Reach for the Stars

Reach For The Stars is a pioneering and inclusive nonprofit that harnesses the transformative power of astronomy and STEAM to promote mental health and wellness among children, youth and the community.

Reach For The Stars is the only nonprofit ever to use astronomy and STEAM to help youth with social emotional healing, a proven method. Carlos Aragon and Kira Reid founded the nonprofit after experiencing major trauma for years. One day, they bought a small telescope for their son, Urijah, and when Carlos looked through the eyepiece at a bright star, he realized it wasn't a star at all, but Jupiter in complete, stunning detail. He saw cloud bands, 4 moons in orbit, and the great red spot. It completely enchanted him for 3+ hours, he hunted for more objects. Kira and Carlos quickly realized they weren't thinking about the stress, anxiety and depression they had been struggling with each day. Something changed, and they knew they found something unique. They bought a bigger telescope and started sharing it with customers at a local Safeway in Vail AZ. It quickly led to a demand for regular events and after some research, Carlos and Kira found that what they experienced was a scientifically proven mechanism, using astronomy to enhance wellbeing in many ways. This was a huge revelation, and they thought - if it worked for them, maybe it could help others going through the same problems, feeling stuck, unmotivated, down, stressed. If it worked for adults, imagine what it could do for a child going through a rough patch, getting bullied at school, fighting to want to learn, dealing with anxieties. At that same time, they found out the Arizona was higher then the national average for youth self harm and suicide. The universe was telling them exactly where they needed to focus, and that's when they decided to leave their jobs and create a nonprofit out of their home. That was in 2020. To this day, they are still full-time volunteers for their organization, and have developed 4 amazing programs for youth and the community.

They have big goals to get out of their home and expand their programs to all you youth who need it ASAP but are on waitlists. They have designed a facility with an architect, and just launched a capital campaign to secure 4+ acres of land to build Stargate, our community observatory, classroom, planetarium, science shop and event space to burst Pima county into the future of enhanced therapy and coping mechanisms through the proven method of awe. THis power tool is especially strong and present when looking through a telescope at our amazing universe, and its effect shows! This is just one of the many ways we help youth and the community heal, get inspired, grow and prepare for a better future. We are creating the leaders of tomorrow and it resonates throughout the entire family. We at Reach for the STars believe that it is critical, now more than ever, to be a guide for our youth and give them a unique, powerful, fun, and whole-person way to cope with stress in their life and transform. There is a worldwide crisis of mental health, with children suffering from severe anxiety, and an epidemic of loneliness. Along with that, Arizona is higher than the national average for suicide among young teens. When health problems are not addressed early, they can easily have lasting consequences into adulthood.

What RFTS does:
Even though children are the main focus, our community astronomy events draw people of all ages, with reports of lasting, uplifting change. Space exploration is one of the most awe-inspiring frontiers available, especially to children. Our specialty is making a connection through our many programs, events, advanced equipment, and experiences: lowering depression by widening perspectives, enhancing spirituality with views of galaxies, nebulae, star clusters and planets, and harnessing wonder and peace as well as sparking creative thinking through STEM.

Programs:
Reach for the Stars (RFTS) is a one-of-a-kind nonprofit that uses fine-tuned programs that offer a comprehensive, multi-dimensional approach to mental well-being and personal development. We use the wonder of astronomy and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) to foster psychological well-being and develop new coping mechanisms to help manage stress, anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts, setting the foundation for a lifetime of joy and success. These programs assist in many ways, including:

1. Youth camps are held monthly and consist of inspirational hands-on education and activities including rocket launching, experiments, microscopes, telescopes, astrophotography, art, and social emotional discussions i.e. mindfulness to give them coping tools and lessons to carry with them through life. These camps also launch them towards wanting to learn and find the path to a career that they usually learn about in RFTS camp through professional guest speakers and the activities...

Testimonials

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