Why This Program?
Tourism and outdoor recreation are cornerstone industries in Wyoming, yet many rural communities lack the human capacity to implement plans and projects. RATOR is designed to close that capacity gap in these ways:
- Implementing outdoor recreation and tourism master plans
- Prepare competitive grant applications
- Facilitate community engagement processes
- Develop interpretive materials and visitor resources
- Coordinate across local, regional, and state partners
FAQs
What the Program Will Look Like
Under a future operating grant, the RATOR model will place AmeriCorps members in rural Wyoming communities for a year of full-time service, each embedded within a local host organization and supported by the WORTH Institute.
Members will serve as Resource Development Specialists, working alongside community partners to:
- Conduct community asset and needs assessments
- Advance priority tourism and outdoor recreation projects
- Support infrastructure and implementation efforts
- Assist with grant research and proposal development
- Organize public meetings, workshops, and outreach
- Develop marketing, storytelling, and interpretive materials
- … or other high priority community needs.
This service model is intentionally designed to move communities from planning to implementation while building local capacity that endures beyond the program.
Who This Program Is For
RATOR is designed to support a wide range of Wyoming-based organizations that are working to strengthen their visitor economy and community development efforts, including:
- Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs)
- Chambers of Commerce and Main Street programs
- Municipal and county governments
- Tribal economic development entities
- Outdoor recreation collaboratives
- Regional economic development organizations
- Non-profits
These partners represent the front lines of Wyoming’s visitor economy and are critical to translating opportunity into impact.
What We’re Doing Now
The WORTH Institute has received an AmeriCorps planning grant to design and develop the RATOR program model over the next year.
During this planning phase, we are:
- Engaging communities and partners across Wyoming
- Identifying priority needs and potential host sites
- Refining program structure, training, and support systems
- Building partnerships with state and local organizations
- Preparing for a future AmeriCorps operating grant
Planning grants are specifically intended to help organizations build high-quality, competitive AmeriCorps programs for future implementation.
Why This Program Matters
Wyoming communities have strong visions for their future, often captured in tourism master plans, outdoor recreation facility ideas, and economic development initiatives. However, many lack the staff time, technical expertise, or organizational capacity to implement those plans.
RATOR is designed to provide on-the-ground, embedded capacity to:
- Advance outdoor recreation and tourism projects
- Support implementation of local and regional plans
- Strengthen grant competitiveness and funding access
- Facilitate community engagement and stakeholder coordination
- Build momentum around place-based economic development
As outlined in the program concept, this work responds directly to statewide needs for technical assistance and implementationstructural support in rural communities.
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Get Involved
We are actively seeking Wyoming communities and organizations interested in learning more about participating in this program.
If your community is looking to:
- Build capacity to implement tourism or recreation plans
- Strengthen your visitor economy
- Advance priority projects and initiatives
- Explore hosting an AmeriCorps member
We want to hear from you.
