Example Briefing Notes for Event Coordinator/ ‘MC’
A) Introduction
- Your name, your role today
- Purpose today:
(Main message) To help make a better home for our native animals. We do this by replacing weedy plants with native plants to provide better shelter and food for them.
(Secondary message) Keep our local waterways clean for wildlife and for our enjoyment. We do this by preventing erosion through planting, and also picking up litter that will otherwise end up in the creek, and eventually the sea.
B) Housekeeping
- Location of toilet, hand-washing facilities, tool area and First Aid.
- Timeline of event: 8-10am+: planting, collecting rubbish or weeds. 10am+: get ready for wildlife show. 11.30am: sausage sizzle.
- Ask volunteers to fill in the working bee record (sign-on).
C) Safety briefing
- Important to stay within designated planting area and not venture beyond no-go zone (indicated by orange plastic fence). Stay together as a group during planting.
- Any injuries, no matter how small or a fall, even if it is not serious, must be reported to the Team Leader. Team Leader to report to Steven (First Aider), Yen or Gemma. If need be, go to registration table for First Aid.
- Risk of sunburn and tick bites: Check if they have taking precaution against sunburn and tick bites. If not, do so at the registration area.
- Risk of injury from planting- e.g. muscle strain. Do warm-up stretches, take breaks when doing repetitive work or rotate tasks, use correct technique when planting and carrying heavy loads.
- Risk of injury from handling tools: Use them with care, and be aware of others near you.
- Risk of tripping: Wear covered shoes and be careful of undulating ground and planting holes.
D) Planting demonstration
- Explain that the plants we are planting today is selected specially for the creek riparian ecosystem; and include those (the “grassy/ sedgy” types) to help filter the storm water run-off, provide shelter or food (e.g. flower nectar from Melaleuca species).
- Important to plant carefully to ensure survival
- Dig hole of the right size- at leat 2-3 times wider than pot, and take care not to “lose” soil. Backfill to the right depth for planting.
- Remove sapling from pot without breaking up root ball (very important).
- Plant a little higher above ground as soil will settle after watering. Pat soil firmly down but not too compact. Roots need to breathe too!
E) Conclusion
- Don’t forget to gather them for a short conclusion- thank them for volunteering and repeat message of how their efforts have helped to make a better home for our native animals and keep our local waterways clean.
- If there is time, organise them for a group photo (with their dirty hands waving at photographer J)
- Organise them to return tools and filled rubbish bags to tool areas, wash their hands, have a snack and get ready for wildlife show.