Inreach?

One of the things that the WCAC has justifiably proud of has been our outreach efforts.  From the Public Nights to the school programs we have done well in sharing our excitement about the universe with the community.  The AEB was born of this effort.

But the question arises, are we doing enough for our members?  As with many organizations, we get a certain percentage of transient members – folks who join for a year and never really participate.  We never get to know them, what their expectations are, and what they need from us.  There are many folks who do stay with us year after year, but still never really participate.  We still don’t know what their needs are.

So, are we doing enough for our members?  Another problem we have, that we share with most other similar organizations, is the “active few” and the “quiet many”.  The problem is that the active few get tired.  So, the question arises, if you are in the “quiet many”, what do we need to do to get you to feel like crossing over?  Is it a sense of belonging?  Is it intimidation? Or is it that you just want to be entertained, and not really to participate?  What do we need to do to reach you?  I am not sure how to get these answers.  We have tried some different approaches over the years – surveys have been pretty ineffective; and we tried a member-centered initiative about 6-7 years ago that didn’t go anywhere.  So, if you have ideas, thoughts, needs, desires, etc. we want to hear them.

I have volunteered to take on the role of “Inreach Coordinator” for a while.  It includes the role of program coordinator, which Dave Ross has been performing.  But as I visualize it, it will be more than that.  I want to come up with ways to REACH YOU.  If you need education, we will try courses or workshops. If you need group activities, we will try that.  If you want outside activities, we will try that. I’ve got a bunch of ideas floating around, but the ideas I really need are YOUR ideas.

You as members need to know that there is NO ONE in this club with a lot of formal education in astronomy – with the exception of Dick Emmons.  I took only one astronomy course in college.  The rest I have basically learned myself from reading and getting involved.  The WCAC has been the catalyst for much of this – every article I wrote or talk I gave was an excuse to dig into something that interested me.  I guess my point here is that the WCAC has been a great environment to do this.  It is even greater today – with the observatory, planetarium, outreach opportunities, HORIZON, public nights, etc., there are all kinds of ways that you can find to dig into astronomy.  And there are many of us willing to support you. There is no need to be intimidated.

So, our Inreach effort will begin now.  I will ask the President to put me on the agenda for each meeting so we can talk about ideas.  I will remain open to any ideas you have – please call or email me.  Whether you want to discuss ideas you’d like to see for programs, programs or activities you’d like to try your hand at, educational opportunities you’d like to see, trips you’d like to take, or just to discuss what your needs and expectations from the WCAC are, I want to hear from you.  I want to make a difference here – but I cannot invent solutions to problems I do not understand.  They have to spring from you.

Dave Gill     3-25-2005

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