What We Do
We place the next generation of change-makers in communities across the state to take on meaningful and catalytic placed-based projects, all with the focus of increasing the vitality and vibrancy of communities we serve. The RARE AmeriCorps Program offers a unique opportunity to connect the community and economic development needs of rural Oregon communities with the personal and professional development aspirations of the next generation. Using a tried-and-true model for engagement, we provide a topnotch service-learning experience while delivering resources, expertise, and critical capacity to rural Oregon. Our goal is to ensure a mutually beneficial experience for our RARE AmeriCorps members and rural communities we serve.
“This program, and what you will get out of it, is inextricably linked to what you put into it. Although many placements vary in the rigidity of work structure, the role you fill will be as big or small as you make it. Be open and adaptable, resilient, and reliant. Work for your organization as hard as you work for yourself, and you will find that the efforts you put into your service will begin to show themselves in much more than a resume building experience.” – Johnathan Van Roekel, Years 27 & 28, Lake County Resources Initiative
RARE AmeriCorps members serve all over the state, from coast to valley to mountain towns to the high desert. A portion of our community partners change each year, helping to ensure we meet the most pressing needs of rural Oregon. Regardless of where they are placed, RARE AmeriCorps members gain hands-on experience in systems thinking, project management and planning, develop technical skills, and build a strong statewide network of professionals, all while creating meaningful change in rural Oregon. Members assist with various levels of planning and implementation of critical projects across Oregon on a wide range of topics, including community and economic development, food systems, and environmental and sustainability planning.
Because of our unique position within the University of Oregon, members and communities receive support throughout the service year from the University of Oregon’s Institute for Policy Research and Engagement, which includes some of the state’s top researchers on planning, public policy, housing, and transportation. RARE is proud to be part of the AmeriCorps service network. This means that we are a grantee of AmeriCorps—receiving a portion of our funding from the federal program—and a member of an impactful service network that includes FoodCorps, CivicSpark, Habitat for Humanity, City Year, and Teach for America. Like all AmeriCorps members, RARE AmeriCorps members will spend at least 1,700 hours over the 11 months of the service year serving full time with their host agency.
