The Universe is a beautiful place, with shining stars and glowing nebulae, but more than any other subject astronomy has taught us that there’s much more to life than what we can see. A Touch of the Universe is a global UNAWE project that aims to bring the wonders of the cosmos to all children; including those with vision impairments. To do this, the plan is to build 30 tactile astronomy kits, full of tools to bring the Universe to students with visual problems, including a planetarium soundtrack with accompanying 3D “night sky” dome and an array of Braille activity guides, books and information sheets.
The plan is to distribute the kits directly to informal educators and teachers in the underdeveloped countries of America, Asia, and Africa — this is where we come in. With our extensive network of astronomers and communicators spanning 54 countries, UNAWE is integral to helping make this vision a reality. It's not yet possible to order a box for personal use but the activity booklet will be available soon for free downloaded from the website. Additionally, all files are available here, although props will need to be acquired personally from a 3D printing service.
But, A Touch of the Universe needs your help too! We are looking for partners who would like to contribute and help raise 5500 euro needed to complete the project. Institutions that donate more than 1000 Euros, will have their logo displayed on the project website and all the toolkit's printed materials.
UNAWE has already joined, and we are helping to distribute the toolkits, along with a network of astronomy associations including International Astronomical Union Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD), the Galileo Teachers Training Program, GalileoMobile and Astronomers Without Borders.
If you want to get involved, and help make learning universal to reach as many children and young adults in the world as possible, you can contact the project today, using this online form or the contact details below. Alternatively, visit the website and learn how to make a donation (donations are dealt with by EU-UNAWE). Of course, you can also help by advertising the project. For further information please contact project managers Amelia Ortiz Gil or Thilina Heenatigala.
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