San Juan County is a special place. We have a remarkable degree of citizen participation in our communities. Many of our residents commit a great deal of their time and effort to a variety of organizations and causes. All of us care deeply about the future of our beautiful islands.
LEADERSHIP SAN JUAN ISLANDS is a countywide tuition-based program to educate and motivate community members interested in developing their professional leadership skills and in learning more about issues affecting San Juan County. LSJI is a collaboration between Skagit Valley College and the San Juan County Economic Development Council and the many businesses and non-governmental organizations that sponsor their employees to attend.
WHY: Community leadership programs are a means by which local communities take the initiative in developing a trained network of people engaged in community work. These programs train future politicians, business leaders, agency heads, educators, board members, and volunteers. Leadership San Juan Islands began in Fall 2004 and has Alumni committed to service in many areas of the County including agriculture, transportation, environmental issues, business development, land use, governance, education, community development, recreation and the continuing success of LSJI.
The goals of the program in San Juan County are to:
- Identify qualified candidates on all the populated islands;
- Educate participants about the larger systems within which our community operates;
- Offer participants a program to develop professional skills in public speaking, writing, facilitation and conflict resolution;
- Create a network of diverse community participants across geographic, social and cultural lines.
WHAT: Our program is five months long with up to twenty (20) participants. Candidates can be nominated by an organization, a company, or may nominate themselves. Most participants are sponsored in part by their employers, at least for time off from their responsibilities and in many cases, supported by the payment of tuition as a form of professional development. Class VI LSJI participants will attend two overnight Retreats and six Challenge Days from January 2010 through May 2010. Each Challenge Day will present speakers, discussions and activities on a major topic. The major topic areas to be covered in the program are:
- County and municipal government
- Natural resources and land use planning
- Economic development
- Social and health services
- Current issues in education
- Culture and history of the islands
The program is supported by facilitators who will work with the participants to provide continuity throughout the program and Alumni and other presenters who coordinate specific Challenge Days or Retreats.
Each selected participant will sign a commitment to provide one year of voluntary service to a local organization following commencement. Assistance will be provided in matching each graduate with an opportunity that matches the participant’s interests.
COSTS: There is a non-refundable application fee of $25.00 due at the time of your application. Tuition for each participant in Leadership San Juan Islands is $500, of which the participant must pay at least $125 personally. Tuition is payable upon receipt of invoice after acceptance into the program and must be paid by January, 2010, unless other arrangements have been made. LSJI has some tuition assistance and payment plans are available. Neither your request for tuition assistance nor other payment options will impact the review of your application.
We urge you to consider participation in Leadership San Juan Islands as a commitment to the future. We see our graduates having a long standing influence, actively leading our community in positions of responsibility in employment, government, non-profit enterprise and community action.
The future of the islands will be decided in the islands. Please join us!
Amy Windrope, 2010 Program Coordinator awindrope@yahoo.com
For information, sponsorship opportunities, and/or donations please contact:
LSJI President, Bill Watson at 298-4063 or billwa992@hotmail.com