GENI Vision (for Geographic Literacy in the state of Indiana)

The Geography Educators’ Network of Indiana, Inc. (GENI) envisions an Indiana citizenry that is geographically literate – capable of solving problems and planning for the future from a spatial perspective.  GENI envisions every student mastering new geographic skills   every year at school from a geographically literate  educator  who is capable of incorporating diverse geographically appropriate curriculum across disciplines.  GENI envisions business leaders and elected officials capable of making geographically informed decisions that take – patterns, relationships, distribution, human-environment interaction, geospatial technologies into account.  GENI envisions a citizenry that values geography and geographic literacy as an integral part of everyday thinking.

GENI Mission

Geography weaves the relationships between the human and physical aspects of our world.

Because the study of Geography helps people understand, think knowledgeably, and make decisions about the world in which they live, and because Indiana interacts with the world at large, and every citizen in the state needs to be geographically literate, the Geography Educators' Network of Indiana (GENI) exists to

•  promote the value and significance of geography in Indiana,
•  ensure the inclusion of Geography in the curricula of Indiana's kindergarten through twelfth grade schools, colleges and universities,
•  provide opportunities focused on Geography training for Indiana educators,
•  provide a forum where geography and geographic literacy advocates can exchange ideas, and
•  create and make available materials for the teaching and learning of Geography in Indiana.

GENI Core Values

1.  Encourage and support Indiana educators at every opportunity.

2.  Professional conduct will be employed at all times: verbal, written, appearance.

3.  Exhibit respect and humaneness toward those GENI serves.

4.  Established procedures guide the organization in a fiscally and financially responsible manner, morally and ethically.

5.  Respect for the disciplines:  Geography and Education.

GENI Strategic Goals

 In order to accomplish GENI’s Vision while maintaining the GENI Mission and Core Values, GENI recognizes the following long-range Strategic Goals:

1. Establish financial sustainability to meet the needs of Indiana educators, students, business persons, elected officials, and citizens in regards to Geographic Literacy.
2. Support life-long learning that enables Indiana to demonstrate that 80% of its population is geographically literate.
3. Promote Pre-school through twelfth grade education incorporating geography across disciplines and  as  stand-along courses reflecting systemic change in geography.
4. Influence decisions made by local and state decision-makers to consider legislation and policies from a geographic perspective.
5. Provide a wide range of educational opportunities that enable Indiana citizens to understand, explain, and utilize geospatial technologies in solving problems and planning for the future at the personal, local, state, national, international levels.
6. Inform and equip Indiana citizens to  understand and employ geography as a perspective and discipline for life-long learning.
7.  Ensure that geography is always present  in discussion and decision-making at the state and local levels.

GENI Organizational Structure

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To carry out its Mission, GENI

 Sponsors diverse professional development opportunities:  1/2 day workshops through multi-week summer institutes.

 Provides conferences and meetings with high-interest programs.

 Recognizes excellence in teaching by giving awards and grants.

 Distributes the GENI Newsletter with news of workshops, meetings, and classroom ideas and resources.

Maintains a file of maps, lesson plans, and other classroom materials for use by GENI members.