Daisy Ramirez, pictured in the yellow hat, is a health educator and fellow from the Women’s Policy Institute-County Class of 2016.
For the last ten months, Daisy’s WPI-County team has fought tirelessly to erect bus shelters that would protect families waiting for public transportation under the blistering sun of the rural Eastern Coachella Valley. (This photo was taken at a temporary shelter erected by advocates during a demonstration.) In the process, Daisy and her teammates have become experts in county-level government structures and budgets, policy research, community organizing, and public speaking. Now, nearing the end of her WPI-County fellowship, Daisy is equipped to tackle this urgent public health issue, train others in local-level policy advocacy, and become an even more powerful leader in her community.
“The Women’s Policy Institute has helped me obtain a greater understanding of policy development and implementation. The support WPI provides is a great resource as we continue empowering communities,” said Daisy.
For the past 13 years, our WPI program has trained nearly 400 community-based leaders like Daisy in advocating for policy change at the state and county levels in California.
WPI-County is a year-long policy advocacy fellowship program for pre-formed teams of 3 to 5 women and trans leaders based in the same county. These teams are ready to roll up their sleeves and learn how to shape real policy solutions to the complex challenges that their counties and communities face. Because we believe in investing in diverse and grassroots leaders, our WPI-County program is bilingual—English and Spanish.
Applications are now open for WPI-County Class of 2017-18. We’re recruiting pre-formed teams from Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside and Monterey counties. If you have questions, sign up for one of our January 2017 informational webinars. Applications are due January 24, 2017.