CONSTELLATION
SOUTH AMERICA - 2015
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The Constellation project established in 2015 a South American network of schools committed to the long-term organisation of astronomical outreach activities amongst their pupils and local communities The Constellation activities were carried out in 20 schools located in 6 countries across South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru). The project directly reached 1000 primary school students, 1500 secondary school students, 100 teachers and 600 members of the general public.
The schools were connected through a dedicated online platform and through social media, so that they can exchange their thoughts and experiences. The activity cycle, called “Space Exploration” was planned, written in a handbook form and translated in Spanish and Portuguese by March 2015. At that time the long-distance tutoring could start. Over 40 volunteers in total worked with the teachers to plan the activities and handle the delivery of the telescopes and books, sometimes dedicating more than 14 weekly hours to the project.
Towards the end of 2015 and with the long-distance tutoring program still ongoing, Constellation went on the road, visiting the schools of the network. Three expeditions took place simultaneously in October and November in 2015: in Brazil, Colombia and Peru. The fourth expedition to Chile and Argentina took place in early December. During these expeditions alone, we estimate to have reached over 2000 students across the continent and strengthened the bond between the Constellation team and the schools.
During these trips live updates were available through Facebook and Twitter for the general public, inspiring articles were written in our blog from the GalileoMobile traveling team and by the local nodes of Constellation in each participating country, and amazing photos keep being published in our social media. The participating schools shared their joy at the visits in a dedicated Facebook group.
Constellation did round up for 2015, but it did not stop. The love for astronomy the Constellation schools shared continues to inspire new projects and new activities. Our tutors visited the schools in Ecuador in February 2016, and the schools in the region of Rondonia, in Brazil, in the beginning of November 2016.
The Constellation project was endorsed by the International Astronomical Union within the framework of the Cosmic Light programme of the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies 2015.
PARTNERS
The project was funded by the following institutions: