Last weekend geography educators and enthusiasts from across
the country traveled to Dearborn, Michigan,
for the annual National Council on Geography Education (NCGE) conference.

The highlight of the event for the My Wonderful World team
was an intensive, spirited, one day workshop for our Public Engagement
Coordinators (PECs).
These are our grassroots organizers who promote the cause for geographic
education in communities across the nation–and the world.

We started the training session by posing a series of
questions related to messaging and strategy:
Why is geography
important?

What do we want the
public to do?

How can we promote
Geography Awareness Week 2008 through traditional and new media?

How can partnerships
and events enhance campaign reach?

Then, we put the PECs to work developing plans to localize the campaign in their states. At the end
of the day, though, I think we may have learned as much from them as they did
from us. This highly energetic, experienced group of educators brought some
great ideas to the table that we are excited to implement soon!

Most rewarding was that the PECs carried the energy generated at the
workshop with them throughout the rest of the weekend, infecting others in the
NCGE community with the same fervor for geographic activism, and actively
participating in several additional National Geographic-led sessions at the
conference.

Continue reading ““Movin’ On Up” with Geography in Motor City”