EE2000 Lead Teams:  Building Sustainable EE Organizations

By Nalani McCutcheon, Southern Regional Educator, Second Nature Area Project (SNAP), MN

 The Environmental Education Advocate - Fall 1998

The following information is provided to you as a service of the National Environmental Education Advancement Project (NEEAP). We encourage you to use it and please credit the National Environmental Education
Advancement Project where appropriate.

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EE leaders from around the country gather to conceptualize the Lead Team process. Back (L-R): Pat Welsch, FL; Corky McReynolds, WI; Marcia Wiley, WA; Corky Potter, PA; Rosalyn McKeown-Ice, TN; Nalani McCutcheon, MN; Libby McCann, WI. Front (L-R): Tracie Beasley, NEEAP; Amy Kowalski, NEEAP; Kim Wade, MO; Abby Ruskey, NEEAP; Emilio Williams, MD.

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Here participants use an "Affinity" process to prioritize ideas related to the EE2000 Lead Team concept.

NEEAP has found that an essential step toward building comprehensive environmental education (EE) programs in states is to build internal capacity within state organizations. EE organizations' ability to be successful and achieve their mission depends on the planning, design and investment that the organization makes in its leadership. The ability to work effectively can often be enhanced by strategic planning, organizational design and professional development.

For some organizations the task of providing organizational development (OD) support could be overwhelming — but nationally, the EE community already possesses a wealth of OD skills and resources. Instead of looking outside the EE community, the challenge is to look within and provide a structure for facilitating the sharing of this expertise. NEEAP has taken on this challenge by developing the EE2000 Lead Team project.

EE2000 Lead Team mission statement: "The NEEAP/Lead Team project implements a best practices framework for developing and sustaining organizational capacity for EE at the state level."

With funding from the Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP), a group of twelve individuals with experience in OD and EE gathered at Treehaven Environmental Center in Tomahawk, WI in early October. The goal was to develop a plan for a Lead Team outreach project for EE capacity building organizations. Two and a half days were

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Nalani McCutcheon, Corky Potter and Emilio Williams participate in a team-building excercise during the 2-1/2 day retreat.

spent developing a common vision and mission, framing the mission of the EE2000 Lead Teams, and articulating some operating principles for the project. A plan and timeline also fell into place as the group worked with a variety of decision making techniques. Along the way, participants had the chance to learn from each other, share activities, and be inspired by the breadth of creativity and talent represented. It was an excellent example of synergy and the tremendous potential of this project.

With the operational framework established, the next step is to bring a larger group together to design and conduct a baseline Training-the-Trainer workshop. The individuals who receive the training will then be available to work with state EE organizations to evaluate the organizations' needs and provide OD experiences that work to meet those identified needs.

Vision Statement: The EE2000 Lead Team project will become a national training network of, by and for the EE community that exemplifies best and innovative practices for building organizational capacity.
The EE2000 Lead Team:
elegbull.gif (591 bytes)will use latest research and experience in organizational development
elegbull.gif (591 bytes)will work to achieve cultural competency
elegbull.gif (591 bytes)will be driven by participant needs and assets
elegbull.gif (591 bytes)will provide the EE community a network to share expertise and learning
elegbull.gif (591 bytes)will incorporate OD resources as they highlight, promote, & support EE
elegbull.gif (591 bytes)will provide services, materials, & support that strengthen state-level EE
elegbull.gif (591 bytes)results will strengthen the sustainability of state-level EE

Although the harvesting season is coming to a close for those of us who live in the "farm" states, next year’s garden is already being planned. We’re thinking now about what beds need more compost, how to rotate crops for better success, and what ways to alter the garden's design to accommodate changing needs next spring. All that planning, design and garden preparation will create a greater capacity for the garden to yield a splendid harvest! Just like garden planning, the EE2000 Lead Team project is well on its way. By late spring, teams will be sowing the seeds of organizational capacity building by meeting and working with state EE organizations to provide OD support. The EE2000 Lead team project is exciting because it capitalizes on and invests in EE’s greatest resource, the educators themselves. One can only imagine what bountiful harvests lie ahead!

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