Newsletter to SPoCs - International Year of Astronomy IYA2009 -- Donation Campaign

31 July 2008

International Year of Astronomy IYA2009 -- Donation Campaign

Dear SPOC, dear Task Group chair:

We have launched the IYA2009 public donation campaign under the motto 
"make the IYA2009 happen!" We need your help in disseminating this 
message as widely as possible so we ask you to distribute it through 
your communication channels, mailing lists, etc. Your help is vital to 
the success of this campaign. Thanks you for your help.

Cheers,

Pedro

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Dear Friend,

As you may know, the International Year of Astronomy IYA2009 will be a
global celebration of astronomy and its contributions to society and
culture, highlighted by the 400th anniversary of the first use of an
astronomical telescope by Galileo Galilei. The aim of the Year is to
stimulate worldwide interest, especially among young people, in
astronomy and science under the central theme "The Universe, Yours to
Discover". IYA2009 events and activities will promote a greater
appreciation of the inspirational aspects of astronomy that embody an
invaluable shared resource for all nations.

The IYA2009 is launching a donation campaign aimed at individual members
of the public to raise funds for the events due to take place during
next year and beyond.

The IYA2009 is gaining momentum and strengthening its global
organisational structure, with 11 Cornerstone Projects, 11 Special Task
Groups and Special Projects already in an advanced stage of
development, as well as 118 nations directly involved. The need for
funding to support the efforts to help the citizens of the world
rediscover their place in the Universe through the day- and night time
sky, and thereby engage a personal sense of wonder and discovery. All
humans should realize the impact of astronomy and basic sciences on our
daily lives, and understand better how scientific knowledge can
contribute to a more equitable and peaceful society.


The ultimate goal of the public campaign is to raise 350,000 EURO from
individual donations by the end of 2009. The campaign's motto, "Make the
International Year of Astronomy 2009 happen", intends to encourage all
to take part in this overwhelming scientific and educational effort. All
funds raised will go directly toward funding the IYA2009's global
projects. There are eleven of these in total, including The Cosmic
Diary, which will see professional astronomers keep blogs and write
articles about their work throughout the year, Dark Skies Awareness
which will combat light pollution, and 100 Hours of Astronomy which will
be a round-the-clock, worldwide event with 100 continuous hours of a
wide range of public outreach activities.

Please make IYA2009 happen:

http://www.astronomy2009.org/keepintouch/makeithappen/donation/

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Kind regards,

Pedro, Lars and Mariana
IYA2009 Secretariat