Speaker
Description
Astronomy education is for all irrespective of gender, race, societal status, conditions or special need, etc. Incidentally, the level of engagement in inclusive astronomy across most countries in Africa particularly in Nigeria is very poor. To effectively address this challenge, a multi-modal strategic approach that is hinged on: compassion, capacity building through hands-on activities and effective communication needs to be adopted. In light of the above, we present the result of the evaluation of astro-based prisoner’s reformation programs executed in Nigeria over a three-year period. Astro-prison is an innovative program aimed at educating, inspiring and preparing inmates in Custodial Centres for a better life post-incarceration. Over the past two series across five (5) Custodial Centres in South-East geo-political zone of Nigeria; astro-prison has successfully delivered various skills aimed at boosting the human capacity of over five hundred (500) inmates. Explicitly, the project leveraged on astro-based capacity building workshops, free medical, legal and psychological services as well as motivational expositions so as to achieve strategic value re-orientation in post-incarceration lives of these inmates. With the measured impact of astro-prison on the targeted inmates of these Custodial Centres through post-project evaluations, some of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are aimed at achieving: zero hunger, good health/wellbeing, peace, justice and strong institutions have been actualized. In this work, Astronomy has proven to be strategic for inmates’ value reformation across the targeted Correctional Centres; while strategic partnership and post-project evaluation have also proven to be indispensable for the project’s success and sustainability. Thus, there is need for Astro-prison to be institutionalized, scaled-up and used as a strategic tool for inmates’ character reformation and value re-orientation throughout Nigeria and beyond the shores of Nigeria.
| Stream | Education, Development and Outreach |
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