, and other clubs have done it before but unless you have to have someone to keep it going and interesting for them or they lose interest.

Indeed, the AI Junior section has failed in the past too. The only active Junior section that I know of is Tullamore's (Seannie is just a big kid really so keeping it going isnt too much of a problem ).

Another problem is that kids quickly grow out of a Junior Section, once they start to know something they dont like being patronised about being a "Junior Section", and devote time to their own thing or the "adult section" (hmm... that didn't come out quite right...)

That especially true if your junior section is just one person writing a page or two using pretty colours and not using any big words (even with the best intentions). You need more to it, art competitons etc. like TAS do, but also astro camps where kids can basically have their own starparty (like the JAS used to do in the UK).

Cheers,
~Al

Indeed, get them when they're young and they'll be hooked for life!

AL wrote

Indeed, the AI Junior section has failed in the past too.

Incorrect! The old junior section of AI was scrapped after the reorganisation of 1993-1994. The people who were in charge of it departed the organisation and went their merry ways. IMO good riddance to bad rubbish.

Another problem is that kids quickly grow out of a Junior Section, once they start to know something they dont like being patronised about being a "Junior Section", and devote time to their own thing or the "adult section"

True, they will become quickly bored if nothing is organised for them. Amy's pages in the magazine is just the start, great things are in the pipeline.

That especially true if your junior section is just one person writing a page or two using pretty colours and not using any big words (even with the best intentions). You need more to it, art competitons etc. like TAS do, but also astro camps where kids can basically have their own starparty (like the JAS used to do in the UK).

As I said before Amy has some good ideas and has the full backing of the AI management committee.

Maybe one day in the future the junior section of the various groups can get together for one weekend a year. But given some people's attityudes to Astronomy Ireland I somehow doubt it.

Finally can I make a suggestion?. Currently when people refer to Astronomy Ireland they use the short version, AI and refer to Albert White as Al. This can be a bit confusing so can we refer to Albert White as AW in the future?

Spaceboy