The Results

Four state agencies–Department of State Lands (DSL), the Oregon State Marine Board (OSMB), Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD), and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW)– partnered with Oregon’s Kitchen Table (OKT) to ask people how they use, protect, and feel about the stretch of the Upper Rogue River between between the old Gold Ray Dam site and Lost Creek Dam.

In May 2024, OKT launched a community engagement process with the goal of reaching a wide range of community members who live in or visit Jackson County. Community members participated through completing online and paper surveys, by attending one or more OKT-hosted community conversations, by attending a Kitchen Table conversation hosted by a local organization and/or County officials, by talking to OKT staff at community events, and by writing letters sharing their experiences and opinions. Between mid-May and early July, over 2,600 people participated across all forms of engagement.

The report from Oregon’s Kitchen Table consists of an Executive Summary followed by the full report, which includes the following sections:

• Engagement Goals and Participation
• Current Connections and Future Hopes
• Conflicts and Concerns
• Addressing Conflicts and Concerns to Realize Hopes
• Recommendations for Future Engagement

Compromiso Comunitario del Upper Rogue River

Cuatro agencias del estado: El Departamento de Tierras Estatales (DSL por sus siglas en inglés), la Junta Estatal Marina (OSMB por sus siglas en inglés), el Departamento de Parques y Recreación  (OPRD por sus siglas en inglés) y el Departamento de Pesca y Fauna Silvestre (ODFW por sus siglas en inglés) colaboraron con Oregon’s Kitchen Table (OKT por sus siglas en inglés) para preguntar a las personas cómo utilizan, protegen y se sienten respecto al tramo superior del río Rogue, el Upper Rogue River, entre el área de la antigua represa de Gold Ray  y la represa de Lost Creek.

En el mes de mayo del 2024, OKT lanzó un proceso de compromiso comunitario con el objetivo de alcanzar una amplia gama de miembros comunitarios quienes viven o visitan el condado de Jackson. Los miembros de la comunidad participaron completando encuestas en línea o en papel, participando en una o más de las conversaciones comunitarias auspiciadas por OKT, asistiendo a conversaciones auspiciadas por organizaciones y/o funcionarios del estado, entablando conversaciones con empleados de OKT durante eventos comunitarios y enviando cartas por escrito compartiendo sus experiencias y opiniones. Entre mediados de mayo y principio del mes de julio más de 2600 personas participaron en alguna de las formas de  compromiso ofrecidas.

El reporte de Oregon’s Kitchen Table consiste en un Resumen Ejecutivo seguido por un reporte completo, el cual incluye las siguientes secciones:

• Objetivos y participación  del compromiso
• Conexiones actuales y anhelos futuros
• Conflictos y preocupaciones
• Enfrentar conflictos y preocupaciones para lograr cumplir lo anhelado
• Recomendaciones para compromisos futuros

In November 2022, the Board of Forestry (the Board) along with the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) launched an effort to develop a new strategic plan. A subcommittee of the Board focused on developing the strategic plan recognized the need to hear from Oregonians on what they value and envision for Oregon forests. ODF partnered with Oregon Kitchen Table (OKT) to hear from people throughout Oregon about what they want to see in the new strategic plan. Over 4,000 people from every county in Oregon participated in the different forms of engagement activities. People participated in nine languages.

The purpose of this Oregon’s Kitchen Table project was twofold: 1. to hear from people throughout Oregon about what connects them to Oregon forests and what matters most to them for ODF and the Board to consider in updating their strategic plan; and 2. to hear from Oregonians who have not been part of state-level discussions on forests in the past. In order to meet these goals and reach those various communities, we created a number of ways for residents of Oregon to provide input in multiple languages over several months starting in June 2023 and concluding in February 2024.

The report from Oregon's Kitchen Table includes:

• An executive summary;
• A description of the project’s outreach and engagement activities;
• General observations from across the entire community engagement process;
• How people are connected to and hope to be connected to Oregon forests;
• Concerns, experiences, and perspectives people have related to Oregon forests;
• How people are thinking about extreme events and Oregon forests;
• Recommendations about future engagement efforts;
• A brief conclusion; and
• Appendices.

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. The Strategy (or IWRS) is updated every five years. In spring 2023 the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) and 13 other state agencies worked with Oregon’s Kitchen Table to hear what Oregonians want to see in the update to the 2017 Strategy.  

The goals of the community engagement process conducted by OKT was twofold: 1. to hear from people throughout Oregon about what matters most to them related to how state agencies understand and meet Oregon’s different water needs; and 2. to hear from Oregonians who have not traditionally been included in statewide conversations about water.  Over the course of two months, we heard from around 1900 people around Oregon through online and paper surveys, formal Regional Community Conversations, self-organized community conversations, and culturally specific community organizing activities. 

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?

Read the full report to OWRD and partner agencies and a summary of what we heard in 8 languages below. 

Oregon’s population of people 65 years or older is likely to increase from about 18 percent of people to nearly 22 percent by 2040.  In addition, there is growing diversity among the future aging populations.  During the fall and winter of 2021–2022, nonprofit AGE+ worked with Oregon’s Kitchen Table (OKT), to conduct a public engagement process to hear from people throughout Oregon about their thoughts and hopes for aging well. AGE+ recognized that there was a lot of disparate information representing the concerns of older people.  In initiating a statewide community engagement process, AGE+ sought to ensure that existing information was accurate, complete, and represented the broad range of older adults in Oregon. They sought a process to reach every geographic area of the state (all counties) and ensure that responses reflected communities that are not often heard from, including communities that have traditionally been excluded from public decision-making and those who care for and about older adults. Approximately 1,500 people participated in the various engagement opportunities from October 2021 to January 2022.  The summary report provides an overview of the common themes that emerged.  It also describes the policy areas that people in Oregon are interested in for groups building a comprehensive plan for aging in Oregon to consider. 

In 2021, the Oregon Legislature asked the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to review the state’s high school graduation requirements. The goal: to better understand how well they are working for students, families, employers, and educational and training institutions after high school. 

An important focus of our civic engagement work was understanding how equitable graduation requirements are for students who belong to one or more of these groups: 

• Tribal members
• LGBTQ2SIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, 2 Spirit, Intersex, Asexual, plus other non-heterosexual orientations or genders)
• English learners
• People with a disability
• People who have been or at present are without a house
• People who are immigrants or refugees
• People who are migrant workers or students from migrant worker families
• Youth in foster care
• Students who have changed high schools

In early 2022, ODE partnered with Oregon’s Kitchen Table to get input from people across the state. We connected with over 3,500 people, living in every county in Oregon: families, students, advocates, teachers and many others. Our discussions happened in person and online, through a statewide survey, and in seven languages. Over half of the people we talked to with belong to one or more of the groups listed above. 

Participants in this extensive community engagement effort shared many values and beliefs about how and when students are assessed for high school graduation. People identified inequities they have seen or experienced in meeting graduation requirements, as well as the need for culturally appropriate support for students. We also heard agreement on the kinds of critical skills and knowledge people think are valuable for students after high school. There were also differences in people’s opinions, particularly around the form of assessments and the role the state should play in assessing students. 

The Oregon Department of Education used information gathered through community engagement to inform a broader set of recommendations regarding high school graduation requirements to the Oregon Legislature and the State Board of Education. You can read these recommendations here and find out more information here. 

The entire Oregon’s Kitchen Table community engagement report and the short summaries of the report in seven languages are below.

In fall 2021 / early 2022 Oregon’s Kitchen Table conducted a second phase of community engagement activities with the Mid-Coast Water Planning Partnership and communities in Lincoln County to hear what people thought about the Partnership's Water Action Plan, focusing on what actions people prioritized and ways they might also play a role themselves. This was a second phase of community engagement after 2018's initial work with the Partnership to hear what people knew about their water, what they valued about their water, and what initial strategies they might be interested in as the Partnership began considering strategies and actions. Engagement activities in 2021 / 2022 includes individual interviews, listening sessions and targeted outreach with members of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Latinx and Indigenous community members, large industrial water users and other businesses, and the tourism/hospitality industry.  OKT also followed up with the participants in the 2018 online survey who provided contact information at that time.  
 

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.

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

In summer 2020, Oregon’s Kitchen Table and Healthy Democracy co-convened Oregon’s first Citizen  Assembly. 36 Oregonians from all walks of life met seven times via Zoom to discuss, deliberate, and develop a set of recommendations for Oregon’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and economic and social aftermath.  

During their initial meetings, the citizen panelists decided to focus on K-12 education and rent/mortgage assistance as their two main COVID-19 recovery topics.  As they deliberated on those two topics, they were 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. 

The Assembly’s Citizen Panelists reviewed written public testimony to the Oregon Legislature’s Joint Special Committee on Coronavirus Response, heard from a variety of expert witnesses, and deliberated 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 regarding COVID-19 and K-12 education and rent/mortgage assistance. 

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! 

In late fall 2018, the Mid-Coast Water Planning Partnership (the Partnership), in collaboration with Oregon’s Kitchen Table, conducted a public engagement process to gather input from people who work in, live in, own a business in, or often visit Oregon’s Mid-Coast (from Cascade Head to Cape Perpetua) about their knowledge, values, and beliefs about water and the future of water in the region. Nearly 680 people from throughout the region took part in a variety of engagement opportunities, including communities listening sessions in Spanish and Mam.  11% of participants identified as Spanish speaking.  This engagement was part of the work that the Partnership has undertaken to balance the region's water needs now and in the future. 

In fall 2017, the City of Hood River sought to hear from community members - particularly from underengaged populations - about their values and beliefs around housing affordability and availability in the City of Hood River.  Oregon's Kitchen Table hosted an online survey and facilitated small group listening sessions in both Spanish and English.  We also distributed and collected Spanish responses via paper and conducted one-on-one interviews in Spanish to solicit input from Spanish speakers in the area.  Nearly 1,000 people who work in, live in, or would like to live in the City of Hood River participated, including over 200 Spanish speakers.  The report includes results from all methods of engagement in this project. 

En primavera de 2017, el gobierno de la ciudad de Hood River (de ahora en adelante, la “Ciudad”)* junto con Oregon’s Kitchen Table (de ahora en adelante, OKT), implementaron un instrumento de compromiso oficial para escuchar a las personas que trabajen, vivan o quisieran vivir en la ciudad, sobre sus valores y creencias respecto a vivienda asequible y disponible en la ciudad. El siguiente resumen ejecutivo ofrece tanto un panorama del proceso de compromiso oficial, como los hallazgos más importantes. El informe adjunto tiene cuatro secciones: los resultados de la encuesta en línea; los temas que se escucharon en las sesiones de escucha en inglés; el alcance a la comunidad hispanohablante y sus respuestas, y una breve conclusión. 

A team of community leaders from John Day and throughout Grant County, in partnership with Oregon’s Kitchen Table (OKT), conducted an online consultation in June 2017 to engage residents of, business owners in, and visitors to John Day to weigh in on possible strategies to help make John Day and all of Grant County as economically strong and vibrant as possible. John Day is considering how to create a vision for the future that both supports the traditional economy and creates opportunities for residents to innovate and expand into new economic frontiers. The community leaders working on this project imagine a future in which residents create lasting prosperity for the whole community by both respecting tradition and taking advantage of future opportunities in new and emerging markets.The OKT consultation provided some background on Grant County’s visioning efforts and asked a series of questions about potential projects, a potential vision for John Day, and community values.  A series of demographic questions also informed the team who responded to the survey. 330 participants responded to the survey.

On June 3, 2016, a 96-car train carrying nearly three million gallons of Bakken Crude Oil derailed in downtown Mosier, Oregon. Sixteen cars left the tracks, and four tank cars caught fire. About 47,000 gallons spilled into the air, the ground, the ground water, the Columbia River, and the City’s waste-water treatment plant. After the immediate emergency response and basic clean up, the City, the Fire District, and the School Foundation came together to form Team Mosier. Team Mosier is negotiating with representatives of Union Pacific Railroad to seek an agreement on what Union Pacific will do to correct the problems that the spill created, to reduce the possibilities that similar events will occur in the future, and to improve the ability of the community to respond to potential future events. Team Mosier  generated a potential list of projects that meet those criteria and will contribute to community resiliency.

In September 2016, Team Mosier collaborated with Oregon’s Kitchen Table to design and facilitate a community workshop on the completeness of the list and on community priorities amongst the projects on the list.  View the results of the public workshop in Team Mosier's full report.

From October 26^th – December 7^th, the South Wasco County Alliance, Rural Fire Foundation, Wamic Boating Access Improvement Committee and Wasco County invited individuals who recreate, live, or own property in South Wasco County to give input on recreation in the region. The consultation instrument was developed by Oregon’s Kitchen Table (OKT) in collaboration with South Wasco County Parks and Recreation Group. A total of 289 respondents took part in the consultation across 81 unique zip codes. Results from this consultation will help inform Wasco County of the priorities and values around recreation in the region. 

From April to mid-May, Portland Public Schools (PPS) invited staff, students, parents and the wider district population over the age of 13 to participate in the PPS 2025 survey using both online and paper versions. The survey questionnaire was developed by Oregon’s Kitchen Table (OKT) with selected District staff and PPS’ District-wide Boundary Review Advisory Committee (DBRAC). PPS developed the distribution strategy, which differed by school. A total of 4,099 respondents took part in the survey. For online distribution, the survey was made available to OKT’s entire membership in the PPS district (targeted by zip codes), as well as through PPS’ social media and email lists. Paper copies were made available to all schools district. PPS and OKT contracted and partnered with community organizations (Latino Network, Self Enhancement Inc., IRCO: Asian Family Center, IRCO: Africa House, Hacienda CDC, Russian Oregon Social Services, Muslim Education Trust, Oregon Community Health Worker Association, Urban League, Association of Slavic Immigrants, Slavic Community Center, New Portlanders Advisory Council, El Programa Hispano), to improve participation particularly among historically underrepresented groups. Distribution of hard copies was also achieved through community engagement events. Surveys were made available online and in paper in all six of the District’s supported languages: English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Somali, Russian, and Mandarin/Chinese.