Given three years and $1 million per region to solve a local issue, OCF volunteers are meeting, convening, listening and leveraging as they take civic engagement to a new level.
It’s all part of the Regional Action Initiative, created by The Oregon Community Foundation in 2008 to involve citizens in identifying and solving local issues. In each region, the RAI is led by members of the local OCF Leadership Council, volunteer groups that provide information and guidance to the OCF board of directors.
Seven RAI regions encompass the state: Central Oregon, the Coast (North and South), Eastern Oregon, the Northern Willamette Valley, Portland Metro, Southern Oregon and the Southern Willamette Valley. Each region has $1 million to create long-lasting solutions to a regional problem.
Given the level of need across the state, decisions are not easy. Each group has reviewed existing data about their region, listened to presentations from diverse voices, and studied successful strategies for change.
As they near the initiative’s halfway point, each regional council is close to deciding which issue to focus on and how best to address it. The Northern Willamette Valley group recently came to consensus on promoting literacy through expansion of a reading program already in place in Marion and Polk counties.
The next step will be to implement their strategy and leverage the first $1million to ensure that the project is sustainable for many years.
Stay Tuned!