Session Title: (510) Are You Missing Critical Steps Along the Staircase to Stewardship?

Session Type: Education Session Talk
Topic(s): Customer Service
Community Engagement

Day/Time: Thursday - Block 6
10/12/2023 09:00 AM (Central Time (US & Canada)) - 10/12/2023 10:00 AM (Central Time (US & Canada))

Room: Room D167 (Clinics)

Audience Experience Level: Any level
Audience Familiarity with DEI: Intermediate
CEU: 0.1

Description:
The “Staircase to Stewardship” is a framework that visualizes an idealized visitor continuum and how park professionals serve along the path. Community Engagement welcomes historically underrepresented audiences. Inclusive attention to basic needs welcomes visitors and creates a sense of belonging. And then our recreation resources create lifelong memories, and build healthier, happier, and smarter communities. But there’s more work to do. Educational and interpretive programming shares the deeper relevance of our parks to build visitor appreciation. And stewardship calls-to-action support park donation revenue and grow advocates. These are the steps along the Staircase to Stewardship, a framework which now guides Texas State Parks in their centennial year. Our visitors are constantly moving along this experience continuum - come see how your park or program stacks-up against these 30+ best practices. Presentation will be complemented by worksheets and self-reflection activities.

Learning Objectives:
1. List and describe the 5 core visitor services to better recognize the “why” behind common practices and be more deliberate in their application.
2. Use new vocabulary for assessing the scope of their site’s services and identify areas for growth.
3. Apply specific recommendations including data mining to better understand underrepresented audiences; the importance of inclusion training and orientation tools; how roving interpretation, self-guided activities, and engaging captive audiences can solve park problems; and strategies to optimize donation revenue and keep stakeholders informed.

Speaker(s):

Ky Harkey