Many of us would like to do our little part for the Centre/Society or the hobby in general but where do we find the time??? Or we don't want to feel obligated to commit to a year term (or 2 years!!! or implied... indefinitely if no one else puts their hand up?)... try out the latest I heard while driving to a customer site and listening to Spark on CBC (http://www.cbc.ca/spark/category/episodes/ - select September 10th and scroll down to the article "Micro-volunteering").

Below are a couple of links from the Astronomy Society of the Pacific regarding welcoming (an re-welcoming?) members to meetings to help ease some of the awkwardness and assumptions regarding astronomy.

Help make new members feel welcomed and appreciated... we were all new at one time... A nice reminder regarding a mentor 'facilitator' as well.

The link mentions "clubs" but it is also relevant to EPO activities!

Alden Foraie, Regina Centre President, appears in the Wednesday, 2007 July 25, edition of the Toronto Sun, talking about the Saskatchewan Summer Star Party at Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park. See the story here: https://torontosun.com/category/travel/.

The International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) will be a global celebration of astronomy and its contributions to society and culture, stimulating worldwide interest not only in astronomy, but in science in general, with a particular slant towards young people. IYA2009 will mark Galileo Galilei’s first use of the telescope for astronomical observations, and will portray astronomy as a peaceful global scientific endeavour that unites astronomers in an international, multicultural family of scientists working together to find answers to some of the most fundamental questions that humanity has ever asked.

The Halifax Centre will celebrate International Astronomy Week by presenting talks at the Halifax Public Library as follows:

Le Bulletin de la Coalition pour l'astronomie canadienne est maintenant disponible grâce de CASCA. Cette numéro souligne des nouvelles concernant le radio télescope international du 21ième siècle (le Square Kilometre Array ou SKA), le Télescope de trente mètres et le grand réseau millimétrique de l’Atacama (Atacama Large Millimeter Array, ALMA). Téléchargez votre copie du http://casca.ca/media/Astronomy%20News%20FR%20NOV%202006.pdf/.

This quote from Alden Foraie, Regina Centre President, says it all...

I returned today from spending the weekend with Norm Leier at Cypress Hills giving Melody Nagel-Hisey's staff a crash course in astronomy.

Today the United Nations (UN) 62nd General Assembly proclaimed 2009 the “International Year of Astronomy”. The International Year of Astronomy 2009 is an initiative by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

On September 15, 2007 the RASC hosted a fall Astronomy Day. Seven Centres officially participated: le Centre francophone de Montreal, London Centre, Mississauga Centre, Montreal Centre, Prince George Centre, Quebec Centre and Toronto Centre.

Dr. Brian Schmidt, who won this year's Nobel Prize for Physics (with Dr. Saul Perlmutter and Dr. Adam Riess; see December 2011 JRASC, page 228), is using part of his prize money to fund an astronomy education program discontinued by the Australian government.
For more information see the full story here: