Institute for Engagement & Negotiation

The Virginia Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Program is collaborating with over 100 partners representing diverse interests - federal and state agencies, local governments, and a variety of stakeholders - to develop a Virginia Ocean Plan. Is the ocean important to you? Virginia CZM wants your input to help shape the draft Virginia Ocean Plan. There are many ways to connect with this effort, but for a start consider attending the upcoming Virginia Ocean Plan Community Open Forum. Registration is requested but not required. The event will be held on August 15th from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the Virginia Aquarium (717 General Booth Blvd., Virginia Beach). You can register here: https://lnkd.in/eryqKrAj

In recognition of National Intern Day this past Thursday, IEN would like to thank all of our summer Student Research Assistants (SRAs) for their many contributions to our work! Our outstanding SRA team includes Lola Garvie, Max Klavon, Hayden Luckert, Emilie Hoke, Spenser Duval, Rose Freeman, Jordan Murphy, Caroline Jaffe, and Emily Kurtzhalts.

IEN is excited to announce a new publication with a chapter co-authored by IEN Director Tanya Denckla Cobb and Shantell Bingham, former Program Director of the Charlottesville Food Justice Network. Written for communities, urban planners, professionals, and academics, this open access book is significant and weighty in its focus on equity and ethics in planning. Planning for Equitable Urban Agriculture: A New Ethic in City Building addresses the opportunities, challenges, and possibilities for planning for equitable urban agriculture and the chapter by Tanya and Shantell can be accessed here: https://lnkd.in/gXQbry5C?

?IEN is excited to host a new community-based facilitation training October 2-3, 2024 in Charlottesville! If you’re interested in the course, you can sign up here to be notified when registration opens: https://lnkd.in/gDSFgHwC. Please save the date to join us in October!?

In May IEN’s Director Tanya Denckla Cobb was part of an exciting panel, Bending the Arc: Land and Food Justice in Virginia, which explored the legacies of harm in agriculture and land ownership in our state. Other panelists included Ebonie Alexander (Black Family Land Trust), Michael Carter, Jr. (Carter Family Farms), Paul Freedman (UVA Department of Politics, Environmental Thought & Practice), and Tom McDougall (4P Foods). The recording of the webinar can be found at https://lnkd.in/gfnkhEfJ

Last week IEN’s team of Mike Foreman, Meredith Keppel, and Emilie Hoke facilitated a workshop on the Climate Smart Commodities (CSC) program for partners of the Virginia Tech Soil Health Coalition. Participants had a chance to share their experiences, and contribute to goals to shape the future of the program. Attendees were a true cross-section of the field, and diverse experiences allowed for a lively discussion at Virginia State University's Randolph Pavilion. We are grateful to all the participants who took time to engage in this important work. IEN will be developing a report capturing the results of the day and recommendations for next steps.

The Institute for Engagement & Negotiation is thrilled to share the news that one of our flagship projects,?The Resilience Adaptation Feasibility Tool (RAFT), was recently highlighted in the most recent issue of the journal?Local Development & Society.?The article, entitled “Facilitating climate adaptation: The resilience adaptation feasibility tool (RAFT) framework”?authored by Bev Wilson, Elizabeth Andrews, Tanya Denckla Cobb,?and Sierra Gladfelter,?describes the?RAFT’s?innovative?collaborative approach to?supporting localities in increasing their?climate resilience?and how it evolved over 9 years through an iterative process of working closely with 26 localities across the Commonwealth of Virginia. We’re excited that this article can help share the successes of The?RAFT?model and how it might serve other communities elsewhere. Check out the open source article yourself or share it with others at:?https://lnkd.in/gpaGhTXG.

Earlier this month, the Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute (VNRLI) held its sixth and final session and graduation ceremony in Charlottesville. The Class of 2024 was a group of 29 professionals, working in various sectors of natural resources related fields around the Commonwealth. At Session 6, Fellows took a field trip to the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers at UVA, attended a Women in Leadership Panel, as well as a panel describing the impacts of solar development on Virginia. Congratulations to the newest group of VNRLI alumni! We are excited to announcing the new VNRLI cohort in the coming months.?

Last month IEN conducted two trainings on Equitable Collaboration for staff members at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA is very active in environmental justice issues and has staff nationally to engage communities on issues around environmental and natural resource protection and restoration (for example, the hazardous waste Superfund sites that exist in every state). The trainings were conducted by Mike Foreman, Special Projects Manager, and Selena Cozart, IEN consultant, utilizing case studies from IEN's past work. IEN offers customized training opportunities in equitable collaboration, facilitation, conflict management, and many other areas. If you're interested in a training for your team, please connect with Kelly Altizer ([email protected])?

IEN is closed today in observance of Juneteenth, which commemorates the anniversary of the day in 1865 when a Union general read aloud Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation to enslaved African Americans at a slave labor camp in Texas. More than 250,000 people in Texas heard this announcement 2? years late, as the state was among those that resisted the abolishment of slavery. Juneteenth is a recognition of the promise of emancipation and the arduous road that African Americans have had to travel to make true freedom a reality--a journey that continues to this day. Those local to Charlottesville can find Juneteenth events at: https://lnkd.in/ga2Afpwy