By Amy Kowalski, Communications Specialist, NEEAP

Taking 'participant-driven' from a vague concept to a concrete way to do business was my biggest gain from this workshop. --Carolyn Watkins (OH)

Five state teams (Arizona, California, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma) and one regional team (Columbia River Basin) came together in late September at the Lied Conference Center in Nebraska City, NE for the prototype workshop for planners of environmental education Leadership Clinics. The workshop itself was designed from the newly published handbook The Leadership Clinic Manual: Tools for Transforming Conference Design. Staff and partners of the National Environmental Education Advancement Project (NEEAP) pioneered the Leadership Clinic model and manual. . Using the processes and tools from past national, regional and state Leadership Clinics the prototype workshop provided each team with the opportunity to practice new agenda development skills and to craft plans for participant-driven conferences or clinics.

The agenda allowed for 35% of the workshop to be Team Planning time, however, teams were so engaged and excited that they met during meal times and breaks to keep the ball rolling. Whole Group Sessions that both modeled participant driven process and allowed for team interaction made up 30% of the schedule, and specific networking sessions (12%) like the "Share Fair" and "Heads Together" provided a framework for teams and individuals to share each others’ expertise and challenges. “The opportunity to visit with the other states going through the same process in a focused, skill-based context was most helpful and provided a good model, stated Suzanne Spradling from the Oklahoma team. Three concurrent skill-building sessions (Facilitation, Evaluation and Open Space) made up 9% of the agenda. The remaining 14% of the agenda was designated as R³ (Rest, Relaxation, and Reflection) for individuals to enjoy the Lied Conference Center’s 260 sustainable acres of oak and hickory trees, apple orchards, and Arbor Lodge State Historical Park, home of Arbor Day Founder, J. Sterling Morton.

Participants were all very pleased with the outcome of this workshop and urged NEEAP to offer future workshops. Planners received many helpful suggestions from participants and will use these to fine-tune the workshop for future offerings. To find out about the Leadership Clinic model or future workshops contact Leadership Clinic founder and project manager Abby Ruskey at amruskey@earthlink.net or 360-754-4518.

Leadership Clinic Principles

Everyone has something to give. Everyone has something to gain.
Self-managing teams can chart their own learning.
Model the process in order to widen the circle.
Play and art promote learning and productivity.
There is enough expertise in the room to change the world.
Event design in and of itself is a collective, community building process.