Wallowa Lake

Equity in Rural Oregon

We are committed to increasing the capacity of rural communities to improve their economic, social, and environmental conditions and recognize that to do so, we must work alongside and elevate the most marginalized in our state. The state of Oregon and the field of planning, our program’s anchors, have had long histories of discrimination against communities of color. We are continually learning and growing in the arena of social justice and are committed to supporting our members and our rural communities in pursuit of equitable planning and capacity building.

RARE Equity Plan:

In 2021, the RARE Program began the process of developing our Equity Plan, guided by the advocacy and leadership of our members and alumni. RARE hired the consulting firm Capacity Building Partnerships to partner with us in this process, and through focus groups, interviews, and surveys of our alumni, host organizations, and key organizational partners, we learned more about how RARE can better serve our members and rural communities. In the Spring of 2022, the RARE Program formally adopted our Equity Plan, which begins with our vision statement.

Equity Vision Statement

Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) envisions a network of emerging leaders that are addressing society’s most pressing issues from the rural Oregon perspective. As a result of RARE’s programming and relationships: community-based organizations have increased capacity, people are thriving across all identities and experiences, and members are successful in achieving their professional and personal goals.

RARE service should be accessible, enjoyable, impactful, and safe for all people regardless of their identity and background. Our goal is to eliminate barriers and disparities that exist in our membership, organization, and partnerships.

We strive for a RARE where…

  • our diverse members are bringing value to rural communities and advancing their leadership and professional goals without fear of repercussions, discrimination, or oppression.
  • we are relationship-based: connected to each other, the community, and organizations working to create a more just and equitable community.
  • hosts and members are aligned with RARE’s mission, vision, and values and receiving valuable support and services as a result of their partnership with RARE.
  • staff have the capacity to respond to host organization and member needs, provide host organization and member support, and identify and address equity issues.

RARE Equity Lens:

One of RARE’s priority goals from the Equity Plan is to develop an Equity Lens to guide us in making the every day work of our organization more responsive to our diverse members and communities and build our capacity to identify and address equity issues. We are currently in the process of drafting our Equity Lens, inspired by the Nonprofit Association of Oregon’s Equity and Inclusion Lens Guide.

Land Acknowledgement:

The University of Oregon is located on Kalapuya Ilihi, the traditional indigenous homeland of the Kalapuya people. Following treaties between 1851 and 1855, Kalapuya people were dispossessed of their indigenous homeland by the United States government and forcibly removed to the Coast Reservation in Western Oregon. Today, descendants are citizens of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians of Oregon, and continue to make important contributions in their communities, at UO, and across the land we now refer to as Oregon.
IPRE operations and projects take place at various locations in Oregon, and wishes to acknowledge and express respect for the traditional homelands of all of the indigenous people of Oregon. This includes the Burns Paiute Tribe, the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, the Coquille Indian Tribe, the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, and the Klamath Tribes.  We also express our respect for all other displaced Indigenous peoples who call Oregon home.