Dear Editor,
Leadership San Juan Islands is looking for 20 great islanders to become LSJI Cohort VI in January. As a graduate of Cohort V this past spring, I want to encourage your readers to consider being a part of this community building and skills development program.
How fortunate we are to have a community leadership program right here in the islands! As a newcomer (Orcas resident since 2007), I found the leadership program invaluable in multiple ways. I met 7 other Orcasians, 8 San Juan Islanders and 4 Lopezians, all of whom are interested in contributing their time and talent to the islands. We had varied interests and ideas of how we want to positively affect our communities, but shared a desire to learn from each other and our wonderful presenters. The Challenge days give a depth of information on how our county works, the issues we are currently facing and now out past is playing out today. Out of the experience new collaborations have been formed and I know I have 19 others I can count on to advise me and perhaps join me in community projects. Even those who have lived on the islands for a long time learned things they didn’t know before and appreciated the network we developed.
The application form can be found at www.leadershipsanjuanislands.org. The program runs from January to May. The 2010 LSJI Coordinator is alum Amy Windrope who can be contacted at awindrope@yahoo.com.
Louise Carnachan
Eastsound
