|
|
|
|
The
U.S. EPA's "Listening Tour" Initiative
Challenge
Under President Bill Clinton, the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) decided to work with local communities to identify and address
their environmental concerns. The EPA selected St. Louis as one of
a handful of cities to test this pilot initiative. With no other directive
other than to conduct meetings to find out from residents what their
environmental issues were, the EPA, in conjunction with St. Louis
Community College, hired Vector Communications.
Action
Vector not only conducted and executed an outreach and public relations
campaign to encourage public participation in the “Listening
Tour,” but we also planned twelve neighborhood meetings, a meeting
solely for senior citizens and another just for young people. To encourage
meaningful participation, we created a facilitation process that used
the metaphor of rain to get people to identify their environmental
issues.
Results
The initial meetings were so successful EPA hired Vector to develop
and implement a second phase by working with two underserved St. Louis
neighborhoods to create increased civic action around an environmental
issue they chose. These groups subsequently received three grants
to implement their programs totaling nearly $30,000. Again, EPA provided
funding for Vector to conduct phase three of this initiative, which
the company completed in 2002. The focus of this phase was sustainability.
A group of 15 residents in the Grand Oak Hill neighborhood of south
St. Louis participated in thirteen weeks of training in such areas
as leadership development, asset mapping, project planning, and public
engagement. At the end of the project, Vector created a training manual
that EPA still uses nationwide. In addition, we produced a video for
EPA officials to show to its constituents and it won two national
production awards.
|
Vector
Communications Corporation
701 North 15th Street
Mailbox 43
St. Louis, MO 63103
A certified M/W/DBE |
|
|
|
|
|