The Power Of Peer Exchange

Our goal is to grow these opportunities, so that residents, cities, and other nonprofit partners can share successes, challenges, and lessons learned across a wide, collaborative network. Exchanges have included:

Delegations from a variety of cities have participated in a learning exchange through the Fund’s partnership with the US Water Alliance and American Rivers to share insights and lessons learned about large scale, integrated watershed management solutions. In addition, the US Water Alliance has engaged six cities—Atlanta, Louisville, Camden, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Buffalo, and Cleveland are working together on a Water Equity Taskforce aimed at delivering clean and healthy water resources to some of our most vulnerable communities.

A partnership of non-profits has established the Atlanta Watershed Learning Network, connecting residents in three of Atlanta’s most imperiled waterways through a green infrastructure advocacy program. The Learning Network has graduated the first class of advocates and a second cohort is currently enrolled in the program. The University of Georgia is currently working with our collaborative partners to develop the curriculum in a web-based platform that can be shared with other watersheds across the country.

In 2018, our network of Parks with Purpose teams visited Atlanta for a two-day peer exchange to learn from Atlanta residents and collaborative partners how a community-centered development model was developed, creating new ripples of knowledge and collaborative learning that will expand our partnerships across cities and increase benefits to additional communities.

In 2019, our Parks with Purpose city partners reconvened for a second Peer Exchange in Raleigh. Attendees learned about the importance of community vision planning, communications skills, and about the various community engagement programs in Raleigh and Durham. Our organization proudly supported small local businesses as our vendors to support the local community and economy.