Now Recruiting: 2020 Rural Communities Water Managers Leadership Institute in Visalia & Madera

Self-Help Enterprises invites community water board members and staff, water leaders, and residents from rural communities to participate in the 2020 Rural Communities Water Managers Leadership Institute taking place in Visalia and Madera. The six-month Leadership Institute will consist of trainings, workshops, and educational tours focused on building and maintaining long-term water management expertise in rural communities.

The Visalia Leadership Institute cohort begins March 21 and meets the third Saturday of the month through August 2020 at the Self-Help Enterprises office in Visalia. The Madera Leadership Institute cohort begins June 13 and meets the second Saturday of the month through November 2020 at the Self-Help Enterprises office in Madera.

The program is free of charge thanks to the generous support from The Water Foundation, NeighborWorks America, and the United States Department of Agriculture – Rural Development. Participation stipends will be provided to help cover costs incurred while participating in the program. Stipends of $100 per completed session (up to $600) will be available to all graduates of the program.

Water planning is important to ensure that water sources are available over the long-term and during drought periods. However, disadvantaged communities have not been proportionately represented on the boards and committees of regional water management and planning programs, such as the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and the Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) program. Through the Leadership Institute, water managers from disadvantaged communities will gain the skills and knowledge necessary to effectively participate and represent their communities in these regional water management programs.

The application and more information is available online at http://bit.ly/2020RCWMLI. If you have any questions, please contact Eva Dominguez at (559) 802–1634 or EvaD@SelfHelpEnterprises.org. Applications are due by February 14 for Visalia and May 8 for Madera. To date, the Leadership Institute has trained more than 60 new water leaders in rural communities from Merced County to Kern County.