Learning Together and Learning from Each Other

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The Sustainable Tourism Community of Learning and Practice’s culture of learning is based on building participants’ ability to think critically, develop confidence, and act holistically. 

 

Thinking critically involves reflecting on what is said or written, being a skeptic, and asking good questions. Developing confidence involves assessing risks and how to deal with them and speak in public. Acting holistically involves including different viewpoints and people affected or involved in decisions, considering how those decisions affect them, and respecting those viewpoints and people.

To support this culture of learning, the program employs a multi-faceted approach to deliver content, foster sharing and discussion, develop leadership skills, and support project planning and implementation.  We emphasize horizontal learning while embracing the professional background and expertise of the participants to create a community of practice. 

The initial 16-month component of program is structured in five distinct phases, each supported with a selected suite of methods that reflect the current science and standards of effective capacity development, including as follows:

Phase 1: Introduction

Phase 1: Introduction

10 Hours

  • Virtual synchronous and asynchronous sessions
  • Participant assignments recorded in program digital platform
  • Participant-created video introductions recorded in program’s digital platform
  • Reference library in program’s digital platform

Session Schedule:

Session 1 – Wednesday, January 18th, 2023 – 1.5 hours – Introduction to the team and seminar

Session 2 – Wednesday, January 25, 20231.5 hours – Introduction to the Community of Practice

Session 3 – Wednesday, February 8, 2023 – 1.5 hours – Technical Session

Session 4 – Wednesday, February 22, 2023 – 1.5 hours – Technical Session

Phase 2: Protected Area Presentations and Goal-Setting

Phase 2: Protected Area Presentations and Goal-Setting

10 Hours

  • Virtual synchronous and asynchronous sessions
  • Participant assignments recorded in program digital platform
  • Sample video case study of one of the Field Seminar locations
  • Participant-created video case studies recorded in program’s digital platform (due March 3rd, 2023)
  • Reference library in program’s digital platform

Session Schedule:

Session 5 – Wednesday, March 15th, 2023 1.5 hours – Cohort Case Study Presentations

Session 6 – Wednesday, March 29th, 2023 1.5 hours – Cohort Case Study Presentations

Phase 3: Virtual Technical Training and Field Seminar Preparation

Phase 3: Virtual Technical Training and Field Seminar Preparation

18 Hours

  • Virtual synchronous and asynchronous sessions
  • Participant assignments recorded in program digital platform
  • Review and discuss participant-created video case studies recorded in program’s digital platform
  • Reference library in programs digital platform

Session Schedule:

Session 7 – Wednesday, April 19, 20231 hour – Topic to be determined based on participant survey

Session 8 – Wednesday, May 10, 20231 hour – Topic to be determined based on participant survey

Session 9 – Wednesday, May 31, 20231 hour – Topic to be determined based on participant survey

Session 10 – Wednesday, June 21, 20231 hour – Topic to be determined based on participant survey

Session 11 – Wednesday, July 12, 20231 hour – Topic to be determined based on participant survey

Session 12 – Wednesday, August 2, 20231 hour – Overview of U.S. protected area systems

Session 13 – Wednesday, August 23, 20231 hour – Preparing for the U.S. site visit

Sessions 14-17 – Asynchronous4 1-hour asynchronous sessions to complement live sessions that students can watch on their own time, topics to be determined based on participant survey

Phase 4: 17-day US Site Visit and Field Seminar

Phase 4: 17-day US Site Visit and Field Seminar

140 Hours

 

During this portion of the program, participants will travel to over a dozen different protected areas managed at the national, state, and local levels and their gateway communities in four U.S. state destinations over a 2.5-week period.   Highlights will include trips to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, Black Hills, Bridger-Teton, and Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forests, and other, protected areas, plus visits to a western dude ranch (agri-tourism) and a variety of other local and regional tourism attractions.

The site visit will combine a series of modules and activities on cross-cutting issues that involve the intensive and active engagement of the participants. There will be a particular emphasis on leadership and systems thinking.  Teaching methods will include lectures, discussion sessions, small group exercises, participant presentations, and informal exchanges among participants, faculty, and invited speakers. The seminar will also include a variety of activities to build camaraderie and help participants understand the challenges to sustainable tourism in natural areas. These activities include interpreter-guided hikes and spending time with concessionaires and outfitters to experience firsthand protected area tourism programs.  At the end of the site visit, participants will finalize and present their Leadership Action Plans.

U.S. site visit schedule:

September 6: Arrive in Denver, Colorado

September 7-10: Colorado and Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest 

September 11-14: Black Hills National Forest + other protected areas

September 15: Devil’s Tower National Monument

September 16-19: Yellowstone National Park

September: 20-23: Bridger-Teton National Forest 

September 24: Depart from Jackson, Wyoming

Phase 5: Leadership Action Plan Implementation

Phase 5: Leadership Action Plan Implementation

Time varies depending on project scope

  • Support from
  • Regular status check-ins
  • Participant progress recorded in program digital platform
  • Technical webinars based on participant project needs
  • Reference library in programs digital platform

Tentative Leadership Action Plan Implementation schedule:

October 2023 – March 2024 – Implementation of Leadership Action Plans with community support