BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT:
Title
Office of Civic Engagement Annual Board Update 2020.
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Receive information and updates on the programs and activities in the Office of Civic Engagement.
Body
SUMMARY:
Staff is providing the Board with the annual update for the Office of Civic Engagement. This report covers the period from December 2019 through October 2020.
The Office of Civic Engagement manages the following program areas:
* Water Supply Outreach & Volunteer Stewardship
* Community Benefits
* Watershed Outreach & Education
* Youth Commission
All programs are designed to educate, engage, and make positive impacts in the community through partnerships and collaborations in support of Santa Clara Valley Water District's (Valley Water) goals and mission.
This year, due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, many of the community engagement and outreach programs and activities were temporarily impacted early on. All in-person tours, classroom presentations, and large volunteer cleanup events were postponed or cancelled altogether. Despite shelter-in-place orders staff pivoted quickly to continue engagements through virtual platforms and developed social distancing guidelines to adhere to public health orders. Within weeks of the countywide shelter-in-place order, most programs were back up and available to the public through virtual platforms.
Water Supply Outreach and Volunteer Stewardship Program
The Water Supply Outreach and Volunteer Stewardship Program is responsible for educating the community on Valley Water's comprehensive water supply system, including recycled and purified water and various infrastructure projects. The program area is also responsible for the implementation of community volunteer programs, such as the Water 101 Academy and Creek Stewardship.
The Water Supply Outreach program hosted educational tours of Valley Water's various infrastructure projects, flood protection projects, water treatme...
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