Making the Leadership Clinic an Institution

The 23 teams, each comprised of 3-8 state and provincial EE leaders, were sponsored by the National Environmental Education Advancement Project (NEEAP) and the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) with funding support from the Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S.EPA), National Wildlife Federation, and New Mexico Endowment for the Humanities. Additionally, 35 state and national EE leaders served as Resource People for the participants, while another 12 people worked as Facilitators throughout the team planning sessions.

"We were able to listen and talk out issues with each other within the intervals of time provided, and to reflect on where we want to guide EE,"said Tricia Broddrick (CA). Team Planning Sessions are at the "heart" of every Clinic. The purpose of these sessions is to provide planning and processing time for teams in order to strengthen their strategic plans and working relationships. Armed with flip charts, their own meeting spaces and Facilitator’s (for those who wanted them), the teams worked independently. Emilio Williams, president of the KOI Group, reflected on his experience as a Facilitator saying that it "Reminded me to remember to always find ways to encourage the participants as they progress toward their goals, to keep in mind the importance of mutual trust, mutual respect, and mutual freedom of expression. As a Facilitator, this meant looking for ‘teachable moments’ to help reinforce the significance of relationship."

Sharing information and building capacity through innovation is a cornerstone of the National Clinic. New tools at this year’s Clinic included the Virtual Clinic Internet Service and a Heads Together session. Heads Together was a powerful problem solving tool in which teams provided insight into particular challenges other teams are facing. Teams were paired with other teams that had similar challenges they were struggling to solve. Jeff Ledermann (MN) stated "The Heads Together session was a great opportunity to share ideas and commiserate with others on common issues."

1999 was the pilot year for providing a Virtual Clinic designed to allow broader participation. By linking participants at home with the Clinic via a special site on EdGateway, the number of participants increased. Thirteen teams volunteered to participate in the ‘99 Virtual Clinic and designated a coordinator who posted their team planning session notes on EdGateway. Joy Wochenske, an EdGateway technician "on the scene" said, "It was powerful to see team members at home responding to notes and having a real voice in the strategic planning of their state EE initiatives by participating on-line."

Mary Rice (IL) was the "ringleader" for this year’s Open Space session. Inspired participants volunteered to convene small group discussions, post their topic or initiative on a wall-sized schedule for sign-up, and record the discussion. Examples of sessions included: "Encouraging Diversity Within EE", "Scholarships for People of Color", "Getting Pre-service Teachers Involved in EE", and a "Pacific Northwest Regional Collaborative". The small group discussions that ensued from the Open Space exercises were lively and in-depth.

Photo: Kathleen MacKinnon skitRobert.jpg (584458 bytes)

Resource People and Facilitators (Left to right) Marcia Wiley, Michelle Kirk, Tracie Beasley, Christy Turnbull, and Robert Olson perform a skit at orientation that innovatively explains all of the different roles of Clinic participants.

As part of the closing activities, Clinic participants gathered to share experiences and visions for EE. The ideas presented for the future of EE created a strategic "pathway" for building into the next millennium. EE leaders will build programs from this input.

Much more took place at the clinic than can be conveyed in a short article. Activities such as radio interviews, the hunter/gatherers project, a guest appearance of Aldo Leopold, the camaraderie, a field trip to Acoma Pueblo, biking the Bosque, and bird watching enhanced the planning and learning of the more structured time. In sum, the Clinic is a gathering that reinvigorates and motivates participants in their work in the EE community. It builds ideas, as well as strengthens relationships for the long road towards building EE capacity and achieving environmental literacy.

Steve Eshbaugh (MT) states, "We came to the Clinic as three individuals with very different ideas and left with a common focus and vision of the future." This is what the Clinic is all about. For more information about the clinic and Team results, visit NEEAP's website at http://neeap.uwsp.edu.

Facilitators Enhance Team Planning

Each year’s Leadership Clinic innovatively builds on successes from past clinics. In San Diego (1998), six "roving" Facilitators assisted teams during planning sessions on an "as needed" basis. Teams that used Facilitators reported that they stayed on task and emerged with a clear set of priority action items. Based on 1998 participant recommendations, we asked each team participating in the 1999 Clinic if they wanted a Facilitator. Twelve teams responded, in advance, that they did. Teams and facilitators were matched according to specific group/facilitation needs and the skills of our expert Facilitators. These Facilitators received a 4-hour orientation to the clinic and a 4-hour facilitation "brush-up" session. They were an enormous help during the Individual Team Planning Sessions and a variety of whole group sessions (e.g. Strategic Visions, Heads Together, EE Barter Network/EE Outreach Teams). A huge thanks to these Facilitators who tirelessly dedicated their services and maximized the Clinic experience for all!

--Marcia Siam Wiley, Clinic Lead Facilitator