Presentation Outline for NAI Regional Conference in February 2018 Presenters: 1) Joel Janssen, Interpretive Park Ranger, Lake Livingston State Park, TPWD 2) Ted Pick, Jr, Interpretive Park Ranger, Huntsville State Park, TPWD Presentation length: 1 hour Audience: Professionals, Peers, Park Interpreters and Park Managers. Should be familiar with standard interpretive field jargon and language. College level education. Outline: 1. Introduction: a. Length: 5 mins b. Summary of section: Introduce agency, introduce self. c. Good morning. My name is Joel Janssen and this is my peer Ted Pick. We work as interpreters for Texas Parks and Wildlife and are here to share what we think is a great way to foster the next generation of stewards for our parks, our Park Ambassador Program. Before we get started we will each take just a moment to tell you a little about ourselves. i. Joel does background: university degree, experience in state parks, experience as interpreter, how I got junior ranger badge at 8. (60 seconds) d. Ted does background. (30-60 seconds) 2. Summary of ambassador program a. Length: 5 minutes. b. Summary of section: What is the ambassador program and why do we do it? i. TED: What is it? The Texas State Parks Ambassador Program connects conservation-minded young adults with recreation and volunteer opportunities to foster a new generation of state park stewards. It started as a diversity and inclusion program in 2013. Three times a year TPWD trains regional groups of about 15+ new ambassadors ages 18-30 who love the outdoors and are excited about conservation work. These ambassadors go through a adventure based leadership training program and are then partnered with a State Park and complete three projects: a social media project, an outreach project, and a hands-on service project. ii. JOEL: Why do we do it? In April 2017, Nature of Americans performed a study of nearly 12,000 American adults, children, and parents. iii. Findings: connection to nature is not a dispensable amenity but, rather, is essential to the quality of life, health, social well-being, prosperity, and productivity of all Americans. Put a different way, the conservation of species, the protection and restoration of habitats, and the provision of healthy streams and clean air are closely linked to human flourishing. A thriving natural environment helps Americans live happier, healthier lives. It helps children develop socially, psychologically, and physically. It
creates places where Americans want to live, work, and flourish. Connecting Americans and nature must be a vibrant, ongoing effort supported by all members of the public. We must act now to ensure that present and future generations are connected with nature. What are the goals of the program? iv. 1. TED: Connect the next generation to the outdoors and to our public lands. a. That study joel mentioned, along with many others, proves we need to connect with nature. Recruiting millennials and other young college aged people is one way to shape our society into one that has a connection with the natural world and to instill a sense of responsibility for our public lands. It is a way to create stewards for our parks that will help promote parks and this new way of life to their peers. 2. Promote the outdoors not just as an experience, but as a place for involvement and care. 3. Create a group of young stewards for our parks that can promote them on social media, on university campuses, and through outdoor groups. a. We have seen the average age of visitors to our parks increase to the mid forties. We need to engage children, teens and young adults like millennials. The ambassador program is a unique way to do that. 4. JOEL: Why do we focus on millennials and younger people specifically? a. We need to increase diversity among the visitors to our parks: Millennials are the most ethnically and racially diverse cohort of youth in the nation’s history. (Among those ages 13 to 29: 18.5% are Hispanic; 14.2% are black; 4.3% are Asian; 3.2% are mixed race or other; and 59.8%, a record low, are white.) b. We need to use platforms like social media if we want to attract younger people to our parks: Millennials are the first generation in human history who regard behaviors like tweeting and texting, along with websites like Facebook, YouTube, Google and Wikipedia, not as astonishing innovations of the digital era, but as everyday parts of their social lives and their search for understanding. Unlike older visitors who are seeking solitude and peace in the outdoors, this younger age group seeks a social experience in the outdoors. This can also help with the comfort level in the outdoors. c. We need advocates to help protect our lands and ecosystems: Millennials are starting out as the most politically progressive age group in modern history. (In the 2008 election, we saw the largest gap ever seen in a
presidential election between the votes of those under and over age 30). Also, school violence. 3. Process and details of program a. Length: 20-30 minutes b. Summary of section: Detail program itself and how it works i. TED: How ambassadors are recruited: 1. Ambassadors are recruited regionally through university clubs, social media, on location at parks, and at outreach events. Ambassador alumni also recruit new ambassadors through grassroots efforts, which has quickly become the largest source for new ambassadors. We have three ambassador groups per year and recruit regionally, focusing on one area of Texas at a time. ii. How ambassadors apply: Ambassadors fill out an online application which includes volunteer experience, what attracted them to the program, why they are excited about the program, what ideas they have for projects, and what parks they want to partner with. We have some printed copies of the application for those who are interested, but to save trees we only brought a few copies. If you would like a digital copy email us. iii. How ambassadors are selected. After the applications are turned in, top 20-25 potential candidates are chosen and a survey is sent out to area parks identifying needs for ambassador projects. Ambassadors are matched to a park based on skills and stated goals. The park point-of-contact is sent the top 2-3 applications that would be a good match for their park and helps select ambassadors. Finally, a 15-30 minute phone interview is conducted by the Ambassador Coordinator and ambassadors are assigned to a park within an hour drive. 1. Ted gives example 2. Joel: Lisa in Galveston wants to develop TEKS based field trips and is looking for candidates with Texas teaching experience. She was given 3 candidates and chose two teachers for her park. iv. JOEL: Orientation/Training. 1. Next, ambassadors attend Ambassador Leadership Training Adventure (ALTA), which is a 5 day, 6 night adventure based leadership training program. This training is done at one or more state parks and is a combination of leadership skills training, natural and cultural resource training, and adventure based experiences like backpacking or climbing. Many of the ambassadors will become certified angler ed specialists, archery instructors, junior ranger instructors, etc. They also complete a service project on-site at the training location. 2. (Jenise Zuidema) Excerpted audio file from Park Leaders Podcast. 3. TED : Ted jumps in to ask for ways they can do a shorter training at their location.
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