Acequia Career and Livelihood Program
NMAA is dedicated to helping the young people of New Mexico discover and be successful in career and livelihood paths that bring them health and happiness – and also contribute to the wellbeing of their communities, acequias, land and water.
We are honored to help train and mentor the next generation of acequia farmers and ranchers; mayordomos and commissioners; and curanderas, adoberas, leñeros and cocineros – while also helping youth understand how their diverse interests in arts and languages, sciences, engineering and tech trades (and so much more!) can connect to their querencia and families. We encourage youth to dream big – and to see the value in both their school education, and in the hands-on skills and ancestral knowledge taught within their communities.
Our youth career and livelihood work happens through our Sembrando Semillas Youth Project, Los Sembradores Farmer Training, classroom presentations, Acequia Culture Youth Leadership Institute AND in special programing – learn more below!
2022 Online Event Series – Con Nuestros Corazones, Para Nuestra Gente: Career & Life Paths To Care For Your Acequia Community
The New Mexico Acequia Association is excited to share a series of online gatherings for young people from acequia communities – “Con Nuestros Corazones, Para Nuestra Gente (With Our Hearts, For Our People): Career & Life Paths To Care For Your Acequia Community”. This series builds off of our March 2021 Acequia Career Day, which brought together over 200 youth from across the state!
From February – June 2022 we will host EIGHT different online events – you are invited to join all the sessions, or just the ones that interest you most! Each one will focus on a different way that you can use your unique interests and skills to help care for your community and the land and water of New Mexico. Each event will feature inspiring local leaders who will share what they do with their career and life, why they love it, how they got there, and how you can get involved.
This series is for middle school, high school and college aged youth.
** CLICK HERE TO REGISTER AS AN INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP **
** SCHEDULE **
Free & Online (join by Zoom or phone)
ALL session are held from 5:00-6:30pm
Wednesday February 16 – Feeding Our People: Acequia Farming, Ranching & Food Businesses
Thursday February 24 – Leading & Organizing: The Work of Mayordomos & Commissioners
Wednesday March 9 – Con Nuestras Manos: Adobe, Wood, Weaving & Herbal Medicine Making
Thursday March 24 – The Heart of Acequia Culture: Artists, Musicians & Poets
Thursday April 7 – El Agua No Se Vende: Law & Policy Advocacy
Wednesday May 4 – Telling Our Stories: Acequia History, Storytelling & Documentarian Work
Wednesday June 15 – Soil, Water, Forest & Climate Science to Care for Acequias
Thursday June 30 – Using Tech to Protect Traditions: Infrastructure, Engineering & Mapping
** CLICK HERE TO REGISTER AS AN INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP **