Alliance for Response
Convenes Leaders
and
Expands Web Site
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Alliance for Response is all about communication and relationships. In recent months, Heritage Preservation staff has been working to strengthen ties among our local partners and share information about their many accomplishments.
Leadership Roundtable
Heritage Preservation convened 40 people from around the country at the Alliance for Response Leadership Roundtable on November 18, 2008. The one-day meeting gave leaders of current and future Alliance for Response committees a chance to exchange news on local efforts and discuss innovative ways to create and sustain community partnerships. Alliance for Response Forums have been held in 12 U.S. cities in the last five years, and most have resulted in active local disaster networks. Four new Forums will take place in 2009 in Chicago, Denver, Raleigh, and the State of Vermont.
The Alliance for Response leaders were joined at the Roundtable by emergency management officials, cultural heritage experts, and representatives of funding agencies. Discussions were organized around four topics related to improving the effectiveness of Forums and sustaining the partnerships that result from them. The agenda, list of participants, and meeting summary are available online. Podcasts from the meeting will be available in February.
Current Alliance for Response leaders came away re-energized with new ideas for the local networks they are building, and representatives from new Forum sites made essential connections. Two members of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) praised the project for encouraging museums, libraries, and archives to work with the larger community. They recommended that IAEM work with Alliance for Response to help “expand the resource base for technical, programmatic, and other support.”
Expanded Web Site
Heritage Preservation is improving the Alliance for Response Web site to encourage communication among local committees and provide guidance on Forums and follow-up efforts. The new site integrates information on the national initiative with pages for each Alliance for Response community. Visitors can learn about the goals and achievements of Alliance for Response and stay informed about local activities via community pages, news highlights, and an events calendar. Alliance for Response planning committees can find resources for Forums and local networks in a Took Kit and also participate in online discussions.
The new Web site is a work-in-progress, and we invite to you check back frequently as more pages on Alliance for Response communities are added in the coming weeks.