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ARRL Educational Services staff is part of the Field & Educational Services Department (F&ES) at HQ. They provide a broad range of information and assistance to a wide spectrum of the ham community, including support for youth activities, schoolteachers, Amateur Radio licensing classes and continuing education. ARRL can help youths build a school station to talk to the space station or help them find volunteer instructors for license study. Information on grants and scholarships is available for the asking.
The Big Project
The ARRL Amateur Radio Education Project--more commonly known as the "Big Project" because of its scope and huge potential for promoting Amateur Radio -- is designed to help teachers use Amateur Radio as part of the curriculum in as many different subjects as possible. Mathematics, science, geography and the social sciences can all be enhanced through the understanding of Amateur Radio.
The program will offer outreach programs for teachers. These outreach programs will consist of an on-line sourcebook for teachers, radiolab handbooks for teachers (to guide students in hands-on Amateur Radio-related activities), The Bookshelf (collections of ARRL publications packaged especially for classroom use) and Progress Grants (funds needed to purchase the equipment necessary for an operating Amateur Radio station at school).
Funding for a project of this scope cannot come from ARRL's regular sources of operating revenue; it must come from donations. In July 2000, the ARRL Board of Directors voted to approve the project and to authorize seeking donations to fund it. Based solely on these preliminary announcements, ARRL almost immediately received several substantial donations. The ARRL Foundation also made an initial contribution.
Other Youth Resources
There has never been a better time than now to introduce young people to Amateur Radio. To that end, ARRL offers The ARRL Scout Handbook (a resource book for Scout leaders and counselors) and several brochures on Amateur Radio in Scouting (Scouts on the Air, HAM RADIO: Fun Challenge for Girl Scouts).
Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) is an annual event in which Boy and Girl Scouts and Guides from all over the world speak to each other by Amateur Radio. Scouting experiences and ideas are exchanged. Since 1958 when the first JOTA was held, millions of Scouts have met each other through this event. This year's JOTA is the weekend of October 20-21.
The ARRL Foundation administers a number of scholarships and awards for young people. In addition, ARRL sponsors the annual Hiram Percy Maxim Award, given annually to a young ham who has excelled in Amateur Radio and community activities.
ARRL Field and Educational Services hosts a Youth Skeds Website where youth leaders and teachers can set up on-the-air schedules (or "skeds") with other schools and young people's groups.
The School Club Roundup, held each February, fosters contacts between students and hams in other school radio clubs. The SCR is a great way to get young operators on the air. Often, a new operator will be intimidated by the fear of not knowing what to say to the stranger on the radio. The simple SCR exchange helps to overcome this fear in a low-pressure contest format. Certificates are issued for Elementary, Intermediate, High School and College-level USA and DX entries.
Kids' Day is intended to encourage young people (licensed or not) to enjoy Amateur Radio. This event, held in January and June, can give young people experience on the air so they might develop an interest in pursuing a license in the future. Kids' Day is also intended to give hams a chance to share their station with their children.
ARISS/SAREX
The educational services of ARRL extend beyond the boundaries of this country and even beyond the boundaries of the Earth itself. Amateur Radio on the International Space Station is a reality. The ARISS program offers an opportunity for students to experience the excitement of Amateur Radio by talking directly with crewmembers of the ISS. The program, once called SAREX--the Space Amateur Radio Experiment--is now called ARISS. ARISS is sponsored by the ARRL, AMSAT, and NASA.
 School Amateur Radio stations that contact the International Space Station receive this QSL card. Individual hams who contact ISS can also receive the card by sending proof of the QSO to ARRL. |
Other Educational Resources
ARRL sponsors a volunteer instructor program to support individuals and clubs who wish to conduct Amateur Radio licensing classes but who may not be professional teachers. There is an interactive, on-line newsletter to help these volunteers perform their duties. An Instructor's Manual and other books are available at discount.
Proceedings of the ARRL National Education Workshop is a forum for professional and volunteer teachers who wish to share their teaching experiences. Volunteer instructors and recruiters who use this resource can gain valuable insights for application in their own classes. Topics focus on recruiting new hams, teaching Amateur Radio classes and getting new hams on the air.
Local Amateur Radio clubs wishing to promote Amateur Radio can purchase the Library Book Set and donate it to their local or school library. The set contains the most popular books in the ARRL collection and is offered at a substantial discount.
The ARRL Video Library contains videos on a variety of Amateur Radio topics. Tapes showing Amateur Radio aboard the space shuttle and the space station are popular.
Disabled persons, young and old, can get their Amateur Radio license with help from the Courage Handi-Ham System. The ARRL SourceBook for the Disabled guides prospective hams to the services and resources available from that organization and others.
