By Nicole Tabit, Clean Water Fellow
In the first week of November, the Ohio Sierra Club held a Connect the Dots training for environmental groups across the state. The Connect the Dots training teaches groups how to develop a campaign vision, goals, and connects the dots between the important aspects of effective campaign strategy.
Sessions included in this training included Campaign Goals and Visions, Equity and Environmental Justice, Launching and Sustaining Effective Teams, and Action Planning for the Future. The Ohio Water team and the Columbus Ready for 100 Campaign team each had the opportunity to attend a national Connect the Dots training this summer, so the sessions that were presented at the state training were sessions the volunteers and staff who attended these earlier sessions thought were most effective in developing their campaign actions.
Over 50 participants from across the state attended the training. Teams that came to the state training included Save The Wayne, an Ohio Water Team, the Cleveland Garden Valley Community, Ready for 100, Dirty Fuels, and several regional Sierra Club teams. This was also an opportunity for the Ohio fellows to meet, and for all attendees to network.
The training began on Friday night with icebreakers and a public narrative workshop. Saturday was a day full of workshops and networking. In the evening, the group attended a dinner together to continue talking about the issues each group was covering. The training wrapped up on Sunday morning with a workshop on further actions to take home for the groups.
Hopefully with the topics covered at the training, each group that attended was able to learn more about what they can do to make their team more effective, and areas they excel or could improve in to achieve all of their goals.
All the attendees at the end of the training
Facilitators and participants
Facilitators and participants during the Equity and Environmental Justice training
Attendees at dinner!