The NPLI implementation team spent May 22–23 in Merced, California, bringing together PLTI alumni, facilitators, families, and community partners for a weekend of connection, celebration, and continued learning.
A Countywide Alumni Reunion
On Friday, nearly 80 PLTI alumni representing more than 13 years of cohorts across Merced County came together for the community’s first countywide alumni reunion. Families joined the celebration too, with approximately 25 children taking part in activities throughout the evening.
For many graduates, the gathering offered something they had been missing: an opportunity to reconnect with alumni from other cohorts, learn what others have been doing since graduation, and build new relationships across the larger PLTI community.
Throughout the evening, alumni shared how they have continued putting their leadership into practice. Graduates have launched community projects, served on boards and committees, worked to improve local systems, and even run for public office. PLTI alumni also helped facilitate portions of the gathering, putting the skills they developed through the program back to work within their own community.
Merced County has a long history with the Parent Leadership Training Institute, which continues to offer PLTI in both English and Spanish. Earlier this spring, the Merced County Office of Education celebrated another 48 PLTI graduates from Merced and Los Banos, along with 29 children who participated in CLTI.
Today, PLTI graduates in Merced are part of a national network of more than 15,000 alumni who continue bringing their experience and leadership into their families and communities.
PLTI graduates who want to stay connected with NPLI’s national alumni community can find our social channels and Alumni Community Group through NPLI’s Linktree. For questions about alumni opportunities, contact Liliana Uribe, NPLI Alumni and Parent Leader Engagement Specialist, at liliana@parentswholead.org.
Continuing to Learn Together
On Saturday, the focus shifted to facilitators. Approximately 35 experienced bilingual facilitators from Merced County, Sacramento, Solano, and surrounding communities participated in an NPLI Facilitator Refresher Training.
The training built on needs identified through NPLI’s ongoing technical assistance with PLTI sites. Facilitators practiced techniques, exchanged strategies from their own classrooms, and explored topics including conflict resolution, effective facilitation, and quality indicators that support strong PLTI experiences.
Just as importantly, the refresher gave facilitators from different communities time to learn from one another and strengthen relationships beyond their individual sites.
The weekend also offered a small but meaningful example of the PLTI leadership pipeline: interpretation for the training was provided by a PLTI alumnus who brought his own skills back to support the next generation of facilitators.
Thank You to Our Partners
We’re grateful to UC Merced, the Merced County Office of Education, and Valley Onward for their partnership and support of the PLTI and CLTI communities. A special thank you to UC Merced for welcoming participants to campus and providing the ice cream social that helped make Friday’s reunion even more memorable.
We also thank Karina Contreras and the MCOE PLTI team, Sol Rivas and Valley Onward, our interpretation partners, and the many alumni and facilitators who made the weekend possible.
Two days in Merced reminded us that graduating from PLTI doesn’t have to mean the end of the journey. Alumni continue to lead, facilitators continue to learn, and the relationships built through PLTI can continue growing long after a cohort ends.
