September 9, 2024
On Saturday, March 23rd, 2024, Oregon's Kitchen Table held the second Hatfield Futures Showcase and it was amazing! We gathered at the Native American Student and Community Center at Portland State University. We filled the space with crepe paper flowers, covered all the tables with paper! Our Helping Hands student alumni team gave pep talks and we did warm-ups to calm our nerves.
Over 120 elected leaders, principals, college students, community organizers, and friends and family from across the state who joined us to listen to students’ ideas for shaping Oregon’s future! We started the day by grounding ourselves in place, introducing the project and our many collaborators, sponsors, and supporters. Hatfield Futures participant and poet KB Licitra shared a poem about their origins that helped us arrive.
Each team had worked over the past two months on a proposal to address a pressing issue in Oregon with an eye to shaping Oregon in 2050 through actions that center interconnectedness, are strategic, equitable, and creative. The team from Griswold High School in Helix, Oregon took on the intersection of homelessness and public water access in their community. Their presentation focused on various ways to encourage water recycling and installing Benson bubblers.
Students from Kalmiopsis High School in Cave Junction presented their creative proposal to reduce the buildup of trash on public lands by launching a trash art campaign and storefront.
Bend Tech Academy students looked at how to prevent fentanyl overdose by creating a peer-to-peer education program to connect middle and high schoolers and build community. Student artist Sage Rae Hulse shared her poetic reflections on the future.
We had an awesome lunch catered by Melinda at Miss’ipi Chefs. After lunch, alum and Helping Hand Grace Peterson brought us back with a poem exploring despair, anger and hope in. Then, the Mapleton High School team presented their ideas for intervening in the addiction and housing crisis by employing people to build tiny home villages and remodel old buildings into community centers in Mapleton.
Students from St. Helens High School shared their ideas for fostering positive, engaged school environments by creating a virtual network for schools to track and share learning about how to support student engagement and wellbeing.
Finally, the 2024 cross-regional team, which features students from West Linn High School, Astoria High School, Liberty High School, and a student who is homeschooled, presented their proposal for reducing plastic waste statewide through policies that support alternatives to plastic use, inflating the costs of production to discourage further production, cultural work that shifts the norms, and innovative strategies like mealworm facilities to dispose of plastic that is already in circulation.
After each team presented, our three judges, Jacque Fitzgerald (Resonance Coaching & Project Advisor/2023 Hatfield Futures Project Lead), Zavi Borja (Central Oregon Staff for Governor Kotek), and Miles Palacios (Oregon Association of Student Councils) asked them questions about their presentations and reflected the strengths of the proposals.
At the end of the day, State Treasurer Tobias Reed congratulated all the students and encouraged them to continue to “take the experiences and the opportunities that have been put in front of you here and find ways to continue serving your community, wherever that is, whatever that is.” The judges and Helping Hands presented awards to each team, and we offered a special congratulations to the Bend Technical Academy team, which took home the $1000 prize this year for their proposal. Everyone present was inspired by the teams' hard work, bold visions, and creative proposals!
We closed the day with gratitudes, which were flying in all directions. Shout-out to the Hatfield Futures team: so many PSU staff, guides, chaperones, parents, teachers, friends, caterers, alumni, and donors who helped to make this youth program possible.
Our goal continues to be to amplify youths' voices to shape the future of Oregon. We hope Hatfield Futures empowers youth to see themselves as change-makers now and for their future; we are excited to hear that many teams want to take the next step to implement their projects locally and we're excited to support them!
April 30, 2024
Many people use the Upper Rogue River (specifically between the old Gold Ray dam site, river mile 126, to the Lost Creek Dam, river mile 157) for a whole variety of activities. Some people fish and swim or want to protect fish and animals in the river. Some people enjoy the river using boats, either with paddles or motors. And there are several businesses that take customers up and down the river, some in rafts and some in power boats, like jet boats.
Over the past few years, there has been some conflict about how people are using and enjoying this stretch of the Upper Rogue. Some of those people believe that increased use of motor boats, especially the businesses using jet boats, make those activities difficult or impossible. Some other people believe that everyone can enjoy the river together, including jet boats. The river is also changing over time because of things like lower water and more people wanting to use it at the same time.
The State of Oregon is considering making changes that some people have suggested related to this stretch of the Upper Rogue. So, a group of state agencies – the Department of State Lands, the Oregon State Marine Board, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife – have partnered with Oregon’s Kitchen Table to hear from people who live in Jackson County and visit the Upper Rogue about their experiences, values, and desires for the future of this part of the river.
Your experiences and perspectives will help these state agencies better understand your values and hopes for the river as they make decisions on how best to manage the Upper Rogue and surrounding lands now and in the future.
There are different ways to take part from mid-May through mid-June. Learn more here!
March 10, 2024
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:
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 11th. Ask people you know in Oregon who support young children in their family or through a community group to take this survey.
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:
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.
February 28, 2024
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
September 11, 2023
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:
Your input will also help the state make decisions about forests in Oregon. Please share your thoughts in this survey (https://bit.ly/oregon-
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.
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.
July 21, 2023
A couple of sets of results from recent OKT projects are here! Check them out over at our results page.
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:
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).
May 10, 2023
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:
April 19, 2023
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!
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March 21, 2023
Names: Grace Gee, Tenia Morris, Hannah Montgomery (Thurston High School, Springfield)
There are many places to hike and explore nature in Springfield. Family lives near us.
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.
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.
March 14, 2023
Names: Rylee Etchamendy, Kyah Hunter, Summer Wildbill, Josie Nelson, Mackenzie Walker (Pendelton High School)
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.
Being able to have the opportunity to share our voices, and implement change for others in the community and throughout Oregon.
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.
March 3, 2023
Names: Wendy Willis, Sarah Giles, Jacque Fitzgerald, Meaghan Lingo, Roz Owen
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.
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.
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.
September 22, 2022
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. As part of Hatfield Futures Project’s second year, teams presented their policy ideas to a panel of judges at Portland State University on March 23, 2024. Learn more about the 2024 teams and Showcase here and check out info about the 2023 Hatfield Futures Showcase 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
February 17, 2022
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.
January 26, 2022
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.
October 4, 2021
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.
May 19, 2021
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:
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.
March 19, 2021
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.
August 28, 2020
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!
July 30, 2020
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!
June 30, 2020
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.