Park Champion Initiative Certificate
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The Park ChampionTM Initiative is NRPA's signature grassroots advocacy training program that provides members with the information, skills and experience needed to be effective advocates for parks and recreation. This certificate is designed for park and recreation professionals seeking to connect with their local officials, advocate for more funding and train their staff or community members to become advocates. This certificate expands on the information included in the Park ChampionTM Initiative – Asynchronistic course to include the following modules:
1. Economic Research
2. Storytelling
3. Community Power Mapping
4. Coalition Building
5. Fundraising
6. Education 101
7. Training Your Advocates
By completing this certificate, participants will earn 0.3 CEUs and receive a certificate of completion.
Key:
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Action Plan
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
As you complete this online course, use this Action Plan as a guide for all your notes and to complete the activities. Once the course is completed, this will serve as your playbook for future advocacy efforts.
Economic Research
Begin self-paced component package.
Begin self-paced component package.
The benefits that park and recreation agencies provide for their communities are wide ranging and far-reaching but are not always well known by the public, let alone your stakeholders and government leaders.
By understanding how your local leaders view parks and recreation, you can begin to collect the data needed to work with them and, perhaps, change these perceptions. Research is an essential step in the advocacy process as data informs your projects, partners and decision making.
Storytelling
Begin self-paced component package.
Begin self-paced component package.
From Homer on a hillside in Greece to President Obama on a stage, people have harnessed the power of storytelling to create human connections. A good story can put things into perspective and bring an audience along to a new time and place.
In advocacy, storytelling breathes life into facts and numbers. It humanizes.
Advocates who utilize the Seven Steps for Crafting an Effective Story are able to connect with their stakeholders on a more personal level and increase their chances of success.
Community Power Mapping
Begin self-paced component package.
Begin self-paced component package.
Community Power Mapping enables you to identify the relationships between your agency and key stakeholders or community members. This knowledge will provide you the power you need to efficiently identify relationships to build, maintain or reignite. Some of the members identified throughout this exercise will become your best co-advocates, while others will be your target audience for telling stories!
Coalition Building
Begin self-paced component package.
Begin self-paced component package.
Coalitions empower communities to unite behind a shared goal. Rallying behind a collective project, uplifting voices, creatively solving problems - strong and diverse coalitions can achieve more together. Stitching together stakeholders across your community can supercharge your advocacy, not just for a one-off project, but also for the long haul!
Fundraising
Begin self-paced component package.
Begin self-paced component package.
Philanthropic support can change the game for your agency; gaining that support is the tricky part! This module will provide you with the necessary insight to identify your potential donors and implement your storytelling skills to pitch for your agency.
Education 101
Begin self-paced component package.
Begin self-paced component package.
Training your own advocates is an effective way to grow your advocacy network and tailor their skills to your agency and community needs. Before you can train your own network, it is important to understand how adults learn. Through this module, you will discover adult learning theories and best practices.
Training Your Advocates
Begin self-paced component package.
Begin self-paced component package.
As a Park Champion™ , you will be an ambassador for parks and recreation. However, you can't do this work alone. To be successful, you need to build an advocate network.
Every one of your agency staff members is a potential advocate for your programs, projects and the field at large. Once you have completed this certificate, you will be equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to train your staff and increase your advocate network.
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