California Special Districts Association hosts high school and college students’ video competition

California’s high school and college students have the opportunity to earn scholarship funds by entering a video competition hosted by the California Special Districts Association (CSDA). CSDA is comprised of more than 2,000 independent service providers and provide vital services like clean water and renewable energy, fire protection and public safety, treatment of waste water, garbage removal and other community services.

California’s Special Districts include a wide variety of district types. Districts can include airports, cemeteries, community services — such as police protection, garbage removal, road maintenance and street lighting — fire protection, harbors/ports, healthcare, irrigation, libraries, mosquito and pest abatement, reclamations and levees, recreation and parks, resource conservation, sanitation, transportation, utility, veterans’ memorials and water districts.

As with most local governments, Special Districts are directly accountable to their voters and their ratepayers. Boards are elected directly by the districts’ voters and they are directly accountable to their voters and their ratepayers. They are responsible for submitting annual financial and compensation reports to the State Controller and they are mandated by state laws regarding public meetings, bonded debt, record keeping, and elections.

The main focus of the video must be on an individual Special District, a type of Special District, or a service provided by a Special District. The “Districts Make the Difference” video competition is an opportunity for students to highlight the good governance and improved local services CSDA and its members provide throughout the state through professional development, advocacy, and other services for independent special districts.

The video competition encourages students to learn more about special districts by creating a 60-second video demonstrating how special districts make a difference through their various services.  All videos submitted may be used as part of CSDA’s public awareness campaign and as educational outreach materials at the discretion of CSDA.

Finalists will be chosen at the discretion of CSDA staff, and will be judged on the quality of content and creativity. All contest submissions must certify that entrants have obtained all the necessary rights including music rights, consents, authorizations, and licenses for any and all material included in the video.  Full entry information and rules log on to: http://www.districtsmakethedifference.org/contest.

Entries are due 11:59:59 p.m. PST on October 31, 2016.  To enter the contest, visit the above website and review and download the application packet for the contest.