NOTES FROM DISCUSSION GROUPS

Flying Wild Partners Meeting, Jekyll Island, GA

February 20, 2009

At the Jekyll Island Partner meeting, participants spent considerable time looking at things that worked well in their Flying WILD programs and at difficulties they encountered. During one afternoon session, participants brainstormed a list of difficulties. These difficulties were organized into clusters with similar characteristics and three clusters were chosen for further discussion: Using Facilitators in the Flying WILD Program; Recruitment, Marketing and Communication; and Funding Flying WILD Programs at the local level. Participants then divided into three groups, discussed one of the clusters and reported on their discussions to the entire group. Participants were asked to report possible solutions to difficulties discussed when possible.

The results of the discussions on each cluster are presented below:

USING FACILITATORS—notes provided by Kintea Bryant, Seattle Audubon

Quality control

  • Recruitment
  • Hand select facilitators
  • Offer trainings to qualified volunteers
  • Require multiple facilitators to run FW trainings
  • Offer incentives
  • Program credits (for teachers or students)

Pros of using volunteer facilitators to run FW trainings (instead of FW partners)

  • Frees up staff time and resources of FW partners (travel expenses, etc.)
  • Builds a network concept – brining in volunteers, different perspectives (staff educator vs. community volunteer)
  • Expands the reach with in the local community
  • Allows community members the opportunity to develop their own sense of understanding of the FW curriculum

Cons of using volunteer facilitators to run FW trainings

  • Logistics
  • Failure to turn in paper work
  • Order guides last minute
  • Partners are not sure how the trainings are really going
  • Keeping track of Facilitators

Other ideas of how to recruit and retain quality volunteers:

  • Presenter Evaluations – workshop participants complete an evaluation at the end of the workshop to evaluate the facilitator.
  • Facilitator/Mentor Program – This model seems most appropriate if the FW partners are unable to hand pick volunteer facilitators to be trained.
  • Volunteer attends a facilitator training for FW
  • With the help of another trained facilitator, the new facilitator helps plan the educator workshop and leads the workshop with the mentor.
  • After the workshop, the mentor and new facilitator debrief
  • The new facilitator stays in contact with the mentor for a specified period of time.

RECRUITMENT, MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION—Notes provided by Tom Clay, Chicago Flying WILD Partnership and Marc LeFebre, CEE

Recruit (pre-invite) FW Facilitators from experienced non-formal EE educator network and classroom teachers. The goal is to have FW facilitators performing workshops while they are on-the-job, using their facilities and pre-established educator networks.

Market to and invite local conservation organization members to announced FW educator workshops to train them in FW and to establish a local-area network of resource providers to the formal education network

Recruiting educators is improved by targeting teachers' professional development days for holding workshops. Perhaps you can find one or two teachers in a particular school or school system who will agree to “market” the program to their colleagues and push for adoption of the program and training.

Market FW through national EE network organizations

STOP making FW Educator Guides available via internet purchase. Keep the workshops as the only way to receive Guides in order to build the network and help ensure quality.

Update CEE’s FW web pages to be real-time and actively demonstrate partnership happenings.

Sometimes funding workshops is challenging with the limits on maximum cost required by CEE

FUNDING FLYING WILD AT THE LOCAL LEVEL—Notes provided by Marc LeFebre, CEE

Keep a list of supporters and potential funders--for support of festivals, sponsorship of workshops, etc. Compile your list from stories in newspapers, Internet searches, word of mouth, etc.

Approach potential funders with specific things their money will be used for—purchase of Guides to give out at workshops, “scholarships” for educators to attend a workshop, paper and art supplies for a festival, cover the cost of a birds of prey demo at a festival, etc. Don’t just ask for money to “support our Flying WILD program.”

Assure donors that they will receive recognition for their donations (if they want it).

Request donations of old field guides from bird clubs, etc., to use in workshops or to give to educators active in Flying WILD

Connecting with local groups, such as Audubon Chapters, and asking them for funds, is essential.

Wal-Mart’s policy is to support projects at the local level so, set up appointment with the local store manager and ask for specific goods or services.

CEE can provide a sample marketing flier that includes talking points and educator testimonies about Flying WILD

Home Depot and Lowes will donate supplies--provide store managers with specific projects, dates, times, etc. of how materials will be used. Perhaps CEE can provide talking points for this purpose as well. This is particularly useful for Festivals and other service projects.

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