Carthage College and the Appalachian Mountain Club will deliver astronomy and nature education and outreach through the Youth Opportunities Program, which addresses underserved inner city youth in poorer areas of the northeast US. This is an important audience, as their home environments do not permit them to experience the natural night sky, nor are they able to see the linkages between astronomical phenomena and the natural world around them. By leveraging the organizational structures already in place, the proposed program will not only directly approach many such individuals, but prepare their teachers and group leaders to bring astronomy content to student groups indefinitely into the future. The specific request is for travel funds (to reach these audiences) and funds for a portable planetarium dome so that the ‘natural’ night sky can be brought to these students.
