This month’s Kitchen Table Activity is to decide who will represent your group and your community at the Rural Caucus & Strategy Session on the weekend of April 24-26th in Florence!
To kick off 2026, each KTA will be paired with monthly virtual office hours with ROP staff, where you can join other human dignity leaders and organizers from around the state to talk more about the topic, receive peer mentorship, skill up, and strengthen your group!
Register for February office hours here
WHAT IS THIS ACTIVITY?
For over 30 years, rural organizers and community leaders from across the state have come together annually for the Rural Caucus & Strategy Session to reflect and plan. Join us to share what you and your group have been working on, connect with other Human Dignity Groups from around the state, and strategize about the issues affecting us most.
Together in strategy sessions, conversations, and skill-building trainings and workshops, we’ll assess where we are on the clock of authoritarianism and how we are building powerful resistance. Together, we will shape ROP’s priorities for the coming year so that we can strengthen our movement. Register your group by March 13th to receive the early bird discounted price! Please register early to help ROP staff with an early headcount for meals, chairs, printed materials, and more!
The 2025 Caucus in Baker City
The weekend will include music, dancing, delicious food, and plenty of opportunities to connect with new and old friends alike!
WHY THIS ACTIVITY?
The Rural Caucus and Strategy Session is an important touchpoint for all who are a part of ROP. It is an opportunity to build each other up when we feel overwhelmed or discouraged. A chance to challenge each other and grow by sharing our experiences and knowledge. A moment to break isolation, to sing and dance, and to remember how strong and connected we are together. A time to show up for each other and to deepen our relationships across rural Oregon as we connect the dots between the issues that matter most to our communities.
We know we’ll need a Caucus, whatever happens between now and then. Much like last year in Baker City, this year’s Caucus is a full weekend experience. Having this kind of time and space lets us go deep, build trust, and also do things like sing karaoke and share our talents together!
HOW TO COMPLETE THE ACTIVITY
- Gather your leadership team, fellow organizers, and friends. Pull out your calendars and mark the weekend of April 24th-26th for a trip to Florence!
- Decide who will be a part of your group’s Caucus team this year. Groups say they get the most out of the Caucus when they send a team of 3-5 people to bring home more of the lessons from the many strategy sessions and workshops that will be offered!
- Let us know how else we can support you! Does anyone in your group need translation or interpretation? Do you need a ride? Child care? How about a room at a fellow organizer’s house to sleep the night before and/or after the Caucus? Do you have a large van that we could borrow to pick folks up? There will be places to note your logistical needs and offerings on the registration form, and you can always email Sidra at sidra@rop.org with any questions and to talk through the weekend!
- Please note: ROP coordinates carpools and community housing so everyone who needs it has somewhere to stay overnight. Please make your needs known on the registration form, and we will follow up!
- Register your group! You can register online or download, fill out, and mail this printable registration form.
- Register early to help us plan accordingly to meet your group’s needs! Pay your registration fees by March 13th and you’ll get the early bird discount! You can mail a check to ROP at PO Box 664, Cottage Grove, OR 97424 (preferred) or pay online here.
- Can’t wait until April to gather with rural organizers to make sense of this moment and strategize together? You don’t have to! Join us on Monday, February 23rd from 6-7:30 pm, when we’ll be hosting virtual organizing office hours. We want to hear from you about what would make this year’s Caucus a success. What are you most eager to strategize around with other rural organizers at the Caucus? What questions do you have about the Caucus? Register here for office hours. Can’t make office hours? Reach out to your ROP organizer or sidra@rop.org to share your ideas and reflections.
ROP is committed to making participation in the Rural Caucus & Strategy Session as accessible as possible
We offer scholarships to rural organizers who need support with registration costs, transportation, housing, and wage replacements to make participation possible. Please note that preference for scholarships is given to rural organizers traveling over 100 miles. ROP coordinates carpools with leaders from neighboring communities and works with the human dignity groups in the community hosting the Caucus to make sure there’s enough community housing for everyone who needs a place to crash overnight. We will also provide childcare, interpretation, and lots of good food! Register today, and we will follow up to ensure your group has the support you need to fully participate! If you would like to contribute to our scholarship fund, please donate here. Reach out to us at sidra@rop.org with any questions!
Kitchen Table Activism (KTA) is a monthly activity by the Rural Organizing Project. The idea is that small actions can lead to powerful collective results when groups of people gather to complete the same action across the state of Oregon. ROP works to keep each KTA easily achievable so that groups with other projects or groups with limited immediate energy can still complete the KTA each month.
