RE: Involvement Training

[PATRICIA BONNER <bonner.patricia@epa.gov>]

Those of us on the training task group building that compnent of the Policy implementation plan could not agree with you more, Sue.   We've been pulling together a biblography of training materials, gathering as many as we can to actually look through, and getting the opinions of people who have taken the courses/workshops. There is so much good training and resource material already available, it does not look like we would have to develop anything new.   We welcome additional leads and opinions from participants in the Dialogue.

One thing that seems to be totally missing from all we've found is a short (maybe 2 hour) module that would be for managers. Without their managers' financial and personal assistance, involvement staff at EPA, other federal agencies and states face the possibility of major frustrations. The focus of this module, we think, should be on the benefits (short and long term of all types) of public involvement, a smattering of techniques that work embedded in short, successful case studies, and whatever else that would help them become fully supportive of real, early and thorough involvement.  For EPA, we would try to bring the workshop into already scheduled regular meetings/conferences and other events and offer it periodically as well. Anyone have such a module?    

pat