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I am concerned that this will lead to increases separation of the BAA from the Education world and think that it would be, in the long term, damaging. I would prefer to see a drive to increase links to educational establishments and recruiting of both schools (especially state schools) and pupils. My local Society (Cockermouth) has a long tradition of engagement with education.
The plan is for the BAA to continue to have Affiliated Societies. However, they would not be a paid type of membership that receives the Journal.
Depending on how this is handled, this could open up Affiliated Societies status to more societies.
On a related topic, the BAA also has a library category of membership. Unless an individual joins to share the Journal, this might be a way to separate Affiliated Society status from paid membership while giving a route to receive the Journal.
David is correct, the proposed alterations to the By-laws do include the removal of mention of schools in the section on affiliation. Nice to see members are reading this in great detail!
I believe we have no schools affiliated, and have not had any in modern times. Hence this is a bit academic.
However, I agree with the point that we should engage with schools. We are doing this. At the New Scientist Live Exhibition in London this year, on the day devoted to schools, BAA volunteers engaged with hundreds of school children, demonstrated telescopes (indoors), spoke to them about astronomy and handed out materials. Moreover, Marie-Louise Archer, on the Council, is organising a day of activities at Harrow School in Spring 2024, involving BAA members, teachers, and pupils from state schools as well as Harrow. Actually starting to do these things in practice, after many years of the BAA doing little in education, is far more important than what the by-laws say.
I’m interested to hear that the Cockermouth Society engages with schools. Local societies are generally better-placed to do this than the BAA, but the BAA could be a hub for sharing good practice and resources for working in education, and for putting teachers in touch with volunteers who’d like to help them. There’s considerable discussion in the BAA at the moment on how we can develop this, and I very much support it.
David Arditti
President
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