SWEAP STRATEGIES

SWEAP strategies are the few best methods, practices, or innovative ideas identified to achieve outcomes. Actions are the tasks to carry out those strategies.

​SWEAP provides the strategic framework as a starting place, recognizing that individual water educators and educational organizations will continue to customize actions to reach specific audiences and meet the unique needs of their communities. The Example Local Actions are listed under each strategy and provide examples of actions that can be used to plan activities that align with the SWEAP strategic framework.
For more detailed information and example actions, click below to navigate to strategy sub-pages:

STRATEGIES TO INCREASE AWARENESS
Water educators use public relations strategies to raise awareness. See example actions here. 
​​Outcome 1: The proportion of Coloradans in each river basin who can identify how water supports their quality of life, as well as the threats to and potential solutions for a sustainable water supply, increases.
SWEAP Strategies
1a. ​Implement a multi-channeled public relations and media campaign that can be applied at various scales throughout the state.

STRATEGIES TO INCREASE KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS
Water educators use education strategies to increase knowledge and teach skills. See example actions here.
Outcome 2: The proportion of Coloradans in each river basin who can articulate at least three “Critical Water Concepts” increases.
SWEAP Strategies
2a. Produce and distribute information to support and clarify Critical Water Concepts. 
2b. Facilitate incorporation of Critical Water Concepts in educational programming.
​Outcome 3: The proportion of Coloradans in each river basin who report confidence in having the knowledge necessary to take an active role in water stewardship in their community increases.
SWEAP Strategies
3a. Curate and promote a readily accessible source for current, factual information on a broad array of important water topics.​
3b. Support hands-on and project-based learning and service opportunities for water-related issues.
3c. Incentivize and reduce barriers to participation in training for underrepresented groups and geographic areas.
Outcome 4: The proportion of Coloradans in each river basin who report confidence in having the skills necessary to take an active role in water stewardship in their community increases.
SWEAP Strategies
4a. Train the trainers to build participants’ skills in discourse and decision-making.
4b. Expand leadership development opportunities for adults and youth that foster skills for informed discourse and decision-making.

STRATEGIES TO ENCOURAGE POSITIVE
​BEHAVIOR CHANGE
Water educators use social marketing strategies to encourage behavior changes. See example actions here.
Outcome 5: Participation in community discourse and decision processes about water at the state, regional and local levels increases.
SWEAP Strategies
5a. Curate a compendium of best practices for inclusive civic engagement.
5b. Ensure water discussions or decision-making processes are accessible, convenient, inclusive, and well-publicized.​
Outcome 6: Voters have access to factual information that addresses potential impacts to sustainable water resources in relevant issue areas.
SWEAP Strategies
6a. Provide factual information that can be used to analyze issues, policies or initiatives from a water perspective.
6b. Encourage the incorporation of water-related impacts in voter information and forums.
Outcome 7: The proportion of Coloradans in each river basin that are demonstrating sustainable water behaviors increases.
SWEAP Strategies
7a. Identify sustainable water behaviors that are a priority for each basin.
7b. Develop and implement social marketing strategies for behaviors that are identified as priorities, statewide and at the basin level.
7c. Research and implement best practices for tracking the use of sustainable water behaviors in each region.

STRATEGIES TO ENCOURAGE POSITIVE
​SYSTEMS CHANGE
Water educators use systems thinking strategies to ensure Coloradans help shape systems change. See example actions here.
Outcome 8: Where relevant, local and state policies and practices are supportive of advancing statewide water literacy.
SWEAP Strategies
8a. Collaborate with Colorado Department of Education and other partners to incorporate water literacy as part of implementation of Colorado Academic Standards.
Outcome 9: Where relevant, local and state policies, regulations, and practices demonstrate a consideration of impacts on sustainable water resources.
SWEAP Strategies
9a. Support policy makers in developing the knowledge to evaluate trade-offs in water issues.
9b. Curate and provide guidance on tools and best practices for incorporating consideration of water impacts and tradeoffs into policy-making.
Outcome 10: Water decision-making bodies are increasingly representative of the demographic make-up of the area they serve.
SWEAP Strategies
10a. Provide trainings, leadership development, and mentorships tailored to underrepresented groups and geographies.
10b. Provide equity and inclusivity training for coordinators, chairs, and appointing agencies of decision making bodies.
10c. Track metrics to ensure all demographics and geographies demonstrate progress in outcomes 1-7, and identify program changes to close gaps.
Statewide Water Education Action Plan for Colorado 2020-2025
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