RULE Impact Article: Allyson Gibson, Author, RULE XVIII, Executive Director, Lancaster Clean Water Partners JD Dunbar, Editor, Penn State Extension Educator / RULE Program Director Tara Homan, Layout Design, RULE Program Coordinator, Penn State Extension
Allyson was part of the summer 2024 edition of Fig Magazine
One of the first times I met JD and Tara was for lunch on the porch at my grandmother's house, the Kling House Restaurant. They came to Lancaster to explore new options for a field visit they were hosting for agriculture leaders coming from another state. They were meeting with me to brainstorm an idea that their colleague and my board member, Matt Royer, had for a Lancaster Watershed Leadership Academy, which was inspired by the RULE program. Matt and I were to run this new Lancaster program together, so I was pretty thrilled to get to learn from experts like JD and Tara. It turns out that being in the RULE program as a scholar and running a local version that also integrates watershed content is no small task. But as RULE teaches us, nothing solidifies your learning like an opportunity to teach others. It was intense, but it was a gift.
Being a leader during both these experiences, however, was interrupted and extended by the global COVID pandemic. In both cases, we pivoted again and again, making the very best of a situation that pushed all of us to be creative and resilient and to dig deeper than we thought we could. My RULE small group was a crucial component of strength for me, thanks to inspiring women who held each other accountable, served as a safe and brave space for DEIJ conversations, and leaned into the chance to make a project that acknowledged the power of the female experience. RULE is full of times like these that not only spark change in the moment but also experiences that provide a slow burn of motivation to take action.
In my work in the conservation world, we constantly operate with a bias towards action. More specifically, the Lancaster Clean Water Partners provides strategic and collaborative action because they are essential to strengthen a network of partner organizations all working towards a common goal of clean and clear water. With my ears tuned to things like collaboration during RULE, I clearly remember a firecracker of a presentation from Nina Redding that was about building trust and "fierce confidence." At a virtual session with Canadian legislators, I was so caught off guard by a speaker introduction that included a reference to a "soil your undies" campaign that I immediately looked it up and started laying out the steps to implement our own campaign during Water Week to improve soil health in Lancaster. RULE brings out creativity and courage, two qualities that I appreciate more and more every day.
Now running our 3rd class of the Lancaster Watershed Leadership Academy and leading a network of over 65 partner organizations, I carry my RULE lessons with me to be an active listener, to stand up respectfully and fully when there is conflict, and to grow the capacity of others doing the hard work to improve our waterways. And I welcome the lessons that are yet to come because there is still so much to learn!
