A Blueprint for Youth Involvement in Space Development: the SGAC Youth Space Declaration and Strategic Plan

Paper number

IAC-07-E5.2.05

Author

Mr. Kenneth Stephen Dyson, Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), Canada

Coauthor

Ms. Daphne Dador, United States

Coauthor

Ms. Sandhya Dhaliwal, Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), Australia

Coauthor

Mrs. Danna Linn Barnett, Israel

Coauthor

Mr. Sanjoy Som, University of Washington, United States

Coauthor

Mr. Kevin Stube, Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), Austria

Year

2007

Abstract

The Space Generation Congress (SGC) is the annual event of Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), a non-governmental organization created at the UNISPACE III conference (the Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space) as a consultative mechanism to facilitate the continued participation of young people in cooperative space-related activities.  The SGAC holds permanent observer status in the UN COPUOS and is a member of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF).
 
Each year, about one hundred delegates, students, and young professionals, from a wide range of backgrounds and nationalities come together to discuss issues facing the international space community. In September 2006 the Space Generation Congress was held in Valencia, Spain. This intense three day event culminated in the delivery of two documents reflecting the voice of the Space Generation: a Youth Space Declaration and an SGAC Strategic Plan.
  
The Youth Space Declaration comprised a number of policy recommendations and visions for future space activities. Through this document, space leaders will be provided with the concerns and desires of the space generation. The Declaration encompassed the following topics: Global Space Policy, Moon Mars Workshop, Space Technology Development, Space Education and Outreach, and Public Relations for Space. The Declaration has been made public and is open for amendment at subsequent SGC meetings.

The 2006 SGAC Strategic Plan consists of a list of space related grass roots projects. Project ideas were discussed within the SGC 2006 working groups and compiled under the following headings:  SGAC Member-support, Public Relations and Outreach, Education, Moon-Mars Workshop, SGAC structural organization recommendations, and Technologies Investigation and Promotion (TIP) Advisory Group. A full list of projects and contact information for project leads is available and participation in these projects is open to all the Space Generation.
 
This paper presents the major recommendations of the 2006 SGC Youth Space Declaration and the SGAC Strategic Plan and explores how these two documents facilitate youth involvement in space exploration and the development of global space policies. 

Abstract document

IAC-07-E5.2.05.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-07-E5.2.05.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.