Stratford reaches for the stars with astronaut

An African American astronaut, Major Charles Bolden is to visit Newham next week on 22n January 2007. Sponsored by Newham college, and organized by the International Space School Education Trust (ISSET), this will feature a masterclass at Stratford Circus and an education conference at the Royal Aeronautical Society, intending encouraging youngsters, especially from the black minority ethnic (BME) communities, to look positively on the possibilities open to them.

Raised in the deep south of the United States, and as one of the first African Americans to join the US Naval Academy, Major General Bolden battled many obstacles before he enjoyed a long and illustrious career in the US Marine Corps and with NASA, flying in space four times.

Di Gowland, Director of Newham Centre for Innovation and Partnerships says:

"Many youngsters need the encouragement and motivation to believe that all career opportunities are open to them, including jobs involving science, technology and enterprise"

"Major General Bolden is a truly inspirational role model and personifies how young people can overcome racial prejudice to achieve their dreams and goals."

Next week's visit illustrates the strong commitment Newham has to applying the Olympic ideals of inclusiveness and 'trying your' best to a science context.

Stratford Circus is a state of the art purpose-built arts centre, with multifunctional rooms, catering or dance, music, theatre, broadcast media and learning.  Located in the heart of Stratford, it benefits from excellent transport links whilst serving a young, vibrant and diverse community, hungry for exhilarating experiences which inspire, encourage and reflect their individual values.