What is engagement and advocacy?
Engagement is the process of building meaningful relationships with individuals and community leaders to further trail development and strengthen the trail community. This relationship building process typically begins with a strategic plan for key partnerships and continues to grow organically as new connections are made. Building relationships between a wide range of people and organizations in the community – from enthusiastic trail users to youth program directors to local business owners – can leverage the necessary skills and even trail funding.
These relationships and partnerships are essential to strong trail advocacy for both new and existing networks. Advocacy is about engaging in local, national and global processes to build support for and protect mountain biking experiences. When a large and diverse trail community is seen working together toward a goal, support will multiply. Strong partnerships could include a combination of local trail user groups, land managers, tourism and visitor boards, health foundations, youth groups, local businesses and other community organizations, according to the community’s vision of the trails.
