"Universe Awareness" C. Odman Presented at: Royal Astronomical Society Meeting London March 2007

1. UNIVERSE AWARENESS
UNAWE
Carolina Ödman odman@strw.leidenuniv.nl
odman@strw. leidenuniv.
http://www.unawe.org/
http://www.unawe.org/
Royal Astronomical Society,
London, March 9 2007
UNIVERSE AWARENESS (UNAWE)
• Initiative for a worldwide scientific culture.
• Expose very young (ages 4 - 10 years), underprivileged
children to the inspirational aspects of astronomy.
– Broaden their perspective
– Enhance their understanding of the world
– Demonstrate the power of rational thought
• By broadening children’s minds, UNAWE will help
stimulate tolerance and internationalism
1

2. ASTRONOMY FOR PEACE EDUCATION
• Science • Multidisciplinary
– Investigation, curiosity – The big questions
– Ambassador for all
sciences
• FUN!
– Development of – Beautiful images
technology – Extreme conditions
• Culture – Unreachable yet
– History available to all
past & in the making!
– Cultural heritage
MOTIVATION
• Beauty and size of the Universe excite Young Children
• Basic knowledge of the Universe is a Birthright
• Ages 4 - 10 are crucial for Child Development
• Knowledge about the Universe can broaden the mind
• Why young and underprivileged children?
– Need is greatest
– Cognitive disparities increase with age
– Cultural differences less pronounced
2

3. GOALS OF UNAWE
• Communicate the beauty and scale of the Universe to
young children
– Excite and broaden their perspectives
– Help develop a “world view”
• Use inspirational astronomy to develop cognitive skills
• Reach large numbers of children
• United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
– Universal Primary Education
– Gender Equality in Primary School
PRINCIPLES OF UNAWE
• Inspiration is paramount
– Emphasis on play and entertainment
• Bottom-up approach
– Driven by the needs of the local cultures and educators
• General approach
– Earth awareness and citizenship, membership of a diverse
human family
– Awareness of the Sun, planets, solar system, galaxy, Universe
3

4. INGREDIENTS OF UNAWE
• Material
Games, cartoons, songs, hands-on material
• Entertaining and developed by professionals (ECD/didactics)
• Translated into various languages and cultures
• Training
• Dialogue, dissemination, feedback, evaluation
• Tailored to each country and community
• International Network
• Communication between teachers and development
professionals worldwide
• Exchange of ideas, experience and materials
• Coordination of independant initatives
PROGRAMME
• Modular: Occupy few contact hours per year upwards
• Adapted: Languages and cultures of target groups
• Stimulating: Must cultivate imagination
• Professional: Must be developed by professionals
• Strong message: Uniform characters and settings
• Culturally relevant: Involve indigenous cultures and
their astronomy
4

5. TIMELINE
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
PREPARATION
DEVELOPMENT
IMPLEMENTATION
EVALUATION
• 2009
– At least 4 Emerging countries and 4 EU member states
– International Year of Astronomy…
PILOT PROJECTS 2006:
VENEZUELA& TUNISIA
• Venezuela
– UNESCO Schools network
– Astronomy community
– Ministry of Science and Education
• Tunisia
– Science City
– Teacher training and travelling “Astro-Bus”
– Ministries of Family Affairs and of Education
5

6. UNAWE, A GLOBAL INITIATIVE
Team of >20 nationalities with many teachers
• EU:
Ireland, Italy, Netherlands,
Spain, United Kingdom
• Non-EU:
Chile, Colombia, India,
Indonesia, South Africa,
Tunisia, Venezuela
UNAWE in the UK
• UK situation:
– Very multicultural
– Marginalised urban communities
• Large number of excellent outreach initatives
– Capitalise on expertise and experience
– Existing networks/programmes
– Unifying efforts for 2009
• UNAWE can complement and piggy-back on existing
instruments
– Target group: 4 - 10, underprivileged
– Philosophy: Astronomy as a tool for peace
6

7. HOPE TO SEE YOU AT NAM 2007
http://www.unawe.org/
email odman@strw.leidenuniv.nl
7