Guatemala is a country with limited access to scientific knowledge, particularly in remote areas and among economically disadvantaged populations. ‘Inclusive Astronomy in Guatemala‘ comprises a series of activities aimed at providing these populations with access to the dynamics of science, with the hope of fostering interest and development in science within their communities. These activities include interactive workshops for children and the general public, where astronomical concepts are shared in a dynamic manner.
To ignite scientific curiosity in children, we are currently developing board games and scientific stories, available in various languages. We hope that over time, these activities will contribute to the advancement of science in the country. The activities targeted students and teachers from remote, economically disadvantaged public schools in rural Guatemala, including approximately 500 students and 40 teachers. and 30 individuals with hearing impairments.
Activities:
1. Workshops: Workshops related to black holes and light, among other sciences, have been conducted in schools in rural areas of Guatemala. During these workshops, materials related to astronomy have been shared. These materials were written in Spanish and K’iche’ languages. The idea is for participants in these workshops to be able to replicate them within their local communities.
2. Board games: The development of three board games related to astronomy is currently in progress. One is a dice game related to the galaxy, another is a checkers-like game related to the solar system, and finally, a memory game using astronomical images is also being developed.
3. Science stories: A short story related to mathematics is currently in development. It is in the stage of generating the cartoons that will be included. Initially, it will be developed in Spanish and then translated into other local languages.
4. Short video: A short informative video related to black holes is under development. The script has already been created, and it is now in the stage of generating animations. This video will be produced in Spanish with sign language translation.