Theodore Roosevelt once said “What a man does for himself, dies with him. What a man does for his community lives long after he's gone.”  While the 26th president was noted for many powerful quotes, he often commented about giving back to the community. The conservation world is lucky that we have so many dedicated people.

Many of us who work in education programs such as the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) and Hunter Education have been deemed passionate when it comes to conservation. Noted educators Tim Beck from Indiana and Steve Hall in Texas have had the good fortune of being involved in many exciting efforts over the years. The importance of that work, as well as our place in conservation’s grand history, has never been taken for granted. In all these adventures, we were supported by men and women who volunteer their time and talent each year out of passion and dedication for teaching others. That has never been lost on us.

Today, outdoor enthusiasts have many opportunities to give back to the hunting and shooting sports. The most important is teaching our next generation the knowledge, skills, and abilities to enjoy hunting and shooting sports safely but also to represent these sports with the respect they deserve.  Most kids today do not grow up hunting and fishing and many households with very little connection to the outdoors. These new hunters need quality education from experienced volunteers.  

Every state in the country requires some manner of hunter education for new or young hunters. Most work is done by passionate volunteers.   In fact, over 45,000 volunteers provide for hunter education and bowhunter education across North America, Canada, Puerto Rico and Guam. Each instructor is supported by a state coordinator within their state fish and wildlife agency.   Instructors and coordinators are supported by the International Hunter Education Association (IHEA) which is affiliated with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. The National Bowhunter Education Foundation (NBEF) also works closely with IHEA, state coordinators and instructors supporting quality education and standards. Today, all states teach to the same set of IHEA standards, making hunter education an incredibly effective tool for new hunters as they navigate their path to being a sportsperson.  

We have heard from many hunters who will suggest they don’t feel they have enough experience to be an instructor.  Nothing could be further from the truth.   Few of our current 45,000 instructors will ever rise to the level of Daniel Boone. These are simply good men and women who enjoy hunting, at various levels, and want to give back. They realize that the success of hunting in the future will rely on helping new kids and adults, representing a diversity of backgrounds, safely enjoy these time-honored traditions. Most states offer workshops that aid certifying the volunteer as an instructor.   

Many hunter educators, like myself, began teaching in our college days. It led to a lifetime of enjoyment and, for some, has shaped our careers. The feeling of impacting so many young people is just incredible. It’s not uncommon to hear stories of young adults stopping an instructor in the store to say something in appreciation. They share their successes as their faces light up and we realize that hunting has impacted their lives much like ours.   

“I often tell my instructors the proverbial check is in the mail because we never know when that check may come in but when it comes it will be an aha moment, and you will know that all of your time and effort was very well spent in sharing your passion and making a difference in someone’s life,” said Tim Beck, Indian Hunter Education and NASP Coordinator. 

To learn more about becoming a hunter education instructor, visit your state fish and wildlife agency web page to connect with your state coordinator.  

The coordinator will help you navigate the state requirements. Becoming certified is a simple task but the impacts you can have over a lifetime are incredible.  Each of us knows there are young men and women heading out to the woods this fall who can still hear our voices and our choice words regarding the incredible importance of safety. We will never know how many lives we have impacted by a young hunter safely ascending a tree stand or handling a firearm or bow correctly because they attended one of our classes. 

We do know that long after we are able to head to the woods to enjoy the great outdoors with family and friends, we can rest comfortably knowing others have found a lifetime of that same enjoyment and that we had a small part to play in helping them.   

Jeff Rawlinson

Vice President - National Archery in the Schools Program

Jeff Rawlinson is the Vice President for the National Archery in the Schools Program. Prior to this role, Jeff served as an Assistant Division Administrator with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission where he worked for over 25 years. While serving Nebraska, his team had oversight of recruitment, retention and reactivation of hunters and recreational shooters, hunter/bow hunter education, hunter outreach, National Archery in the Schools Program and shooting range development for the commission.

2024-2025 Voice of Leadership Panelists

Rachel Barringer - Marketing & Digital Manager, Blaser Group

Allen Forkner - Vice President Public Relations & Brand Management - Gunbroker.Com

Cassie Gasaway - Outdoor Content Creator & Freelance Writer

Jeff Rawlinson - Vice President, National Archery in Schools Program

Tom Ryle - Sales and Marketing Manager, State R3 Lead for Washington Department of

Fish & Wildlife
Taylor Schmitz - Director, Federal Relations, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation

Facilitators

• Peter Churchbourne, Managing Director, NRA Hunting Division and Hunter Leadership Forum
• Jim Curcuruto, Executive Director, Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation
• James “Jay” Pinsky, Editor, The Hunting Wire & Archery Wire

The Voice of Leadership Panel is an appointed group of outdoor industry leaders who have volunteered to contribute their voices on crucial hunting and outdoor recreation issues to inform, inspire, and educate participants within our community.

 In order to advance diversity and inclusivity in the sport, USA Archery is committed to providing coach education opportunities through the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access (DEIA) Coach Education Grant to individuals who represent diverse communities.

In 2024, applicants could apply for one or more of the following grants: Coaches Workshop, Virtual Symposium, or the Level 4 coaching certification.

Those who applied offered an insight into the kind of work being done by members of USA Archery in bringing the sport to under-represented communities and introducing archery to more women, people of color, individuals with a physical disability and those in low income households.

Applicant after applicant stood out as giving, whether to their local club, school or community. It is a testament to the kind of people involved in archery, using the sport for good.

Here are just some of the responses given for reasons to apply for the grant:

I am a very proud USA Archery Coach who is: African American, female, in a lower socioeconomic bracket, a caregiver and a teacher. This grant will allow me to attend workshops to increase my skills, my knowledge and help me to learn about new resources. In my community, I often work with special education youth and students (and archers) from at-risk areas. Increasing my development, helps me to increase theirs.

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With 81% of our archers coming from single/low-income families, this grant will allow for deeper levels of coaching for students who might not otherwise have opportunities to compete at higher levels. Among our archers, females now make up 47% of all participants; while 30% of our students are considered racially diverse or come from racially diverse families; and another 41% come from "special" homes with foster or adopted children, disabled parents, true single parents, etc.

Sixteen percent of our archers have medically diagnosed physical or developmental ‘disabilities’. Still, none of those families have victim mentalities. They all strive to help their children succeed in every area of life and to see their disability as an opportunity. Most of our students are active in multiple areas of life, such as 4-H, church, and sports. With almost 3/4 of our students coming from rural areas around our central community, our families have strong work ethics and values.

This grant would allow higher-quality coaching for some of these budding archers, enabling them to grow in both their archery abilities and life experiences as they leave their hometowns or state for the first time to attend regional and national tournaments.

For those who are learning to shoot for fun or to hunt, it's an opportunity to see what they can accomplish inside of themselves, even if upper-level competition is not a goal. That success that comes from learning how to position the body and the mind in such a way as to actually get the arrow to go where it's ‘supposed’ to go, consistently, produces a joy and confidence that knows no limitations based on income, race, gender, etc...but that does have the ability to forever transform a child's (and sometimes a family's) idea of what is attainable in any area of life where dreams, knowledge, and work come together.

This, coupled with the excitement and wonder that lights up a child's face when they travel outside of their home area for the first time, is truly special. We love welcoming all families, encouraging them to try archery, and introducing them to Explore Archery, JOAD, and more. We delight in watching them embrace new and exciting elements of this bigger life. For the rural communities, there is renewed support and connection. For USA Archery, the result is an increase in ethnically, financially and socially diverse families. It's a win-win-win.

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I am a veteran of the Air Force, and I belong to a very underrepresented group as a 100% disabled veteran. I found archery when searching for therapeutic help with PTSD. I have since discovered the love of teaching and coaching within my daughters, and now my club. As a dual Georgia area, developing 4H through JOAD, and now USAT archers, my therapy as a disabled Vet is coaching. I do not have the financial ability to attend these amazing opportunities and would be greatly appreciative.

The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access (DEIA) Coach Education Grant provided much-needed funds for these many dedicated individuals who, in turn, help make the archery community what it is – a place where everyone is welcome.

To learn more about becoming a certified instructor or coach, or advancing your coach certification, click here.