AI Junior Section

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

[albertw: edited to put the quotes in (hopefully!) the right place]

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?

Astronomy Ireland could always rename themselves to Albert Ireland.

Astronomy Ireland could always rename themselves to Albert Ireland.

Ha! It'll never happen. Astronomy Ireland is here to stay :lol:

I don't know what happened to the layout of my previous post but I hope readers can get the gist of it.

Spaceboy

I have to say, Amy is one amazing young lady. Have a listen to her on last weeks AI radio show (you can download it from the AI website). Shes only 15 but writes and speaks like she was doing it forever. She has a huge enthusiasm for the Junior section. However some of the earlier posts hit the nail on the head, unless there is a constant driving force junior sections just 'grow up'. I'm hoping the Ai junior section is here to stay. I know more than a few people are willing to help out in any way they can. Did anyone see the Junior section in A&S Mag? What did you think of 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?

At first glance at this topic I did wonder how I had managed to acquire a Junior Section

Feel free to use Albert instead of Al. or Astronomy Ireland (or A&S/AI) instead of AI. I think the context usually makes it clear enough.

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.

I stand corrected. It did not fail it was intentionally scrapped

Cheers,
~Albert