As she navigated the diverse landscape of existing collaboratives, Genevieve had been considering her proposal for how the new collaborative should be constructed. Returning to the DRW, she had to incorporate the diverse interests of the organizations working in the region and understand how they could unite to fulfill the goals of the William Penn Foundation. Genevieve knew, too, that she had to remain cognizant of the costs to all the potential member organizations and the foundation.
In collaboration with Don Baugh, Genevieve began to meet with leaders of more than two dozen environmental education organizations in the Delaware River Watershed. These interviews helped them both to better understand the potential opportunities and challenges associated with the proposed new collaborative. Watch the following videos to learn about some of these:
Robin Irizarry, Philadelphia Watershed Coordinator at the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership, discusses the challenges associated with collaboration.
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Cari Wild, Real Estate Coordinator at the New Jersey Natural Lands Trust, reflects on initial concerns with the collaborative and how she subsequently recognized its potential for impact.
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Chloe Wang, a 2018 Alliance for Watershed Education Fellow at Bartram’s Garden, shares concerns about how the collaborative strives to ensure equitable representation and outcomes.
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Dan Kunkle, Executive Director at The Lehigh Gap Nature Center, expresses his concern to ensure that the collaborative would build on lessons learned and be willing to adapt in the future.
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Darian Rivera and Jose Reyes, Fellows of the Alliance for Watershed Education, discuss their views of the future of the organization and the watershed.
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With these challenges and lessons in mind, Genevieve stepped out of her RV and onto the banks of the Delaware, where she began to envision the new DRW collaborative.