Areas of Cooperation Based on SWOT of Individual Sites 

  • Sharing of information – building trust and increasing cooperation 
  • Marketing-Signage 
  • Mapping of location of sites (marketing & education) 
  • Special events * 
  • Education 
  • Funding ** 
  • Volunteers 
  • Developing partnerships 
  • Historical preservation – research, inventory of artifacts 

– ensuring accuracy/integrity of story 

  • Getting local support/recognition 

a) including recognition of privately owned sites not just municipally owned sites and/or not-for-profit sites 

b) Recognition that sites are working collaboratively 

c) Political support and recognition 

  • Collective programming 
  • Merchandising ** 

Communication 

  • Knowing hours of operation at each site 
  • Knowing services and facilities available at each site
  • Having brochure of other sites available
  • Building trust 
  • Increasing cooperation 
  • Communication among sites 
  • Identifying resources 
  • Local “experts” 
  • Information kits -develop 

Education 

  • School groups (Boards of Education and teachers) 
  • Identify some people to be resource people – to work with teachers on education 
  • Work with boards to ensure accuracy of information, identifying black heritage in curriculum 
  • Develop education kit ex. “Learn not to Burn” 
  • kit used by fire departments to teach fire safety Better educate tourism operators, local politicians 
  • Ensuring consistency of story 

1. general overall story 

2. unique story of each site / community

  • Recording it 
  • Inventory of artefacts existing at each site and collectively catalogue 
  • Conveying that it is a shared history 

Marketing 

  • Trade shows / FAM tours 
  • Signage logos – common and identifiable 
  • Mapping idea 
  • Common web site 
  • Special events 
  • Black Heritage month 
  • Education for tour operators, volunteers 
  • Distribution list include all sites, tourism 
  • operators i.e. newsletter, broadcast fax 
  • Getting information into tourism bureaux
  • Promotion of individual sites – cross marketing 

Volunteers / Human Resources 

  • Includes human resource development 
  • Training for volunteers i.e. Super Host program 
  • Does each site have a succession plan on paper? to ensure information remains and is collected. 
  • Working with school boards to get volunteer students, coop students 
  • Opportunity for training workshops for staff and volunteers 
  • policy development 
  • administration 
  • Assistance with planning 
  • Identifying resources that exist to help achieve projects i.e. professional associations 
  • Tour of all sites for staff and volunteers of individual sites – so everyone knows what’s available at other sites 

Funding 

  • Accessing funds for joint projects 
  • For network operations i.e. marketing coordinator, network coordinator 
  • Sharing information re: funding sources
  • Merchandizing – generating revenue for network, example: Windsor producing a T- shirt 

Partnerships 

  • Identifying potential partners i.e. professional Parme associations with resources to help 

Research – Historical Video Preservation 

  • Providing each other with information we have 

– shared history 

  • Access to information 
  • Genealogy 

1. recording information on CD-ROM in case 

records are destroyed 

2. selling information 

  • Common site to store genealogy information 
  • Recording oral histories 
  • Caution – not everyone wants to give the 

information – concern about use of information 

/misrepresentation 

  • Promote importance of sharing information