Del Albright's Web Site Recreational Leadership Training Course (RLTC) Volunteer Leader & Land Stewardship (VLLS) Workshop Logo by Andrea Lyman Del's BLOG

Volunteer Leader & Land Steward (VLLS) Workshop

			LOGISTICS NOTE VLLS includes a comprehensive student notebook and tons of handouts. In order to conduct a workshop at your location, I will ship the notebook and handout masters to you before the course. You then take responsibility for getting all the copies made and the student notebooks assembled.
Presented by Del Albright

VLLS OPTIONS:

There are three levels of VLLS courses that can be conducted at your location. From first class fully sponsored, to the basic course (no frills), we can design a course to fit your needs and budget. Here are the levels you can choose from or combine to fit your specific situation.

Platinum Level VLLS: This is a fully sponsored, free to the students, catered course usually done at a retreat where the students live and work for the entire workshop. Evening team-building sessions are common.

Gold Level VLLS: This is a partially sponsored, free to the students, partially catered course conducted at a training facility or hotel, wherein the students provide for themselves in food or lodging.

Silver Level VLLS: This is the no-frills version of VLLS where students are not housed or fed on site, and contribute to the costs of the course, usually held at a training facility, hotel, or comparable site. Students could camp out and feed themselves at the Silver Level.

NOTE: Because team-building is such a key ingredient to the course, being housed and fed on site (Platinum Level) provides the most opportunities for continued learning by the students. The Silver and Gold Levels are more like going to college during the day, and returning to home at night. While the content of the course remains the same, the continued team-building can be lost at these levels of VLLS.

KEY INGEDIENT: The best option for this course is to find sponsors (businesses and organizations) that support your efforts and access in general, who fund your course and make it free to the students -- giving us more leaders in the fight to save our access!

Platinum Level Example/Logistics

Facility: I prefer a "retreat" type setting where students are confined to the facility/location as we do team building in the evenings. Other facilities can be used if we work out the details and expectations of the workshop. The important thing is that at the Platinum Level the students are committed to the workshop and not traveling back and forth to a remote location (home). This works best for the team building and absorption of such a array of information.

Each workshop needs a primary meeting room and 3 to 4 breakout team rooms or areas for student exercises. We can work out the details depending on the size of the class. But team building in small groups is essential to the overall learning that takes place in the workshop. These rooms should comfortably seat 5 students.  Outside picnic areas/tables can work depending on the weather.

Students: Workshop student sign up ranges from 15 to 25 students. Deviations from this depend on your situation and can be worked out between us.  It often works best to a selection panel pick the students based on a student application, so it's fair to everyone involved, including the sponsors/businesses supporting the course.  I suggest every attempt be made to make the course FREE to students (including meals and lodging).

See sample Student Application here.

Prework: Once the students are selected and signed up, they must complete prework to finalize their acceptance to the course. Prework consists of Module I and the Exam for the Recreational Leadership Training Course (RLTC), correspondence course, via email. This exam must be in the hands of the instructors before the class starts. Course Coordinators should allow time for this to occur. Module I usually takes a couple evenings for students to absorb, understand and complete (working nights, here and there).

Fees: Workshop fees are negotiated depending on course size, location and sponsorships. I encourage you to have course sponsors (businesses and organizations) to help defer the student costs involved in the training. Costs include instructor travel and fees, as well as photocopying, facilities and food. A typical Platinum Level budget might look like this:

Facilities: $50/night/student @ 3 nights = $150/student

Food: $50/day/student @ 3 days = $150/student

Photocopies: 200pages/student @ $.05/page = $10/student

Supplies: notebook,paper, pads etc. /student = $10/student

Instructor Travel and Fees: commonly up to $100 - $150/student, depending.

Thus, at the Platinum Level it would not be out of the question to need to find sponsors to cover $6,000 - $8,000 to put on a workshop. But this is all negotiable to some extent, and subject to local arrangements. :) Gold Level VLLS should be budgeted for $3,000 - $6,000, again, depending on local arrangements, travel distances, and facility costs. Silver Level VLLS should be budgeted between $3,000 to $4,000.

Schedule: Most workshops are three days, but some are four -- contiguous. Weekends are the time frame of choice for most groups, but this can also be negotiated. The normal start time for a three day workshop is Thursday night. Classes last all day Friday and Saturday, with Sunday being a partial day. Again, this can be arranged differently to fit your needs.

Thursday night is usually a social hour and check into the facilities reception (casual, of course). Friday and Saturday are long days of training, all day, total commitment from students. Gold and Silver Level VLLS can for go the Thursday night check in and start up.

NOTE: There are no accommodations for students who cannot make the entire class. This is an all or non type workshop. Late arrivals or partial attendance do not fit the course objectives and are disruptive to the rest of the students. Your application process should explain this thoroughly to all perspective students.

I also do not allow cell phones, day jobs, or outside disruptions during the workshop. Once a student commits to this workshop, it is a full time deal. If this sounds a bit like boot camp, it is -- a land use, access, and leadership boot camp. :) But it works!