Programme

Week 1

Following an introduction and get together we kick off with a week-long hands-on workshop on project planning and management. Analysis, planning, budgeting, proposal writing, and fundraising will be the key themes of this long but important module.

Week 2

The second week will offer you the chance to apply your new-found planning knowledge to real-life conservation scenarios, an interactive experience of the world of financial management from acquisition and expenditure to budgeting and risk management, and a crash course in organisational development and strategy.

Week 3

The busy and diverse third week will involve an introduction to human resources and the tools to recruit and organise teams and staff in the project context. We will engage professionals of the KfW Development Bank – the world’s largest financier of protected areas and partner to the Spring School. Courses on workshop facilitation, personal skills, negotiation and conflict management will round off the week before we journey to Kellerwald-Edersee National Park, an invaluable opportunity to see and hear first-hand how a conservation strategy is enacted and implemented.

Week 4

The final week will cover modules on public relations and communications as well as alternative methods and approaches to conservation project management. Following a final exam, we will wind down with short courses on soft skills and time management, and how to match entrepreneurial activities and nature conservation management in the real practical context, before the Frankfurt Spring School will come to an end with a closing event at the Frankfurt Zoo.