Crew Leader Training 2013
Crew leader training is scheduled for April 26, 27, and 28, Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday. Colorado Springs Parks and Rec plans to offer crew leader training for Friends groups and other interested volunteers. CS Parks is partnering with Trails and Open Space Coalition, Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, Rocky Mountain Field Institute, and Friends of the Peak. This is the second year. Last year, 28 people completed the weekend course, and 17 completed certification. Then they went out and worked on projects helping many trails, parks, and open spaces in the Pikes Peak area. Crew leaders are vital to a successful project.
This year, Friday will offer introduction, orientation, and basic information. Then VOC will lead Saturday, teaching leadership and trail maintenance techniques. RMFI takes over Sunday, providing instruction in restoration and leading volunteers in that. Where’s FOTP in all this? We’ll help with certifying the new crew leaders at projects after the training. New crew leaders practice their skills at 2 projects after the training. Projects will be designated as being available for certifying. And what about TOSC? Well, people need to eat, especially after that hard trail work. They’ll provide the vital function of arranging meals and other logistics. TOSC is also in charge of tokens of appreciation (also known as schwag) for the newly minted crew-leaders-in-training.
Can’t wait to sign up? CS Parks will be taking registrations, but they’re not quite ready to start registering yet. But save the dates: April 26, 27, and 28. Then you can help lead volunteers helping the trails, parks, and open spaces that we all appreciate.
Never thought of being a crew leader yourself? Maybe it’s time to consider it. If you’ve volunteered on projects yourself, you’ve learned some skills that you could share with others. Projects cannot run without crew leaders. The project organizers cannot be everywhere at once. Someone needs to instruct volunteers, guide them, answer questions, and ensure things are done correctly, and, most importantly, safely. Crew leader training provides information on working with volunteers and also instruction in technical skills. You can add to what you already know from volunteering on projects. And you’re not just thrown to the wolves. That’s what the certifying projects are for, giving you an opportunity to practice what you’ve learned. Then you too can be out there helping volunteers have a good experience while they help our trails, parks, and open spaces. So, save the dates: April 26, 27, and 28.
And the cost of all this new-found knowledge and confidence? It’s free! So save the dates: April 26, 27, and 28, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.