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  • Early Literacy in Communities and at Home

    In 2023 the Oregon Legislature passed a bill called the Early Literacy Success Initiative. This bill directs the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to help community groups and families support young children develop reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. This is to take place both in the community and at home. ODE is partnering with Oregon’s Kitchen Table to hear from families with young children and community groups who support families with young children.

    ODE is partnering with Oregon's Kitchen Table to hear from people across the state about:

    • Activities that help children develop reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills;
    • Important topics for community groups in supporting young children and developing literacy skills;
    • What people are most interested in learning about in regards to early literacy;
    • What barriers and opportunities people see to be able to have the kinds of supports for children in community and at home that they would like; and
    • What hopes families and community groups have for the children they support as they develop reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills.

    Your input will help ODE create a framework and toolkit that works for community groups to support families.  Please share your thoughts in this survey (https://tinyurl.com/okt-earlyliteracy) through April 10th. Ask people you know in Oregon who support young children in their family or through a community group to take this survey.

    Zoom Conversations for Community Groups

    If you are part of a community-based organization, group, or institution that supports families and young children as they develop reading, writing, speaking and listening skills, please join us for a Zoom conversation to talk about what could be helpful for community groups in this work.  Register for one of the Zoom conversations through the links below:

    Kitchen Table Conversation Guide

    Are you interested in hosting a conversation about what could help community groups and families support young children develop reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills?

    Contact us (email info@oregonskitchentable.org) if you want help hosting a conversation.

    PDF icon Kitchen Table Conversation Guide: For Families with Young Children PDF icon Guía de Conversación: Familias con niños pequeños PDF icon Kitchen Table Conversation Guide: For Community Groups
  • Community Engagement Related to Rogue River from Gold Ray Dam to Lost Creek Dam

    After several years of hearing from some community members about conflicting uses of the Rogue River in a stretch roughly between the now-removed Gold Ray Dam and Lost Creek Dam, a collaboration of four state agencies–Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL), Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), Oregon State Marine Board (OSMB), and Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD)--have come together to learn more about the community’s values, needs, and concerns related to this stretch of the river.

    The agencies have partnered with Oregon’s Kitchen Table, a statewide community engagement program, to give Jackson County residents and visitors a clear way to express their values, beliefs, and expectations related to this stretch of the river. That input will inform the agencies’ decision-making now and in the future. Community engagement opportunities in multiple languages and in multiple venues (including online) will be available between mid-May and late June.

    To make sure you hear about these upcoming opportunities, join our mailing list: www.oregonskitchentable.org/signup

    PDF icon Press Release
  • Forests in Oregon

    The Oregon Department of Forestry and the Board of Forestry oversee many forests in Oregon. Now they are updating their strategic plan for the forests.  ODF and the Board’s plan includes the mission, values, and goals that they use to make decisions about our state’s public and private forests. It was last updated in 2011.

    ODF and the Board are partnering with Oregon's Kitchen Table to hear from people across the state about:

    • How are you connected to forests in Oregon?
    • How would you like to be more connected to forests? What could help make those connections possible for you? 
    • What do you hope to see for the future of forests in Oregon? 

     Your input will also help the state make decisions about forests in Oregon.  Please share your thoughts in this survey (https://bit.ly/oregon-forests) through October 9th. Ask people you know who live in Oregon to take this survey.

    Kitchen Table Conversation Guide

    Are you interested in hosting a conversation about Oregon’s forests? If you want to lead a conversation, download the Kitchen Table Conversation guide. Contact us (email info@oregonskitchentable.org) if you want help hosting a group conversation about forests.

    Audio Stories from Oregonians

    People in Oregon have many different experiences in forests.  Several Oregonians have shared stories with us about how they are connected to Oregon forests.  Take a few minutes to listen to them. If you'd like to share your own story about forests in Oregon, send us an audio file to info@oregonskitchentable.org.

  • Results! What we heard about Oregon's water strategy update and considerations for the future of community engagement in Portland

    A couple of sets of results from recent OKT projects are here!  Check them out over at our results page.

    Oregon's Water Strategy

    We've had the joy of listening to and reading from 1900 Oregonians as you shared what you want to see in the update to Oregon's water strategy.  And now we get to share with you what we heard

    Across the different forms of engagement, people responded to questions and held conversations about:

    • What are your major water issues/concerns (both now and in the future)?
    • What are some ideas for solving these issues/concerns?
    • How can OWRD and other state agencies better work with your community going forward on water issues?

    Portland Engagement Project (PEP): PEP Talk Summit

    This past spring, the City of Portland, OKT and our Portland State University sister center, the Center for Public Service, brought together international and local experts for 3 days to talk about what the future of community engagement could look like for Portland.  We shared meals and traveled to different locations throughout Portland - starting at Zenger Farm in East Portland, moving to the June Key Delta Community Center in Northeast Portland, and ending at the Native American Student and Community Center downtown at PSU. We talked about what is happening in other communities - from Bogota to New York to Syracuse to Alexandria - and what the context and history of engagement in Portland has been.  Then we worked together to offer some ideas for the future as the City considers next steps in its work to develop a framework for equitable engagement.  Our faculty and graduate student team created this summary report of the three days.  The City will also be sharing video recordings from the Summit (currently in process). 
     

  • Oregon's Water Strategy

    In Oregon we have a plan for our water: the Integrated Water Resources Strategy.  This Strategy helps us understand what water we have available in Oregon and what we need for people, plants, animals, and the land. Now it’s time to update that plan. The Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) and 13 other state agencies are working with Oregon’s Kitchen Table (OKT) to hear what Oregonians want to see in the update to the Strategy.  Starting May 11th, anyone who lives in Oregon can share what they think in different ways:

    • Online survey in 9 languages - https://consultations.oregonskitchentable.org/
    • Working with community organizers and partners to hold culturally specific engagement activities
    • 7 Regional Community conversations and 1 Virtual Conversation - Learn more at https://bit.ly/water-conversations
    • Oregonians can also host their own conversation with their family, friends and neighbors.  Download the Kitchen Table Conversation guide to organize your own conversation and get the input to OKT. 
    PDF icon Kitchen Table Conversation Guide
  • PEP Talk: Portland Engagement Summit

    You're invited!

    Come for the free food, stay for the community and conversation! Please join the City of Portland's Office of Community & Civic Life and Oregon’s Kitchen Table for PEP Talk, a 3-day workshop that will discuss how we can create an equitable engagement model for the City of Portland.  This event is part of the City's Portland Engagement Project. For more information about the Portland Engagement Project, please visit the City’s website: www.portland.gov/civic/portland-engagement-project.

    The PEP Talk will bring together community engagement experts and individual Portlanders to discuss how we can build proactive engagement structures that will reduce social vulnerability and livability issues, restore trust, and support our communities to thrive.

    All Portlanders are invited to participate in one, two, or even all three days of the workshop but space is limited so please register today!

    • Day 1 – Thursday, April 27, 3:30 to 8 p.m. – Zenger Farm
    • Day 2 – Friday, April 28, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – June Key Delta Community Center
    • Day 3 – Saturday, April 29, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Portland State University Native American Student & Community Center 

    Register to attend PEP Talk here!

     

     

    Learn More about the PEP Talk Speakers!

    Andrew Wilkes
    Andrew Wilkes serves as Generation Citizen’s Chief Policy & Advocacy Officer, where he leads GC’s thought leadership, coalition building, and policy initiatives as a part of the national leadership team. Andrew comes to this role with nearly 10 years of experience in public policy, advocacy, and community organizing, particularly among congregations and community-based organizations.
     
    Prior to joining GC, Andrew was the executive director of the Drum Major Institute, a social change organization founded by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In that capacity, he executed public affairs events in Dallas, TX and Washington D.C. to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act; established the Beloved Community Initiative, a national resource on spirituality and social justice for faith communities; and relaunched the nationally renowned Marketplace of Ideas Forum to bring policy ideas to an audience of changemakers, policy professionals, and nonprofit leaders.
    Andrew also serves on the board of directors for the Labor-Religion Coalition of New York State and Habitat for Humanity – New York State.
     
     

    Bryna Helfer
    Bryna Helfer is Assistant County Manager and Director of Communications and Public Engagement for Arlington County in Virginia. Prior to joining Arlington County, she was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Engagement for the U.S. Department of Transportation and served as the Senior Advisor to the USDOT Secretary on Accessibility and Workforce Development.
     
    Bryna has more than 30 years of experience initiating, leading, and facilitating interagency coordination, program development, strategic planning, program evaluation, and systems change initiatives. She has a long history of coalition building at the federal, state, and local levels, and is known for her ability to forge partnerships between governmental programs and community-based organizations.

     
     
     

    Julia L. Carboni
    Julia Carboni is an award winning, community engaged scholar and leader with expertise in using collaboration and asset-based community development to improve the lives and wellbeing of communities. She conducts research on organizational collaboration and collaborative philanthropy with an emphasis on veteran serving networks, food systems, and community development. She teaches courses on collaboration, community development, nonprofit management, and fund development.
     
    Julia is currently an Associate Professor at the Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs where she also chairs the Maxwell School Citizenship and Civic Engagement program and serves as the Collaborative Governance Research Director for the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration. In these roles, she develops and maintains relationships with community partners to advance community and Maxwell School goals.
     
    Julia serves on the board of directors for organizations including the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action, the University Network for Collaborative Governance, the Food Bank of Central New York, and the Syracuse Onondaga Food System Alliance.
     
     

    Felipe Rey
    Felipe Rey is a founding partner and project coordinator at the democratic innovation laboratory iDeemos, which is part of the international network Democracy R&D. Throughout his academic career he has taught Public Law and Legal Theory at universities in Colombia and Spain and was a visiting researcher at the Center for Human Values at the University of Princeton.
     
    Felipe designed the Itinerant Citizens’ Assembly model, a connected series of citizen assemblies that took place in 2020 and 2021 in the city of Bogotá, sponsored by the Bogotá City Council and its public innovation laboratory, Demolab. The Itinerant Citizen Assembly is the first model from the Global South to be recognized by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development as an institutionalization alternative.
     
    iDeemos has developed important projects, such as the Mini-Public for Social Dialogue organized by “Procuraduría General de la Nación” in Colombia that took place in 2020 – one of the first deliberations in Colombia using random selection of citizens. iDeemos has signed agreements with the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy to disseminate and strengthen deliberative democracy and participated as a convenor of the Spanish language Cluster in the Global Assembly on the climate crisis in 2021. iDeemos, together with Democracy R&D, also leads the global project "The New Frontiers of Deliberative Democracy", sponsored by the National Endowment for Democracy.

     

    PDF icon PEP Talk Agendas
  • Hatfield Futures Project: Thurston Student Team

    Meet the Thurston Team from The Hatfield Futures Project! We're so excited to have Grace, Tenia, and Hannah from Springfield join us for this year's competition. Stay tuned to meet all of our teams from this year's program. 

    Names: Grace Gee, Tenia Morris, Hannah Montgomery (Thurston High School, Springfield)

    What do you love about where you live?

    There are many places to hike and explore nature in Springfield. Family lives near us.

    What are you most excited about for your Hatfield Futures proposal? 

    If it actually becomes a piece of legislation, it will be impactful for as long as it exists. We get to truly make a difference in the world.

    What is one surprising fact about each of you?

    Hannah - I am the President of the Black Student Union at Thurston.

    Grace - I have a herd of goats.

    Tenia - I am the Vice President of the Black Student Union. 

  • Hatfield Futures Project: Pendelton Student Team

    Meet the Pendleton Team from The Hatfield Futures Project! We're so excited to have Rylee, Kyah, Summer, Josie, and Mackenzie join us for this year's competition. Stay tuned to meet all of our teams from this year's program. 

    Names: Rylee Etchamendy, Kyah Hunter, Summer Wildbill, Josie Nelson, Mackenzie Walker (Pendelton High School)

    What do you love about where you live?

    It is a rural community, so there’s no traffic. It is a close community, and there is a lot of history from the Pendleton Round-Up.

    What are you most excited about for Hatfield Futures?

    Being able to have the opportunity to share our voices, and implement change for others in the community and throughout Oregon.

    What is one surprising fact about you?

    Kyah has been to Disneyland five times 

    Josie has skied in Canada.

    Rylee has held alligators before.

    Kenzie has been to Mexico. 

    Summer is a dual citizen of the Netherlands. 

  • Hatfield Futures Project: OKT Team

    Meet the Hatfield Futures Project Team from Oregon's Kitchen Table! Stay tuned over the coming weeks to meet our incredible student teams from all over the state. 

    Names: Wendy Willis, Sarah Giles, Jacque Fitzgerald, Meaghan Lingo, Roz Owen

    What do you love about where you live?

    Wendy: From SE Portland, I can walk to work and have seen sea lions in the Willamette!

    Sarah: Woodstock neighborhood in Portland has a community feel, people look out for each other across generations.

    Jacque: From SE Portland I can easily be in the woods or by water.

    Meaghan: There are so many beautiful amazing parks in NE Portland that I can walk or ride to.

    Roz: Lincoln City has a small town feel - neighbors help and look out for each other.

    What are you most excited about for Hatfield Futures?

    Wendy: I can’t wait to see and hear the ideas from these amazing young people. Lifelong relationships are being made here.

    Sarah: Excited about how the students are really coming from all over the state – it exceeded our expectations.

    Jacque: I can’t wait to bring students together from different places all over the state.

    Meaghan: Meeting all of the students who are so future minded - it’s so inspiring and makes me think about all of the possibilities!

    Roz: Seeing how students engage and what great policies emerge.

    What is one surprising fact about you?

    Wendy: I have a very clean and elegant jump shot. 

    Sarah: I’m an Irish citizen.

    Jacque: I write and produce music and released by debut album last year.

    Meaghan: I’ve never had brain freeze.

    Roz: I was offered a ballet scholarship at the University of Utah.

  • Hatfield Futures Project

    What future Oregon do we want to live in?

    Today’s high school students will be at the height of their careers and family lives in 2050. Oregon’s Kitchen Table invites high school-aged youth and students to participate in the Hatfield Futures Project!

    “The Hatfield Futures Project was definitely a highlight of the year! I was able to meet like-minded individuals and work towards a common goal, a goal that we were all passionate and excited about. Being on a Cross Regional Team was so invigorating, I loved being able to get to know my team through the project and go from being strangers to close friends. The project certainly prepared me for my future career and got me excited about making a change. The future is the youth!”

    - 2023 Hatfield Futures Participant

    The Hatfield Futures Project aims to engage students in generating innovative solutions for our most important societal, environmental, and economic issues. This can include proposals for social movements, curriculum, public education campaigns, and policy proposals. 

    Students collaborate in teams to create forward-thinking ideas and will present their proposals to community leaders, elected officials, and Portland State University Faculty and Staff at the Hatfield Futures Showcase on March 22-23, 2024. All teams will have their travel and lodging paid for, as well as a stipend for participating.

    Interested in opportunities to support these inspiring students and join them in shaping the future? Contact us about sponsorship or volunteering! 

    Oregon's Kitchen Table and PSU's College of Urban and Public Affairs partnered to launch the Hatfield Futures Project in 2022-2023.  Teams presented their policy ideas to a panel of judges at Portland State University on April 22, 2023. Learn about the Hatfield Futures Showcase here and the 2023 Hatfield Futures Project Teams here

    This project is named for Senator Mark O. Hatfield.  Senator Hatfield represented Oregon in the US Senate for 30 years in addition to serving as Governor of Oregon, Oregon Secretary State, Oregon State Representative and Senator.  Senator Hatfield believed strongly that Oregonians need to be engaged citizens if Oregon’s commitment to good government and active participation were to be fulfilled. 

    "Our problem is not the lack of knowing; it is the lack of doing. Most people know far more than they think they do."

    - Senator Mark O. Hatfield

    Sponsorship Opportunities

    PDF icon Sponsorship Opportunities PDF icon 2023 Hatfield Futures Showcase Zine PDF icon 2023-2024 Educator Packet
  • Join the conversation on Oregon's high school graduation requirements

    We're excited to host an opportunity at Oregon's Kitchen Table for all of us in Oregon to share what we think about high school graduation requirements. 

    OKT is working with Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to gather input from people across the state about state high school graduation requirements.   In 2021, the state legislature directed ODE to review state high school graduation requirements. As part of that work, ODE wants to know what matters most to people about earning a high school diploma in our state.

    It is important for policymakers to hear about your and your family’s experience in school. What you share will help ODE make recommendations about high school graduation requirements.

    In addition to the online survey, there are different ways for people to share what they think on this important topic, including a Zoom community conversation in each of the state's 19 Educational Service Districts. You can find the community conversation for the region or county you live in here.  We are also working with community organizers and partners to do culturally specific outreach and engagement. 

    Share what you think today. And encourage your family, friends, and neighbors to join you! The online survey is available in 7 languages.

    العربية    简体中文   English   Русский    Somali   Español   Tiếng Việt

  • Clatsop County District Boundary Review Results

    In August of 2021, newly released 2020 US Census data showed that the number of people living in each of Clatsop County’s five commissioner districts has shifted so that the populations of the boundaries are no longer equally balanced.  The Clatsop County Charter outlines a timeframe of 120 days from release of the census data for the County to present to the Board adjustments to the boundaries so that the “total population is allocated nearly equally between the five districts; each of contiguous territory and as compact as possible.” 

    Oregon’s Kitchen Table worked with the County to conduct a public engagement process to hear from residents of Clatsop County about what was most important to them when considering changes to the county’s district boundaries. In order to reach a number of different communities in different parts of the county, we designed a multi-faceted approach that also took into account existing COVID restrictions.  We held five public forums via Zoom during different days and times of day.  We also offered an online survey in both English and Spanish.  We conducted outreach to Spanish speaking and Latinx / Hispanic community members at two different vaccination clinics held by Consejo Hispano, a community-based organization focused on serving Spanish speaking and Latinx / Hispanic community members in Clatsop County.

    About 300 people participated in the different forms of engagement activities. A total of 253 people responded to the OKT online survey available in English and Spanish. 40 people participated via survey questions on paper at two vaccination clinic events.  Approximately 25 Clatsop County residents participated in public forums. These activities were conducted between October 12th and November 5th, 2021.  Read the summary report from Oregon's Kitchen Table here.

    County staff shared the results of the community engagement and provided recommendations on district boundary changes to the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners in December 2021.  You can view the boundary changes here

  • Portland State University: ReImagine Campus Safety 

    Share your thoughts here! 

    Last fall, PSU President Percy announced the creation of a new Reimagine Campus Safety Committee (RCSC) - made up of students, staff, and faculty - to understand the array of safety needs of the campus community and to reimagine an approach to meeting those needs that reflects our commitment to racial justice and human dignity. The RCSC has been working to develop recommendations for not only new functional approaches to campus safety and security, but cultural shifts that will call forth a new vision of a welcoming campus that promotes well-being and creates the conditions for genuine belonging for all members of the PSU community. 

    Now the RCSC would like to know what is important to members of the PSU community about safety and belonging on campus.  This fall, Oregon's Kitchen Table be hosting an online survey.  We are also providing materials and resources for groups to hold their own discussions as well as facilitation assistance for community groups.  Contact OKT (info@oregonskitchentable.org) for assistance or download a discussion packet here

    We have until October 29th to share what we think either online or in community discussions. The online survey will be open through October 29th.

  • Safe Medicine Return in Oregon

    The state of Oregon has a new program to make sure people have ways to get rid of their family's unwanted medicines safely.  The program gives people places to turn in unwanted medicines rather than throw them away or flush them. This program is called the Drug Take Back Program.  And now it's time for you to share what would make it easier for you to participate.

    Through this program, people in Oregon can return medicines that are expired or that they no longer want safely by:

    • Leaving them at drop-off sites
    • Picking up mail-back packets, or
    • Asking for envelopes be sent mailed directly to you that are prepaid and addressed to turn in their medicines by mail 

    MED-Project USA - a non-profit group that offers ways for people to turn in medicines that are expired or they no longer want - is working with the state to make sure that drop-off sites and other ways of turning in medicines are easy for communities around Oregon.  The state's new law wants to make sure this program serves "minority, lower-income, rural and other historically underserved communities."

    And now MED-Project wants to hear from Oregonians as it sets up its services for collecting unwanted medicines. 

    Oregon's Kitchen Table is gathering input this spring through listening sessions and small group and individual interviews.  You can also share your thoughts about safely getting rid of your medicines online through OKT.  

    Please fill out this short survey if you live in Oregon. You and others can fill it out until June 16, 2021. Please invite your friends, neighbors, and family to fill out the survey, too.  The survey is also available in multiple languages.

    简体中文      Русский      Somali      Español      Tiếng Việt

  • Take a Seat at Oregon’s Kitchen Table: Adapting Targeted Universalism for Broad and Deep Civic Engagement

    As Oregon's Kitchen Table has grown since our founding a decade ago to provide more meaningful opportunities for Oregonians all over the state to participate in public decision making, we've come to identify and embrace a few philosophical frameworks for our work and to hold ourselves accountable in achieving our purpose.  We have learned about Popular Education and the work of community healthworkers and those principles and approaches have resonated with us as we think about our foundations here at Oregon's Kitchen Table (more to come on that in the future!).  And at the same time that OKT was starting out, Berkeley professor john a. powell began to introduce a framework he calls “targeted universalism”, which has become a significant guide for us as OKT has and continues to evolve. In a 2020 piece published in the National Civic Review, "Take a Seat at Oregon’s Kitchen Table: Adapting Targeted Universalism for Broad and Deep Civic Engagement," OKT Director Wendy Willis shares how targeted universalism informs our thinking about civic engagement and improves our democracy.  Read on for more. 

     

     

  • Recommendations from the First Oregon Citizen Assembly

    We're so excited to share with you the recommendations from the first Oregon Citizen Assembly - a group of Oregonians from across the state and all walks of life who came together for 7 weeks this summer (over Zoom) to discuss and deliberate on COVID-19 Recovery.  Their report includes both Core Principles and Policy Recommendations. The project was a partnership between Oregon’s Kitchen Table and Healthy Democracy. Panelists were randomly selected from across the state of Oregon, to reflect a microcosm of the state on age, gender, race/ethnicity, geographic location, political party registration, educational attainment, and voter frequency.

    The Principles and Recommendations were written by the Assembly’s Citizen Panelists, after reviewing written testimony, hearing from a variety of expert witnesses, and deliberating over seven two-hour sessions.  They also reviewed responses from an Oregon's Kitchen Table survey to get a sense of what other Oregonians across the state are thinking about (watch for our full report from that input in the coming weeks!). They represent the words of Panelists themselves without editing from staff.  

    You can also watch a virtual press conference where OCA members present their recommendations to Oregon State Senator Jeff Golden.  

    We can't wait to see what future iterations of the Oregon Citizen Assembly looks like. There are plenty more  places where the wisdom of groups like the OCA can be brought to help shape issues around the state. Thank you for being with us over the past few weeks! 

     

    PDF icon Oregon Citizen Assembly on COVID-19 Recovery Principles and Recommendations
  • Your Fellow Oregonians Want to Hear from You

    Your fellow Oregonians on the Oregon Citizen Assembly invite you to join them in helping shape recommendations to decision makers on Oregon's recovery from COVID19 and the economic crisis.  

    This summer we are engaged in an important democratic experiment with our friends at Healthy Democracy: Oregon’s first Citizen Assembly. A Citizens' Assembly is a group of 40 ordinary people with different backgrounds. They discuss public issues and then recommend future policy. They were selected randomly and the group is balanced to match the communities that make up Oregon.

    The Oregon Citizen Assembly is discussing the state’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis. After their first two meetings (you can watch portions here), they decided to focus on K-12 Education and Rent / Mortgage Assistance.  As they look at those two topics, they are also responding to a question from a state senator about how the pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated racial and economic inequities and what might be done to address those inequities.

    Now they would like to hear from their fellow Oregonians via Oregon's Kitchen Table.  Pull up your seat and share your experiences, ideas, and concerns with the members of the Oregon Citizen Assembly. Please invite your friends and family to fill out the survey, too.

    The survey will close on Wednesday August 5th at 12 noon. The following night, Augusut 6, we will share the results with the Citizen Assembly. We will also post results here and send you a link to the results.

    Your fellow Oregonians thank you!

  • The First Oregon Citizen Assembly

    We want to share with you a new effort we are launching this summer with our friends at Healthy Democracy - the Oregon Citizen Assembly.  This summer Oregonians from all walks of life will participate in our state’s first virtual Citizen Assembly to weigh in on what could be some of the state’s most important policy considerations in a generation as the state recovers from COVID.

    The virtual Citizen Assembly will meet weekly in July and August 2020. They will discuss, deliberate, and develop a set of recommendations for Oregon’s COVID recovery that will be published online in late August and provided to decisionmakers. The Assembly models the kind of participatory democracy growing around the globe in recent years.

    The 2020 Oregon Citizen Assembly on COVID-19 Recovery is comprised of 40 individuals from across the state and from diverse backgrounds. The pool of participants were randomly selected to reflect the demographic makeup of Oregon (you can read about the selection process and watch a video of it here). The Assembly will meet for two hours each week, for six weeks, to consider and discuss key questions put forth by state decision-makers.  Partway through the process, participants will have a chance to check in with their fellow Oregonians through a survey conducted by Oregon’s Kitchen Table. 

    Portions of the Citizen Assembly will be open to public observers via livestream on Healthy Democracy’s YouTube Channel. The public sessions will also recorded and available here.  Join us in this opportunity for Oregonians to share their needs and priorities for the recovery.

    You can read principals and recommendations from the Oregon Citizen Assembly on COVID19 Recovery here

  • Levee Ready Columbia

    If you live in, work in, or own a business in Multnomah County, now is the time to help shape important decisions that will affect our region! Along the Columbia River - from Smith and Bybee Lakes near Historic Vanport to the Portland Airport and to the Sandy River in Troutdale - a levee is protecting us from flooding. 

    A group of over 20 organizations that has been working on making sure the levee system meets federal requirements to prevent flooding, wants to hear from you. From June 3 to July 5th, go to Oregon’s Kitchen Table  to let that group, Levee Ready Columbia, know your thoughts about the future of the Columbia River Levee.  The online survey is available in English, Spanish, and Russian. We will also be holding listening sessions in Spanish, Russian, Somali, Chinese, and Vietnamese during the month of June.

    The areas around the Columbia River Levee are home to neighborhoods, businesses, natural areas, major highways, trails, airports recreation, parks, and one of our region’s main sources of drinking water. Share your values and hopes for this important part of our region. Your input will help Levee Ready Columbia work with the community to plan the future of the levees. 

    Survey responses will be received until July 12, 2019 and compiled by Oregon’s Kitchen Table to ensure their anonymity. We will share a summary of responses later this summer. So pull up a chair today at Oregon’s Kitchen Table – and share widely with your friends, neighbors, and colleagues in the area.                                                                                                                                                                                               

  • Mid-Coast Water Planning Partnership Engagement

    Water and water supply affects all aspects of life in the Mid-Coast region - and now's your opportunity to weigh in on planning for the region's water. The Mid-Coast Water Planning Partnership is made up of people with many different water interests from Cascade Head to Cape Perpetua and is working to balance a number of water needs and factors in our region.  And now - they want to hear your thoughts and ideas.

    Most of the region's water falls as rain during the winter and most of that water is not stored for very long. During the summer, when there is little rain, the Mid-Coast faces water shortages and droughts like other places in Oregon. In 2018, Lincoln County was in a severe drought for most of the summer. Starting today, people who live in, work in, own a business in, or often visit the Mid-Coast (from Cascade Head to Cape Perpetua) can weigh in at Oregon’s Kitchen Table (https://consultations.oregonskitchentable.org/water) to help make decisions about how to best prepare our region to meet our water needs.

    Tackling water issues will take everyone. So, it’s time  to hear from you! We need as many people as possible who live, work, own businesses, or often visit the Mid-Coast to share their opinions. 

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