Focus on Education
Jack Frost
AMA Education Coordinator Tel.: (765) 287-1256, Ext. 515 [email protected] www.buildandfly.com
NUMBERS don't lie. AMA's youth membership is up!
- August 1999: 20,321
- August 2000: 22,218
- August 2001: 23,217
It probably has a lot to do with youth membership dues being only one dollar, but that's not all. It also has grown because there are clubs and individuals making great efforts to develop and maintain youth modeling programs.
I often read about the lack of youth involved in modeling in various columns in a wide variety of publications, including this one. This may be true in some Special Interest Groups, but if it were true in all of them, how could the youth membership numbers keep growing?
This column has focused on successful youth programs in the past. Youth Education Stipend (YES) grants have been awarded to:
- Free Flight (FF) programs
- Control Line (CL) programs
- Radio Control (RC) programs
Some of these programs have been—and continue to be—successful.
Is your club attracting youth as you would like? If so, would you mind sharing your approach with others? If not, do you know why?
During the last two AMA Conventions in Pasadena, California, the Education Committee invited club representatives from a 50-mile radius to attend a round-table discussion to talk about education concerns. Both meetings were enlightening. We shared information, strategy, and did more than a little brainstorming.
This year we decided to try the same thing at other events. Since we were already going to be in Philadelphia for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Convention, we invited clubs from that area to attend. Despite my tardiness, the meeting was informative and successful.
As we talk to more club members, we're starting to find a common theme: most kids want to enjoy aeromodeling with those of their own age. While mentors are necessary to help teach the basics and be available to answer questions occasionally, they need to understand that most youngsters are just not that interested in hanging out with them on a long-term basis. Maybe a junior club within a club is the answer. This is an example of things we are learning through these round-table meetings.
The Wright Flyer RCAD was popular at the NSTA convention. Roughly 17,000 teachers attended the NSTA convention in Philadelphia. We had no way of tracking how many we actually spoke with, but many walked away with new ideas and big smiles.
We wanted to schedule a round-table meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio, during the Civil Air Patrol's National Congress on Aviation and Space Education (NCASE), but this weekend conflicted with the Toledo show and the clubs we invited had already made other plans. We intend to keep scheduling these meetings as often as we can to get as much input as possible.
There is an NSTA regional convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota, October 30–November 1, 2003. We don't know yet what day will be scheduled for the meeting. Wind it up and let it fly!
The national NSTA convention is in Atlanta, Georgia, April 1–4, 2004. Again, we have not yet scheduled the day for the meeting. If you reside in these areas, I hope you will be able to attend.
Another topic brought to light in our discussion in Philadelphia was quality RC flight instruction within clubs. There are those who would like to see flight proficiency guidelines and standards for becoming an instructor pilot and for being signed off as a solo pilot.
While this is more along the lines of training instead of education, it is certainly something that should not be ignored. I have been asked to look into the development of flight proficiency standards that clubs might use on a voluntary basis. This effort won't be an overnight thing, so if you're interested, please be patient.
I'll leave you with a few more photos of the Philadelphia NSTA convention. Think thermals!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
