Our Mission

"To teach byway representatives how to train visitor center volunteers, front-line hotel, restaurant and retail employees and members of the community who regularly interact with travelers about the interpretive message, resource protection, and ethics of the scenic byway and the community."

Testimonials

Debbie Divine, consultant and former State Byways Coordinator, Kansas

"I've used the Training Kit as a resource for a variety of projects: developing lists of questions for Kansas byways groups to use to answer visitor questions, teaching hospitality workshops, doing presentations at state and national conferences on hospitality and visitor readiness, etc. It is a great resource and can be used in many, many ways."

Stephanie Donoho, Tourism Specialist - Department of Research and Development, County of Hawai'i; Hawai'i Department of Transportation - Scenic Byways Advisory Committee Member

"The Grassroots Training Kit is a great tool that is relevant to Byways across the country. I used it in Colorado training front-line staff at visitors centers, restaurants and attractions as part of our hospitality trianing program, and now look forward to using it in my new position as a member of Hawai'i's Scenic Byways Advisory Committee."

Cris Collier, President Great Bend Convention & Visitors Bureau, Kansas

"We love the concept of The 100 Most Frequently Asked Questions. We were able to take the basic structure and adapt it to our area specifically. From that we had a fantastic tool for use by the entire community. The questions(and answers) were published in notebook form and distributed to all motels, restaurants, and service stations. Everyone loved being able to reach for the notebook to answer questions instead of having to utter those horrible words . . .' I don't know.' We've also incorporated this into our local hospitality and interpretive host training for (1) fun trivia ice breakers (2) pairing exercises (3) resource material. Once we got started using it . . . the possibilities became endless."

Charlotte Bumgarner, Executive Director - Gold Belt Tour Scenic and Historic Byway

"I have had the opportunity to use the board goals portion of the kit twice, it is a great way to get the board members on track and focused on the task at hand. Having a visual display at the end of the exercise really gave a great perceptive on what was needed and were the organization needed to go. Look forward to using some of the other activities to keep us on track"

Learn the Basics of Being a Byway Interpreter

This set of training tools includes eleven exercises for conveying some of the most basic concepts a person will encounter with a traveler.

Whether you are training staff or volunteers, young or old, new-comers or been-here-forever types, this section will not only serve as a refresher, but will help you clear up misinformation, begin to build a consistent message to the traveler and slip in some new things that your font-line workers will need.

A series of interactive games, role playing, mapping, and discussions will lead the attendees through the various scenarios that they might encounter with a traveler. Using a variety of teaching methods the capacity to retain the information is heightened allowing for better retention.

Select the modules that are most needed to build your training. Suggested Sequences are provided in the Kit if you need assistance. Each module is designed to use 10 to 30 minutes. Use your Employee Lunch Time, Business After Hours or Board Meeting to present the concepts in smaller bites if you need to.

Each module stands alone or can be used in a sequence within each section, Interpretation, Protection, Ethics, or mixed up for a variety.

The Resources Section will reveal a few ideas for setting up your training and making it lively and engaging.