What is Community Engagement at the Kitchen Table?
Oregon’s Kitchen Table creates community engagement opportunities to allow Oregonians to influence the decisions that impact their lives. We believe in offering many different ways for people to participate in these decisions, from activities that require little time or effort to activities that invite people to come together over longer periods of time and deliberate with one another. We also believe that no one way of participation is better or more important than another.
Here are examples of some of the ways we have involved Oregonians in the decisions that impact them:
- Community conversations: we host conversations - always with food if we are gathering in person! - open to any member of the community where the project is taking place. These are discussion-based and aimed at allowing people to hear from each other as well as for decision makers and OKT to hear from people.
- Culturally and linguistically specific community conversations: we work with community organizers and partners to invite people to gather and share in the spaces and languages in which they are most comfortable.
- Culturally specific activities: OKT community organizers gather input from members of their communities in the ways that work best for them. Some examples are: A parents group that regularly meets to talk about their children’s education. A trivia night for Slavic community members. A sewing circle for Somali mothers. A Zumba class attended by Spanish speaking adults.
- Survey tools: For some people, answering a set of questions about the topic or decision via an online survey they can complete at a time and place convenient to them in 10 minutes works best. For others, filling out a paper survey at the weekly lunch they attend at their local senior center is most convenient.
- Games, art, or craft activities: We often employ some kind of game, art, or craft activity to spark conversation or allow people to contribute their ideas in a more playful way. We’ve used these activities to engage youth as well as adults.
- Tabling at cultural and community festivals, events, and fairs: We set up tables with activities and opportunities to give input. We’ve conducted one-on-one or small group conversations, brief surveys, and storytelling.
Decision makers and public managers have turned to Oregon’s Kitchen Table to gather input at the state, local and regional levels on a range of topics, including state budgeting priorities, county budgeting, kindergarten readiness, school boundaries, regional economic development priorities, and natural resource management.
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Past Engagement
Baker County Health Care
In 2023, St. Alphonsus Hospital ended acute care services at St. Alphonsus Hospital. This includes its Intensive Care Unit and Baker City birthing center. Now, Baker County officials and other community leaders are considering possible ideas for providing health care and public health services.
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Past Engagement
Oregon's Immigrant and Refugee Student Success Plan
In 2023, the Oregon State Legislature passed Senate Bill 1532 directing the Oregon Department of Education to develop and implement a statewide plan for students who are immigrants and refugees. The purpose of the plan is to address disparities in academic success, historical practices that have led to disparities, and the educational needs of immigrant and refugee students. The plan will include strategies to improve the learning and experience of immigrant and refugee students at school. As part of the plan, ODE will form an advisory group and will give grants to organizations and districts to implement the strategies in the plan.
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Past Engagement
Birth Through Five Literacy Plan
In 2023 the Oregon Legislature passed a bill called the Early Literacy Success Initiative. This law directed the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) to develop a Birth Through Five Literacy Plan. The plan will offer ways for partners, program staff, and community groups to support families to help children ages birth through five develop language, early writing, and listening skills.
Previous Engagements
Spring 2013
Oregon Values and Beliefs
During the spring of 2013 Oregon's Kitchen Table served as the home for all Oregonians to take part in the state's 2013 Values and Beliefs survey.
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December 2012
Curry County Consultation on County Services and Funding
Oregon's Kitchen Table was invited to Curry County during the fall of 2012 by local residents and leaders in order engage residents in the issues related to county services. Curry County residents were invited to participate in a consultation focused on county services and funding.
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June 2011
2012 Consultation on Governor's budget (four outcome areas of education, healthy people, the economy and jobs, and healthy environment issues)
For each question, you'll see two columns of responses–one for Oregon's Kitchen Table and one for "Representative Statewide Sample." We're trying to check how well everyone at the table represents the full breadth of Oregonians' opinions.
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