After successfully completing the training of 15 Tribal Students in AstroTribe 2022 project, AstronEra will be training 15 more tribal students to become AstroGuides in 2023.
Tribal communities are generally, economically backwards in India. The project aims to develop an ‘earn & learn’ opportunity for the tribal students through working as astronomy guides. This will be achieved through an appropriate online course and a unique networking platform.
Key target groups · Guides (Primary)- 9th to 12th Std tribal students of Eklavya Model Residential Schools run by Tribal Ministry completing the online Guide Training module. ·
Organisers (Secondary)- Entities organising star gazing events across the globe (like Schools, Resorts, Touring companies etc.) ·
Mentors (Secondary)- Subject experts willing to mentor the guides across the globe.
Process flow: By consulting with the EMRS teachers and assessing the aptitude and interest of the tribal students, 30 of them are to be selected based on their compatibility with the required skills for the project. These 30 students would undergo Level 1 (knowledge + communication); select (based on a Before-After test) 15 will undergo Level 2 (skill + communication) training. The remaining 15 students would be accommodated in other Astro programs of our organisation. The training would be conducted during the leisure time of the students not disturbing the academic schedule. 15 trained tribal Astronomy Guides, and their mentors; the organisers will be onboarded on the online networking platform that is already being built. As the EMRS already has developed an eLearning system with Internet access, the networking platform will allow the guides to connect with the mentors to ask their doubts further and stay in touch with fellow guides. The organisers will be able to connect with the guides and invite them to organise the stargazing programs through the platform. Eventually, this project can be expanded worldwide to add more guides. We are in the process of collaborating with mentors In Brazil who want to implement the AstroTribe project online.
Contact: Shweta Kulkarni support@astronera.org