April 16th, 2015
Dear ROPnet,
Where is ROP this Spring?
The answer is… in your town!
ROP is in the middle of “Winter & Spring on the Road 2015 – ROP Everywhere.” We have lessened the needs that can keep us tied to an office and we have been hitting the road. In the last several months we have visited 18 of Oregon’s 36 counties (some of them multiple times!).
We are in an interesting and exciting organizing moment. Nationally, we see workers uniting and demanding $15/hr and a union. We see a renewed conversation on race, safety and the right to live without fear.
What does this mean for rural Oregon and for human dignity groups (HDGs)? It means it is time to pop open the hood and decide A. what’s working well, B. what stays a challenge and C. what upgrades might keep each HDG running more smoothly in 2015. As part of our “Winter & Spring on the Road”, ROP will work with groups to look in the mirror and decide what, if any, changes HDGs would like to implement in the next year, and we’ll bring some simple tools, suggestions and examples from other HDGs along with us.
It’s time to step back from the day to day work of running a human dignity group or being an activist to do some reflecting. How are some of the issues getting national attention playing out (or not) in our towns? What is the status of work and wages? What issues are coming up for human dignity leaders? What is the legislature up to this year? These questions and more will help us reflect on The State of Our Towns. ROP’s program this year reflects the myriad of issues that are playing out in our communities today while anticipating issues we can expect tomorrow.
The State of Our Towns: The dignity of workers, immigrants and everyone with reduced power in our communities decides how well the “whole” is doing.
What would it look like for every worker in our community to earn no less than $15 an hour?
What support and accountability do our local law enforcement need to keep the peace and build our communities?
How is the rise in racism expressed in our community? How do we expose and contain the extreme right while educating and inoculating a good-hearted base?
How are we preparing for climate change so that our safety net, too weak today, can function in a more tumultuous future?
How can we use the annual Caucus and living room conversations to anticipate next challenges and fold an analysis and solutions into our current day work?
How does our Legislative Platform speak our forward-looking values?
How do we defend yesterday’s victories (especially those on immigration!) and how do they become building blocks for expanding our human dignity groups?
How is your human dignity group faring? What’s working well, what stays a challenge and what upgrades might keep each HDG running more smoothly in 2015?
Are you and your group ready to dive into Spring with a stronger vision, a plan to bring more people in and ready to have an impact?
Schedule your strategy session with ROP today! Whether your human dignity group is meeting regularly with a leadership team or it’s just you and a handful of like-minded friends, let’s bring folks together to do a check up on the state of human dignity work in your county, analyze the State of Our Towns and map a plan going forward that meets your interests, capacity and hopes for this next year.
Zip an email to cara@rop.org or Jessica@rop.org today to schedule your next date with ROP!
Don’t forget about the Rural Caucus & Strategy Session on Saturday, June 13th in Woodburn. Join other human dignity leaders from around the state for a day of planning and strategizing on the State of Our Towns and more.
Warmly,
Cara