A free series of virtual forums, Minnesota’s Road to Volunteer Drivers, begins this month to share information and support for volunteer drivers in Minnesota. Volunteer drivers are a critical resource in meeting the transportation needs of many Minnesotans without other practical options.
This virtual forum series is convened and sponsored by the Minnesota Council on Transportation Access in partnership with the Minnesota Volunteer Driver Coalition and will bring together volunteer driver program administrators, volunteer drivers, riders, funders, transportation policy advocates, and transportation stakeholders.
All Minnesota’s Road to Volunteer Drivers’ forums are offered at no cost via Zoom. Registration is required and you need to only register once to attend all the forums.
Detailed information on each session will also be posted several weeks in prior to the forum.
· November 18, 2020: Current State and a Look into the Future of Volunteer Drivers
· December 9, 2020: Policy Issues and Real Life Stories
· January 20, 2021: Volunteer Driver Recruitment and Promotion
· February 17, 2021: How to Start a Volunteer Driver Program
· March 17, 2021: Person-centered Practices & Disability Etiquette for Volunteer Drivers and Cultural Diversity & Equity Training
· April 21, 2021: Trauma-informed Care Training and Providing Community Education About People Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
· May 19, 2021: Best Practices for Volunteer Driver Programs — Safety, Security, Crisis, Medical, Passenger, Resiliency & Boundary Issues
The forums include closed captioning, ASL interpretation, and will be recorded for future access.
Region Five Development Commission is the facilitator for the Regional Transportation Coordinating Council in Region 5, working in partnership with MCOTA. If you have questions or need a place to access the internet to participate in this training, please contact Matt Kallroos at (763) 486-8637 or mkallroos@regionfive.org. Questions about this virtual form can also be directed to Arlene Mathison at (612) 624-3646 or mathi032@umn.edu.
About MCOTA
The Minnesota Council on Transportation Access (MCOTA) was established by the Minnesota Legislature in 2010 to "study, evaluate, oversee, and make recommendations to improve the coordination, availability, accessibility, efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and safety of transportation services provided to the transit public."
About R5DC
Region Five Development Commission is a high-performing, regionally focused partner committed to enhancing the vitality and quality of life in Cass, Crow Wing, Todd, Morrison and Wadena counties, through resilient, inclusive, and collaborative approaches to community development, economic development, and transportation initiatives.
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