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You can run workshops that provide fun, hands-on activities to teachers! Here are five great reasons to join the network of volunteer Population Connection Trainers.

1. It's important:
By leading workshops, Population Connection Trainers make an invaluable contribution toward preparing today's students to be tomorrow's responsible voters, parents and leaders. Each year, Trainers present over 300 workshops, reaching over 6,000 educators with population education materials! At workshops, teachers learn to present population concepts and trends in a way that helps students understand the information and apply it to their own experience.

2. It's easy:
Population Connection staff provides solid support to Trainers. We really try to make it easy. Sample scripts, facilitator's notes, props, and copies of all the handouts you need are sent to you well in advance of each workshop. We are even able to reimburse most out-of-pocket expenses.

3. It's a lot of fun:
Teachers love using our hands-on materials in their classes because they are fun to work with. Our activities get participants out of their seats and involved in the learning process. There is nothing quite like the satisfaction of seeing people's eyes light up with the excitement of learning new skills.

4. Joining is simple:
Anyone who has attended a Population Connection workshop is eligible to apply. Upcoming workshops are listed here, if you haven't already participated in one. To apply to the Population Connection Trainers Network, complete and send the online form.

5. Opportunities for professional growth:
Each year we offer several one- to two-day facilitator workshops to provide additional training for new Trainers. These "Leadership Institutes" are an opportunity to meet others committed to population education and to help the Network grow and improve. The Institutes are essentially free of charge; we pay for accommodations and most meals and travel expenses.

Frequently Asked Questions:
» How much work is involved?
» Do you provide any reference material for Population Connection Trainers?
» How do you communicate with Trainers?
» How do you assess the value of Population Connection workshops?
» I'm a classroom teacher looking for new resources to share with my students. Is the Trainer's network for me?
» Do Population Connection Trainers offer workshops for anyone besides educators?
» How big is the Population Connection Trainer's Network?
» Why do you ask for a copy of my resume and references?

How much work is involved?
The level of involvement is very flexible. As Trainers, you might be asked once or twice a year to present a Population Connection teacher training workshop in your area. Workshop length, scheduling, and content are individually tailored, based on your interest and availability, as well as the professional needs of the workshop participants. Some workshops are as short as an hour, others as long as a full day. Trainers often arrange their own workshops through their local contacts and professional associations.

Do you provide any reference material for Population Connection Trainers? Trainers have access to Population Connection's time-tested, critically acclaimed population education material, including the award-wining video, "World Population." Each trainer receives a copy of the Population Connection Trainer Handbook. The handbook contains just about everything that is needed to run a Population Connection workshop. It includes the activities we use in K-12 workshops, whether for science, social studies, math or environmental education teachers, along with scripts and advice for facilitating activities. It also has lots of information on setting up and running workshops, along additional readings on population education.

How do you communicate with Trainers?
We work hard to stay in touch, and to make sure that Trainers have all the resources that they need to lead workshops. Each month we send out The Gazette, our newsletter prepared solely for Trainers. Each issue includes important updates on program matters, as well as links to topical population information in the media and current events.

As long as they remain active, Trainers also receive:
» The Population Educator, our quarterly newsletter for educators
» Free membership with Population Connection, including a free subscription to the Population Connection Reporter
» 20% discount on all Population Connection publications
» As a token of thanks for each workshop they facilitate, we send them a copy of one of our teaching kits.

How do you assess the value of Population Connection workshops?
Evaluation is an important part of our process. Our annual evaluations point to one strong conclusion: These trainings make a difference. Our surveys have shown that teachers who attend Population Connection's training sessions use the workshop materials and activities with their classes. In many cases, the excellent reputations of Population Connection Trainers attract people to Population Connection workshops.

I'm a classroom teacher looking for new resources to share with my students. Is the Trainer's Network for me?
The network, rather, is for educators who wish to put their skills to work training other teachers and future teachers. If your sole interest is in gaining new materials to teach your K-12 students, then the trainer's network is not for you. Instead, we hope that you will attend one of our workshops at an upcoming conference.

Do Population Connection Trainers offer workshops for anyone besides educators?
If you would like to make Population Connection presentations to general audiences in addition to conducting teacher training workshops, we encourage you to become active in Population Connection's Speakers Network. Those in the Speakers Network typically make short presentations based on Population Connection's slide show to students, civic organizations, church and community groups, and others.

How big is the Population Connection Trainer's Network?
With roughly 400 active volunteers, Population Connection Trainers represent 40 states and the District of Columbia, as well as Puerto Rico, four Canadian provinces and eight countries abroad.

Why do you ask for a copy of my resume and references?
When trainers present workshops at conferences, universities, and other venues, they are representing Population Connection, so it's important for us to be sure that everyone in the network is an experienced and skilled educator who exhibits professionalism in their efforts. Also, when you work through us to present conference workshops, the organizers will want to know about your professional background. So, it's helpful for us to have that information readily available.

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Become A Trainer

Apply to become a trainer »