In 2023, Population Ed presented over 550 hands-on workshops around the U.S. and Canada. This number of workshops would not be possible without our motivated and tireless group of volunteer facilitators – members of our PopEd Trainers Network.
PopEd trainers are teachers, school administrators, non-formal educators, and pre-service instructors who volunteer their time and energy to move the needle toward a sustainable future. They live all over the U.S. and Canada and while their day to day lives may look quite different and many of them never meet (though many do!), they are all united in their passion for educating with a purpose – for sharing their knowledge and expertise, and of course, PopEd lessons (!) to help teachers cover topics surrounding population growth in their classrooms. As we enter the new year, we are feeling grateful for this fabulous network of volunteers who make our program run.
Trainers co-present at the National Council for the Education of Young Children conference.
Trainers Network by the Numbers
Trainer shows off ‘helping hands’ from the lesson Lend a Hand to the Earth at a state teaching conference.
To begin our shout-out to our trainers and their hard work, let’s consider some quick numbers… in 2023, 121 different trainers led 217 PopEd workshops. Each workshop a trainer presents requires advance planning with our staff where we talk about the workshop audience, length, and focus in order to determine the best activities to facilitate. Trainers also spend time familiarizing themselves with the materials we send them, and then of course, leading the workshop and following up with our team. With all of this taken into account, we estimate that our trainers donated over 1,700 hours of their time to Population Education in 2023 alone.
Moreover, many of our trainers present more than once in a year and deserve some special recognition. 55 trainers were part of our 2023 Leader’s Circle, which means they presented two or more workshops over the course of the year. Members of our Trainer Leader’s Circle go above and beyond in their level of commitment to the PopEd program and our mission of teaching for a sustainable future. Check out this list of 2023 PopEd Leader’s Circle members and join us in thanking them!
Impact Beyond the Numbers
While these numbers are impressive and show the dedication of the educators who represent Population Education, they cannot fully capture the impact that trainers make within their local education communities.
But these quotes from workshop participants say it all…. take a look.
Students at Ohio University – Athens listen as a trainer presents the lesson, Earth: The Apple of Our Eye.
“She is passionate and really fun to listen to.” – Appalachian Green Teachers conference attendee (Burr Oak State Park, OH)
“The best presenter yet. I’m ready to go inspire people.” – National Association for Interpretation conference attendee (Little Rock, AR)
“It was an amazing and informative presentation.” – Baylor University pre-service student (Waco, TX)
“Outstanding job! Great activities to help students visualize environmental issues.” – Alabama Science Teachers Association conference attendee (Birmingham, AL)
Reading these types of comments about our trainers is always a highlight. It leaves no doubt that they are highly passionate, and are effective in inspiring others to teach about critical environmental and social issues of our time.
Impacts Beyond Leading Workshops
A Virginia State University student counts ‘prey’ during the lesson Panther Hunt.
The ripple effects of trainers don’t stop when the workshop ends. In follow-up surveys, teachers indicate that they use the PopEd materials they receive in their training. This points to the ability of PopEd trainers to engage with educators and ultimately, to motivate them to use lessons with their own students. Nearly two-thirds of educators say that PopEd activities changed their students’ thinking regarding population related issues. These students will grow to be more socially conscious, more eco-aware, and more globally-minded citizens who can lead the world toward a brighter future.
Trainers also help us recruit other trainers. In 2023 alone, 227 educators signed up to get more information about our joining the PopEd Trainers Network. The vast majority of these new recruits attended workshops led by a current trainer, and then wanted to join in the action. In this way, our trainers don’t just impact teachers who then inspire their students for years to come, they help us grow our Network of volunteers who start their own “ripples” in their own communities.
We couldn’t be more grateful to the educators who have given us their time and energy this past year to share our program. For any trainers who are reading this blog….The world is a better place because you are in it and we are lucky to have you on our team!