ROP’s Rural Caucus & Strategy Session: Saturday, April 10th in Albany
WHAT IS THE ACTIVITY? On Saturday, April 10th rural and small town leadership from across the state will be gathering for a day of strategizing, networking, and organizing. ROP’s annual Rural Caucus and Strategy Session will be from 8:30am- 5pm in Albany. This month’s Kitchen Table Activism is to decide who will represent your group and community at this year’s Caucus.
This year’s Caucus will focus on Hometown Strategies for a Democratic Economy. We’ll look at strategies that work in rural and small town Oregon that not only address the current needs of our communities, but build a long-term movement for an economy that is people-centered and sustainable. Join your peers from around the state for conversations on topics such as: moving our money, local banking and creating an Oregon state bank; what’s ahead for immigration reform; organizing secure food systems to feed our communities and promote local sustainability; LGBTQ organizing for safer communities; and much more.
WHY THIS ACTIVITY? The Rural Caucus and Strategy Session dates back to the early 1990s and is an annual tradition that brings together the members and leaders of ROP to reflect on our last year and strategize for our next. We hold strategy sessions on topics that reflect on our moment in time, the issues impacting rural and small town Oregon, and how to continue to build our long-term movement for justice, democracy and sustainability.
In 2010 we as progressives face a lot of challenges. We’ve seen that real solutions to our immediate problems will not come from DC. Our communities need us more than ever, and reshaping our local economy in a more democratic mold is both an opportunity and an overwhelming task. Perhaps this is the year we look to new kinds of organizing. Perhaps this is the year we test out some new strategies to build our movement for the long haul while meeting immediate needs. On Saturday, April 10th we’ll come together not only to develop our strategies and come up with plans that work, but we’ll also come together, to re-energize, reconnect and revitalize.
STEPS TO COMPLETE THE ACTIVITY:
1. Gather your leadership team, co-organizers or friends, pull out your calendars, and mark the date of Saturday, April 10th.
2. Decide who will be a part of your group’s team of 3-5 people to attend the Rural Caucus and Strategy Session.
3. Register online or email cara(at)rop.org for a registration form. (Registration forms that are turned in early help us eliminate administrative time and effort; please consider getting the form into ROP ASAP. And remember, early bird registration is by March 15th).
4. See you in Albany on April 10th! Registrants will receive a confirmation packet that includes directions and details.
Background: Kitchen Table Activism (KTA) is a monthly project of the Rural Organizing Project. The theory is that basic steps can lead to powerful collective results as local groups gather to complete the same action throughout the state. ROP works to keep the tasks achievable so that groups with other projects or groups with limited immediate energy can still manage to complete the KTA each month.