Our 10-Year History
From 2000 to 2010, Oregon’s Latino population grew 63 percent, or from 8 percent to 12 percent of the state’s total. Almost a quarter of children under age five in Oregon today are Latino. Over most of this period, OCF's Latino Partnership Program has been collaborating with Latino leaders and organizations around the state to engage with Oregon’s fastest-growing community.
In 2011, OCF contracted with Western States Center to assess LPP’s first 10 years. Here are the highlights of their findings:
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Assisting Latino community organizations. LPP provided customized technical assistance and training for more than 30 new and emerging Latino organizations in topics such as board development, strategic planning, fundraising, and financial planning and management.
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Connecting with the school system. LPP assisted in creating and strengthening partnerships with school districts to address educational disparities. For example, LPP was instrumental in forming a Latino Advisory Committee to the Medford superintendent, and it also motivated Latinos to join school boards in Medford and Redmond.
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Supporting parenting education for Latinos. LPP has supported Latino organizations that develop training for Latino parents in how to become more involved with the school system. Latino parents are now trainers and have trained in three regions of Oregon.
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Improving cross-cultural communication. Rapid Latino population growth in some rural counties has resulted in unfamiliar cultural and community dynamics. LPP can assist by convening leaders and organizations from all sectors. “The LPP is uniquely positioned to act on timely opportunities among Oregon’s Latino population” (WSC Assessment, December 2011).