Now accepting applications.  Applications must be received by June 1, 2008.

How to Submit an Application

RARE participants have a variety of backgrounds and bring to their communities a wide-range of experiences. Many RARE participants are Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who use their year in RARE to explore community development and natural resource work in the United States. Some are graduate students or have recently completed planning, environmental science or related graduate programs. Others are participating in RARE to clarify their goals before making a commitment to a particular graduate program.

Regardless of their backgrounds, all RARE participants are exploring the fields of community development, planning and natural resource management. Participants are expected to be open to a challenging learning experience both through their field placement and through trainings. Extensive interaction with the RARE peer group, RARE staff, and practitioners facilitates significant feedback and mentoring. While RARE participants are not expected to come to the program with all of the skills and knowledge needed to advance projects, they are expected to be open to gaining those skills and learning the information. In addition to the technical skill development, RARE participants will also learn about organizational development, leadership and communication.

RARE participants also have a commitment to assisting in underserved rural areas. While RARE participants may or may not have lived in rural areas previously, they are interested in both serving those communities and in living in them, understanding that rural communities often do not have the same amenities as urban areas, and that distances between communities in Oregon can be far.