It’s the final countdown! We are bursting with excitement to see all of your lovely faces at the 2021 Virtual Rural Caucus tomorrow!
Even though we can’t be together in person, we draw so much energy from even seeing each other virtually. There is so much to celebrate and also so much more work to be done. We have a packed day full of amazing content, strategizing, catching up with people we know, meeting new faces, singing, and dancing, plus lots of smiles and merriment!
We took a year’s worth of strategy sessions and conversations into account when creating our agenda for the day. What we were hearing time and time again around the state is what we decided should be the focus of the day. Here are some highlights you don’t want to miss:
9am-10:30am Opening Gathering – Building Community in the Time of COVID. We will celebrate victories from around the state, get some time for organizer meet and greets, imagine what we want the next 30 years of organizing to look like in Oregon, and hear from our Keynote Speaker: Martha Verduzco (Hood River Latino Network founder and leader, Gorge ICE Resistance leader, and ROP Board Chair), about the incredible victory ending the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) contract at NORCOR and plans for the path forward!
11am -12:30pm Strategy Session 1 – Defending Our Communities from Detention & Deportation. As we are coming out of quarantine around the state we also know ICE detentions are starting up as well. Spend some time with ROP staff strategizing on how to keep our communities safe and welcoming. This session includes information about how ICE and Border Patrol operate, ways we can protect each other and how to support and uplift the leadership of directly impacted people!
1pm-2:30pm Strategy Session 2 – Organizing for Everyone: Tried & True Tools for Rural Organizers. Have you been organizing for years advancing justice in your community? Are you a new group that has been showing up for rallies and aren’t sure what else you can be working on? Does your group have an idea but you feel you need more capacity to implement it? Let’s explore together how to build a strong human dignity group and keep it thriving. We will help put the pieces together on power building in rural communities. This workshop is great for new and experienced organizers alike!
5:50pm-8pm Closing Celebration – Performance and Conversation with OUT Dance Project. Finally, you don’t want to miss our creative organizing strategy session featuring OUTDance Project. Join Lisa Gonzales, ROP board member and community organizer, along with the OUTDance project team as they lead us through their own examples of creative organizing. A panel discussion will be followed by a discussion to brainstorm ideas to develop your own creative organizing project for your community. Learn how easy it can be to turn ideas into action and how strong the ROP network can be to advance your group’s audience. Let’s bring more joy, play and creativity into your organizing. And YES! There will be dancing!
The more the merrier! There is still time to register. Let’s work together to build a thriving rural Oregon.