Some of my earliest experiences with science were the ones where I could actually touch it, which enabled me to build things, experiment, and watch ideas from a textbook come alive in front of me. I was fortunate to have access to those opportunities, and they shaped the curiosity I still have for science and technology today.
Astra started from a simple question: why should a child’s chance to discover that same curiosity depend on the opportunities they happen to have access to?
When we first launched Astra, the answer was pretty straightforward: bring hands-on STEM programmes to more children ourselves. But we quickly realised that one student team could only go so far. If Astra was going to last, the programmes, partnerships and lessons we built couldn’t disappear when one group of students graduated.
So we decided that Astra needs to become something bigger than a one-off volunteering project. And we began to build a network, one in which Astra Core could develop the programmes, systems and standards, while student-led Chapters in different schools bring them into their own communities. Our goal is to make high-quality STEM opportunities easier to deliver, improve and pass on, so each new team can go further than the one before it.
