Education Strategic Plan

Catalina Island Conservancy continues to develop strategic plans stretching across the next decade in our key mission areas. The Conservancy’s Education Department has recently completed its comprehensive plan dedicated to achieving our vision to inspire a lifetime of exploration and stewardship of the natural and cultural world. The Conservancy’s Education Strategic Plan presents a reliable, laddered and diverse suite of engagement opportunities structured to deepen connections with Catalina Island and other natural spaces.

“Creating the Education Strategic Plan engaged not only our entire department, but also team members from other departments and our board of directors,” said Dr. Leah Melber, Sr. Director of Education. “We relied on participant feedback from programs, as well as observations from staff that lead these programs. These multiple viewpoints and voices support an inclusive vision for the future direction of education programming.”

The Conservancy is committed to creating personally relevant learning experiences designed to stimulate curiosity, make connections and foster appreciation for the unique ecology and history of the Island. We plan to continue this important work of creating opportunities for all learners through four key education goals: connection, engagement, appreciation and collaboration. “These four goals are really our driving factors,” added Melber. “They highlight our commitment to a broad audience that seeks to connect with us in different ways.”

The goal of connection focuses on the importance of providing opportunities for learners of all ages and diverse interests to find meaningful connection through our programming. We ensure a range of engagement opportunities that acknowledge people learn differently and have different activity preferences. Our goal of appreciation recognizes that our programming is not just about facts and content, it’s about inspiration. We seek to increase appreciation for the uniqueness that is Catalina Island and an overall enjoyment of being in nature.

Lastly, we recognize that through collaboration we strengthen our offerings and expand our reach. Working with like-minded partners further advances our vision.

“One exciting thing about this plan is that it provides a shared roadmap for us all to follow, ensuring our efforts are concentrated in a single direction,” Melber said. “A shared vision is better positioned for success.”

If you are interested in learning more about the plan, feel free to reach out to Leah Melber at lmelber@catalinaconservancy.org.