Think This Improvement Area is Right for Your Lake?
☐ I am passionate about bringing my community together
☐ I am passionate about sharing my love of nature with other like-minded individuals in my community
☐ I am interested in sharing knowledge with others
If you've answered YES to any of these questions, the Social Outreach, Education & Inclusivity Improvement Area may be beneficial to your lake!
A Community-Centric Approach to Lake Health
The success of projects such as Blue Lakes strongly depends on community involvement. The program itself started as a small idea which has blossomed into so much more thanks to the invaluable support of our community!
Participating in the Blue Lakes Program not only provides opportunities for contributing to scientific research, but it also creates opportunities for social connection within your community! Building a strong community with your friends, neighbors, or perhaps those you’ve lost touch with is an important step in fostering meaningful connections and accomplishing goals together.
How Can I Promote Positivity During Group Discussions?
Understanding that there will likely be multiple participants working towards the health of the same lake as a group, The Blue Lakes Program promotes inclusive lake committees that foster equality amongst group members. Including "governance" in programming may not at first seem like it relates to lake stewardship. However, practicing good governance in a group acts as the building block of community lake stewardship.
To promote positive group dynamics, we encourage creating a welcoming community that is non-hierarchical that ensures all voices are heard during the discussion and everyone is involved in decision-making. A wonderful practice to incorporate into Blue Lakes meetings is Talking Circles, a tradition of Indigenous peoples centered on equality among participants. This practice is based on the principle of everyone sharing power rather than only one person having power.
To learn more about good govenrnance and the method of Talking Circles, click below to launch the Good Governance Guide!
What Can I Do to Promote More Connection and Outreach in My Community?
Host collaborative meetings about topics of interest to the community!
If there is a species on the lake that many people are passionate about protecting, call the community together to discuss ways of getting involved with its conservation!
Create educational and social opportunities by attending or hosting conferences, speaker nights, or meet and greet events!