Environmental Education Association of New Mexico

EEAMN Drafts a Strategic Plan
(Summer 1999)

During four days (April 14 through April17, 1999), a group of EEANM board members (Cathy Ruhl, Anne Doherty, Kristin Gunckel, Peg Sorensen, Mary Dwyer, Deb Thrall, and Lisa LaRocque) and three members of EEANM (Kevin Holladay, Richard Becker, and Harlow Pinson) attended a leadership clinic to help state organizations develop strategic plans. The Clinic was sponsored by NEEAP and NAAEE and was extremely helpful to all attendees.

During the week, the New Mexico team developed a preliminary draft of a strategic plan designed with capacity building in mind. The team felt that with clearly defined vision and mission statements, and carefully outlined goals, the state organization could begin the process. The team published a copy of the plan on the organization's web site in the state's newletter, EE Connections. This is the preliminary draft of the strategic plan.

EEANM Strategic Plan for the Environmental Education Association of New Mexico.

Our Vision Statement:

* A culturally and geographically diverse New Mexico citizenry with the knowledge, skill, attitude, and commitment, to make informed decisions about their environment.

Our Mission Statement:

* EEANM is a non-profit organization, which provides, promotes, and enhances quality environmental education by offering New Mexicans opportunities for professional development, communication, and partnership.

Our Goals:

* To encourage and support implementation of high quality environmental education curricula that leads to an environmentally literate citizenry. Determine needs of New Mexico educators for environmental education.

* To provide and increase awareness of EEANM programs and resources to New Mexico environmental educators. Serve as a resource network to share information among people involved in environmental education in New Mexico.

* To serve existing members through mailings, membership directory, newsletter, conferences, regional meetings, and workshops.

* To develop in-house funding to support environmental education in New Mexico.

* To foster and support participation by members of diverse groups within New Mexico.

The team also received valuable feedback from other state organizations on our strategic plan. The leadership clinic provided a wonderful opportunity for conversations between states about different methods used for capacity building. Our team came away with great ideas about building membership, breaking down barriers between different groups in our state, improving statewide communication, and unifying the diverse regions of the state. Also through the interaction at the clinic, our team came up with two questions.

1. How do we foster regional cooperation and collaboration within our state?

2. How do we increase the socio-economic, cultural, urban, rural, and political diversity of participants in EEANM?

These questions are going to be addressed at the next board meeting in June (1999). Also, we plan to complete an action item list and add it to our strategic plan. Since the clinic, the communications committee of our board met and decided to streamline the organization's web page, and the board is using EdGateway to facilitate communications. Well, that's all from New Mexico. We are pretty fired up and have much to do in the coming months, we will keep you posted.