Are you concerned about increased flooding and polluted waterways in your community?
Did you know that this flooding may contain dirty household wastewater and raw sewage due to antiquated water systems in Jersey City, Paterson, Perth Amboy and 21 NJ communities?
Do you want to help your community to solve these problems while enhancing your advocacy and leadership skills, and while building a network of peers making an impact?
Join the 2023 Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers Campaign’s–
Community Leadership Action Program
October – December 2023
Five sessions (mix of in-person and virtual)
APPLY HERE
Applications due September 15, 2023
Who is this program for?
The 2023 program is open to community members and community leaders in Jersey City, Paterson and Perth Amboy.
Are you from another community?
Still apply as we will expand to other communities in the Winter 2024.
[If you can’t participate, but want to learn and do more around this issue, please let us know. We’ll keep you updated on other educational and advocacy opportunities in your community. Email Saptman@njfuture.org AND sign up for our newsletter.]
**********************************************************************************************************
ABOUT THE PROGRAM:
21 New Jersey municipalities, with combined sewer systems, are working on local solutions to reduce the raw sewage discharged into nearby rivers, streams, as well as street and basement flooding caused by heavy rains and water systems that can’t handle the overflows.
Your community needs your help to accelerate these solutions and ensure they provide true benefits to the community as soon as possible.
Join a network of peers who want to be part of the solution and help lead efforts to solve this critical issue!
Sewage Free Streets and Rivers (SFSR) Community Leadership Action Program is a five session cohort based program providing grassroots community members residing in New Jersey’s Combined Sewer System communities an opportunity to deepen knowledge on local flooding and combined sewage overflow (CSO) issues, develop/enhance leadership and advocacy skills and explore the best ways to take positive action for themselves and their community.
Program Participant Takeaways
- Understand local flooding and sewer overflow issues and effective solutions.
- Learn about related state and local policies and plans, including your city’s Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Long Term Control Plan.
- Build advocacy and influencing skills.
- Communicate effectively with city leaders, media, community members, and other relevant audiences.
- Develop a plan to take leadership on the team overseeing the CSO and flooding work in your community and/or a related leadership project to reduce flooding and sewage issues.
- Develop peer networks at the local level. Several community members from each city will participate, giving you the opportunity to collaborate and motivate one another.
The SFSR Community Leaders Fellowship Program will be professionally facilitated and include expert speakers on water policy, environmental justice, climate change/resilience, data tools, advocacy and leadership.
2023 Session dates:
Session 1(in-person): Saturday, October 7, 2023 10:00 am – 2:30 pm (meals included)
Session 2 (virtual): Thursday, October 19, 2023 6:30 – 9:00 pm
Session 3 (virtual): Thursday, November 2 2023, 6:30 – 9:00 pm
Session 4 (in-person): Saturday, November 18, 2023; 10:00 – 2:30pm (meals included)
Session 5 (virtual): Thursday, December 14, 2023 6:30 – 9:00 pm
SPACE IS LIMITED. APPLY BY SEPTEMBER 15!
$600 stipend to cover your time and completion certificate for all participants.
Please share this with others who might be interested.
Thank you for taking action and stepping up to leadership on this critical New Jersey issue!
Sign up to receive flooding, CSO and climate resilience-related updates from Sewage-Free Streets & Rivers.
With questions email: saptman@njfuture.org or info@sewagefreenj.org
