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New San Joaquin Leaders to Graduate Saturday
October 15, 2008
San Joaquin, Calif. – On
Saturday, October 18, a fresh and newly energized group of San Joaquin community
leaders will graduate from an extensive and unusual leadership development
training program. The graduation ceremony and reception will take place at 3:30 p.m. at the San Joaquin Veterans
Memorial Hall. The media is encouraged to attend.
Rural Community Assistance
Corporation (RCAC) conducted the San Joaquin
leadership development program in partnership with Proteus, Inc., with funding
from Bank of America Foundation, RaboBank,
U.S. Department
of Agriculture and Wells Fargo Bank Foundation. RCAC has special permission to
conduct the training from The Ford Family Foundation, which developed the
curriculum.
Taught over the course of four weekends in four months, the
course involves 60 hours of classes that include 16 modules designed to help
participants gain skills and tools to enable them to be resourceful and
effective community organizers and leaders.
As part of the training the group conceives, designs and
executes a class project to directly benefit the San Joaquin area. The San Joaquin group will plant shade trees throughout the
community. San Joaquin has very hot summers
with very little shade and group members walk everywhere, so this new
leadership group thought it was an improvement they could make in the community
using their newly acquired and/or honed skills.
Leadership training class projects in other communities have
included creating a community website; forming
a nonprofit social services agency; community beautification programs; park
renovation and improvement; a youth summit; a streetscape venture; creating home
safety kits for elders and other special populations and even an “Artist of the
Month” project to foster a sustainable community arts program.
Saturday’s ceremony will include recognition of 12 graduates
who are now eager to take on a variety of community challenges and projects.
“This leadership training has helped us as community members
to learn and become united to make a difference in our communities. These
trainings were very essential because they motivated and demonstrated the
process of working as a team, as well as steps that can be taken to make a
change. The impact is noticeable because it has school, city officials and
other community members working together on our first, but not last project of
planting shade trees around the community,” said Angelica Larios, San Joaquin
community resource liaison and leadership development program participant.
Founded in 1978, RCAC provides a
wide range of community development services for rural and Native American
communities, agricultural workers and community-based organizations in 13 Western
states. RCAC has strong core services and expertise in housing,
environmental infrastructure (water, wastewater and solid waste), leadership training,
economic development and financing.
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