Our Vision

Arizona Project WET will set the standard for water-related education programming and resources in the state. We will build a population that is knowledgeable and empowered to take action for water sustainability to support Arizona’s diverse communities and ecosystems.

Our Mission

To meet the needs of our community by using relevant, research-based educational strategies and techniques in helping people develop knowledge and skills that equip them to take action for water stewardship.

What We Do

We build water-literate leaders, educators, professionals and stewards by:

  • Developing and providing teacher professional development that deepens water-related content knowledge and evolves instructional practice.

  • Delivering direct student and community outreach that inspires students through relevant, water-focused experiences.

  • Using our expertise as educators to connect community water stewards and the k-12 education system.

Equality Diversity Inclusion (EDI) Statement

We are committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Arizona Project WET is committed to the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of our work. A wide array of perspectives enables us to be more effective, creative,and relevant to people’s lives. We strive to respect the beliefs, languages, interpersonal styles, and values of all individuals. Arizona Project WET’s goal is to create an environment that is inclusive, supportive, equitable, and utilizes the talents of underrepresented groups as drivers of change. Diverse experiences and perspectives are integral to the accomplishment of our mission.

We deliver equitable instruction to all types of schools and other educational entities who request our support.

We provide accessibility and inclusion for all learners by using multiple learning modalities in our instruction.

We meet students where they are, helping them construct their own knowledge through exploration and discovery.

We level the playing field in the delivery of STEM units by providing expertise, logistical planning, and the use and loan of equipment and supplies which support all learners.

We activate learning using models, simulations, and visuals making it accessible for all students.

We focus on diverse communities delivering project-based education across the state.

We seek out partnerships with different organizations to expand our reach to diversify and broaden our audience and community.

We deliver inclusive programs by working with our sponsors to meet specific community needs.

We incorporate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into our hiring practices.

And, we know we have a lot of work still to do ...

Land Acknowledgement

DISCOVER WATER IN YOUR WORLD

  • Recognize-In Arizona, we reside on land and benefit from resources that have been stewarded by indigenous peoples for generations. https://native-land.ca/
  • Respect -Arizona Project WET values the perspectives, ecological knowledge, and traditional ways of knowing and learning of indigenous people.
  • Relationships -Education is vital to building this respect and understanding. We will seek relationships to better incorporate Indigenous perspectives and learning processes into our instruction.
  • Responsibility-The goal of our education programs is to inspire stewardship for the land and resources. In doing so, we strive to foster gratitude for indigenous voices past and present that can lead us toward a balanced relationship with the land

Education

Engage, Explore, then Explain

Arizona Project WET’s instructional practices have students doing, exploring, discoveringand explaining, which is in perfect alignment with the Arizona Science Standards approach. We help students figure out how their world works and make sense of phenomena in the natural world. Arizona Project WET lessons provide real world relevancy that makes learning engaging, interesting,and action-oriented for Arizona students at all grade levels.

Arizona Project WET educators know that sense-making is a conceptual process and have created models and facilitated sessions that help students construct logical and coherent explanations about their learning. These teaching methods help learners build a framework for learning that deepens their understanding.

Providing the most equitable and effective forms of instruction for Arizona Project WET means incorporating all learning modalities into a student-centered approach.

Water Resources

We tell Arizona’s water story

Arizona Project WET learners grapple with the intricacies of interconnected surface water, groundwater, the hydrologic cycle, as well as climate change, water management, and conservation. We offer real world relevancy based on the best, most up-to-update science, and most pressing issues. All water users have a voice in the study of water-Native Nations, large-scale manufacturers, animals, farmers, plants, and even the river itself.

Arizona Project WET Education digs into Arizona’s water resources exploring distinctions about them, relationships between them, and the management of them. We explore the unseen groundwater system that provides 41% of Arizona’s water supply and offers water storage unaffected by evaporation. We extol the brilliance of both the SRP and the Hohokam People before them, for their use of gravity to move water where it’s needed. We challenge students to match the engineering feat achieved by CAPengineers of moving water 336 miles across the Sonoran Desert uphill 2,900 feet.

We study the long history of water management and use that narrative and current innovations to teach wise water use in a complex and ever-changing mix of water resources.