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HOW THE JSC HISPANIC EMPLOYEE RESOURCE GROUP PRESENTS: SPACE LOTERIA (2216 hits)

JSC makes diversity and inclusion a priority and demonstrates a commitment at the highest levels of the organization. Though it’s Employee Resource Groups, (ERGS-voluntary grassroots groups of employees that share a purpose, interest, or background) JSC actively partners and builds constructive relationships with schools, community-based organizations, small businesses, and professional associations to expand outreach to diverse communities. The Hispanic Employee Resource Group (HERG) has an active volunteer base that routinely participates in K-16 community outreach and needed a tool that would communicate the value of NASA in culturally relevant way.

Traditional Lotería

Lotería is a well-known game from Mexico, similar to bingo, which uses iconic images on a deck of 54 cards for a caller and a 16-image grid for each player. The caller randomly selects a card from the deck and announces it to the players by its name. The players look for a match on their grids and cover it with a marker. The first player with four images in a horizontal, vertical or diagonal row, squared pattern, any other previously specified pattern, shouts “¡Lotería!” and wins the game.

Space Lotería

The HERG developed a “space” Lotería, replacing the traditional images with images representing NASA’s six communications priorities and provides both the English and Spanish names for the images. The back of the caller cards contain a related “fun fact” in both English and Spanish that help tell NASA’s history, present, and future exploration.

Pilot Success
The game was piloted at several internal JSC employee events and at the 2015 Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology week for an audience of approximately 3,000 middle school students and educators. Employees and educators alike have shown significant interest in acquiring the materials for use in classrooms, STEM events, and family science nights in local communities around the country.

To obtain a copy of the Space Lotería, click the links below:

to download the deck cards containing the 54 cards for the caller and the grid/game board for the players. You would need to download and print your own Space Loteria set.
•Card Deck
•Grid/Game Board