Engaging and Educating State Level Decision-Makers

Dave CowanSafe Routes to School has the amazing capacity to stretch its boundaries across the fields of health, transportation, safety, environment and more. This elasticity is an enormous advantage in terms of marketing the benefits of walking and bicycling to and from school as an effective approach to addressing major issues in all fields. While this elasticity is a benefit, it also means that Safe Routes to School practitioners have their work cut out for them as they approach leaders and decision-makers in a myriad of fields and governmental departments.

In order to support practitioners doing this important work, the Safe Routes Partnership, with funding provided by the American Public Health Association, has created two action briefs and a supporting webinar (as a part of a series of twelve action briefs and six webinars) that focus on working at the state level with their governors and state agency leaders. The action briefs and webinar provide needed background, fundamental understanding of roles, impactful talking points and action items for the practitioner and information on Safe Routes to School as well as effective Safe Route to School strategies and case studies for governors and state agency leaders.

Maximizing Statewide Impact of Safe Routes to School: Educating Governors and State Agency Leaders 

Local Practice and Policy, a blog written by Dave Cowan, covers many of the multifaceted aspects of his work here at the Safe Routes Partnership. Focusing on best practices, voices from the field and reflections on the Safe Routes to School movement as a whole, this blog will attempt to share a sliver of the good vibes, happy stories, and great people Dave has the pleasure of working with to further Safe Routes to School on a daily basis.