The Director's Corner
The Environmental Education Advocate - Summer 1997
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.
Welcome to our summer issue of the Environmental Education Advocate. Since the 1997 Leadership Clinic in March, there have been a variety of developments aimed at promoting EE and building capacity for EE.
The project for Objective and Science-Based EE has been established at the National EE Training Foundation. The focus of this project is to promote the need for sound and effective EE. Members of the Project Steering Committee have developed and are implementing strategies to focus positive media attention on EE. The Project sponsored a National Forum on EE June 26th in Washington, DC. Sessions included "EE and Education Excellence," "The Role of Public/Private Partnerships in Promoting EE Excellence," "The Classroom Connection", and "Supporting EE at the State Level." The audience for the Forum was education decision makers, potential supporters for EE, and the media.
A second major meeting took place on June 11th. This state capacity building for EE meeting was aimed at establishing future directions in a coordinated fashion and will be at tended by state and national EE leaders. A planning team chaired by NEEAP Coordinator Abby Ruskey developed the meeting agenda which included a discussion of the definition of capacity building and a common vision for EE until the year 2010. The result was direction for enhancing all current efforts to build comprehensive state level EE programs. Participants included state and national EE leaders and representatives from potential financial partners.
We at NEEAP are preparing for a change of the guard in our office. Michelle Kirk, who has contributed so much to our organization the last two years (among other contributions, she developed our Web page and database, conducted a National EE Status Survey, and was the logistics "grand central" of our Leadership Clinics.) will be finishing her graduate degree in July. It is hard to imagine the office without Michelle. We wish her luck and thank her for all she did for NEEAP and EE state capacity building.
Thanks to the continued support of the National Wildlife Federation, there will be another graduate student following Michelle. Tracie Beasley will be joining our staff in mid-July. She brings excellent experience and many talents to NEEAP. Also, NEEAP has hired a Program Assistant, Amy Kowalski. See page 8 to learn more about Tracie and Amy
The NEEAP staff look forward to seeing many of you at the North American Association for Environmental Education Conference in August. We have some excellent programs scheduled.. Have a great summer and good luck with your efforts to promote and implement quality EE programs and initiatives.
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