Category: Uncategorized

RARE Family, 

If there is one thing that has been reaffirmed for me time and time again since first being introduced to the RARE AmeriCorps Program, well, it’s that relationships matter and by working together as a network, a team, a family, we can achieve greatness. The importance of developing strong relationships is not only critical to “getting things done” but it’s also what makes this program so darn special!  

When you serve rural with the RARE AmeriCorps Program it’s a given that you walk away with new connections, a strengthened network, and if you are lucky, maybe even a lifelong friendship or two. As I reflect on my service with the RARE AmeriCorps Program it’s hard for me not to think about all the wonderful individuals who I was lucky enough to serve alongside. Many of these individuals are still part of my life, a few of whom I truly consider my closet friends. There are many reasons why I hold the RARE AmeriCorps Program so dear, but it’s always the relationships that make their way to the top of my list.  

And then there is all the passionate, driven, kindhearted members that I have had the honor of supporting throughout my 10 years of working as staff for the RARE AmeriCorps Program. Each of you, and you know who you are, that I have gotten to know and befriend hold a special place in my heart. It means the world to me to be part of your story and to know that maybe, just maybe, this Program has meant just as much to you has it has to me.  

Speaking of relationships, I can’t help but take pause and honor one young amazing man from our network, Emerson Hoagland, who recently passed. Emerson was placed with the City of Reedsport during our 24th year of service then went on to participate in the Master of Community and Regional Planning Program here at the University of Oregon. Emerson was truly a giver, always going the extra mile for anyone and everyone that needed a helping hand. I will never forget Emerson and am beyond thankful for the relationship that I was fortunate enough to develop with him. This is not meant to get you down, but rather a reminder to acknowledge those who are special to you.  

Strong relationships help get us through the ups, downs, and all arounds. Both personally and professionally. It’s this network and the relationships we develop that allow us to have such an immense impact across rural Oregon year after year. It’s this network that has made me who I am today. It’s this network that means the world to me. I am beyond thankful to all who have given me a chance, put trust in me, and have allowed me to be part of your story. 

I am sure it comes as no surprise that one of my favorite things about serving rural with the RARE AmeriCorps Program is the relationships that I have and continue to develop. With that, I can’t help but ask one favor of the group – it’s recruitment season and we are looking for the next round of movers and shakers to help us “get things done” for rural Oregon. As Alumni you know exactly what we are looking for. So, if you know someone looking to develop a new relationships, strengthen their network, all while creating positive change… please make sure to send them our way!   

Regards, 

Titus Tomlinson, Years 13 & 16
RARE Program Director

Dear friends, 

We have been listening, reflecting, and reckoning with feedback from members and alumni of color and partner organizations over the past few months. We are very grateful to all those who have connected with us and challenged our thinking during this time. On behalf of the Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) AmeriCorps Program, we sincerely apologize to all members of our community, past and present, who have been hurt, mistreated, unsupported, or put in unsafe situations during their term of service. 

While our program has a long history of community building with marginalized groups in rural Oregon, we have failed to acknowledge and move beyond the predominantly white-centric model of service we perpetuate. This is unacceptable, especially for a program that prides itself on adding capacity to Oregon’s underserved rural communities and as a professional development opportunity for the next generation of change-agents. We admit this failure and are working to address it. 

In addition to the many alumni and partners who have come forward, we are incredibly grateful to our Year 26 RARE AmeriCorps members who not only challenged us to step up, but also provided targeted feedback and suggestions for improvement. We would like to provide an update on some of the key issues we’ve heard so far from members and alumni, the changes we have made to the program in response, and our commitments for the future. 

What We Heard 

Following the murder of George Floyd and the elevation Black Lives Matter activism, members of Year 26 and alumni called on us to do more as a program to advance equity and social justice. Conversations with members in the spring of 2020 highlighted six key areas where RARE should make changes: 

• Member Recruitment & Placement – RARE’s recruitment and placement process for members needs to be re-evaluated and changed to minimize implicit bias and specifically address challenges that applicants of color may encounter. 
• Host Community Recruitment & Placement – RARE’s recruitment of host communities should begin emphasizing projects that will serve BIPOC and other systemically disadvantaged communities. By taking a more active role in the development of RARE positions, RARE can help communities scale projects appropriately and encourage resources to go towards activities that maybe have been overlooked in the past. 
• Supervisor Readiness & Support – RARE supervisors have a big impact on members’ professional development and project success. RARE should better screen supervisors during the application process to ensure they are ready for the RARE commitment, and, once placements are confirmed, RARE should provide supervisors with training and support that will help them succeed in their role. In particular, RARE needs to involve supervisors in diversity, equity, and inclusion-related trainings so that members and supervisors share a common grounding in these issues. 
• Training – While members appreciated that RARE offers diversity, equity, and inclusion-related trainings, these trainings should continue to evolve in three main ways. First, RARE should find ways to ensure that the trainings result in action, not just talk. Second, RARE should support ongoing conversations so that trainings are not isolated one-off discussions. Finally, trainings should carefully consider framing – rather than solely providing a negative narrative of injustices in Oregon’s history and current context, trainings and other conversations should emphasize the vibrancy and ongoing contributions of Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color in rural Oregon. 

• Rural Issues – RARE has a role to play in debunking rural stereotypes and providing members with a more balanced (rather than white-centric) perspective on rural Oregon history and context. 
• Influencing Funders – As a well-known program that provides resources to rural Oregon, RARE has an opportunity to share its commitment to elevating equity and justice with important funders and collaborators. RARE can use its position of influence to urge other resource-providers to re-evaluate their giving processes. 

What We’re Doing This Service Year 

RARE recognizes the urgency of taking immediate action. We have waited too long already to make changes that will better support our members of color and the communities we serve. While some changes will take time and a continued commitment on the part of RARE staff to listening, reflecting, and learning, we would like to share the immediate steps we are taking in the 2020-21 service year: 

• Member and Host Community Recruitment & Placement – As part of RARE’s 2020 program evaluation, UO masters’ students helped RARE apply an equity lens to recruitment, placement, and retention. This evaluation and research led to a set of best practices and recommended interventions that RARE should make regarding recruitment and placement. This year, RARE is making an initial overhaul of the recruitment and placement processes to increase transparency, clarify RARE’s selection criteria, and minimize implicit bias. 

• Supervisor Readiness & Support – RARE is inviting and encouraging supervisors to attend RARE trainings, particularly those related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and managing workplace relationships. While some supervisors have taken advantage of these opportunities, RARE will step up efforts in the future by requiring supervisor attendance at relevant trainings. 
• Training – RARE has added additional trainers and training sessions to bring in additional perspectives about equity and justice in rural Oregon. For the first time, RARE is partnering with a PPPM Professor, Dr. José Mélendez, to offer a six–month adaptation of his course “Engaging Diverse Communities” to interested members. We have also updated the Treasure Hunt assignment and quarterly assessments to ensure that members and supervisors are regularly reflecting on social justice in their work. 
• Rural Issues – RARE is highlighting the history and current work of rural communities of color regularly in Monday Mailings and has added questions to the Treasure Hunt assignment requiring members to identify equity-focused and BIPOC-led organizations in their region, in hopes that members will work alongside these organizations throughout their service year. We are also actively seeking BIPOC trainers from rural communities for our quarterly trainings. 
• Influencing Funders – Many of RARE’s funders and partners are already taking steps to address systemic discrimination in Oregon. This year, RARE is exploring opportunities to work with our statewide partners to identify and support host communities that wish to focus their efforts on underserved populations. 

What We’re Planning for the Future 

While the changes we are currently making may be a step in the right direction, we are only in the initial stages of re-imagining a RARE AmeriCorps Program grounded in social justice. Our longer-term efforts will require time, energy, and some outside assistance. 

Moving forward, we see a few main activities guiding our work: 

• Finalize and begin implementation of the RARE Program Evaluation – As part of the RARE Program Evaluation, we reached over 100 alumni and many community partners. We intend to use the insights from this process to guide changes, particularly to recruitment, placement, and member retention, that will strengthen RARE’s ability to make positive change for our members and they communities they serve. 
• Continue RARE staff’s listening and learning – RARE staff must continue our own training and self-work. This will come from the ongoing book club discussions we started this summer, the ways in which we filter our decisions through an equity lens, and perhaps most importantly, the sustained commitment of each of us to no longer shy away from the hard work of justice, to recognize our mistakes with humility, to apologize, and to strive to do better next time. 
• Develop a RARE Equity Plan – We plan to hire a consultant to help us investigate our values, develop goals and metrics for accountability, and host alumni listening sessions. This process will lead to an equity plan that sketches out phased interventions we can implement over the next several years. 

• Implement the Equity Plan – We hope to turn our attention to implementing the Equity Plan by Fall 2021. We must hold ourselves accountable by updating RARE systems as recommended and measuring progress as we go. We recognize the need to increase transparency and support for members and communities during the application process. In particular, we must seek out tribal governments and organizations run by and serving communities of color as hosts and encourage all hosts to include projects that advance equity in member positions. 

The RARE AmeriCorps Program is an organization in transition. Since our founding in 1994, RARE has sought to connect capacity and resources to rural communities with visions for their improved economic, social, and environmental conditions. That support has been changing and growing as the needs of our rural Oregon communities shift, from the decline of the timber industry to the birth of food systems work to economic resilience planning in response to COVID-19. We hope that by acknowledging our failures and embracing our vulnerability in the face of deeper change, we can provide better, more inclusive support to our communities, our members, and our alumni. Our aim remains the same: to nurture the next generation of community builders and leaders, help rural communities achieve sustainable natural resource bases, and improve rural economic conditions. What we are changing is our approach: we must ground our work in policies and actions that intentionally advance equity, inclusion, and justice. 

With love from RARE Program Staff, 

Titus Tomlinson, Victoria Binning, Aniko Drlik-Muehleck, Julie Foster, and Ashley Adelman 

Dearest RARE Family,   

I vividly remember having a conversation with a member who was facing significant obstacles during their first few weeks of service.  Through this conversation we spoke about the importance of a good challenge, noting that it’s often when we come to grow the most as individuals.  That member offered up a quote that stuck with me ever since and has certainly been my mantra for 2020 – “the bigger the challenge, the bigger the opportunity”.   

The last ten months have presented challenge after challenge, and yet this community always finds a way to rise to the occasion and make the most out of the situation at hand.  I truly find myself inspired on a daily basis by the RARE team, our members, and community partners; all of whom are going the extra mile to make sure every we continue to get things done for rural Oregon!  So what does this all look like in action, you ask?    

Looking back to last year’s (2019-20) cohort, our 29 members organized 291 community volunteers for 4,147 additional service hours in their communities.  These amazing individuals leveraged over $1,000,000 in grant funding for community specific projects.  And this is just the tip of the impact iceberg!  While I had significant concerns when the pandemic first hit, last year’s members proved that with the right amount of passion, energy, and drive that just about anything is possible.  How about that for turning a challenge into an opportunity!     

As you read through this edition of our Alumni Newsletter, reflect on your service, making sure to take note of the personal and professional challenges you faced.  Each of those challenges likely has a story, a learning moment, and an opportunity for growth.  Each of those challenges makes you who you are today.  So when times are tough, like have and continue to be, let us never forget about the importance of a good challenge!         

In Service,
Titus Tomlinson, Years 13 & 16
RARE Program Director

Dearest RARE Family,

I sure hope this message finds each and every one of you faring well as we work through these highly unusual times.   Many of you have heard me note that it’s through the challenges we face in life that we come to grow as individuals.  Little did we know that 2020 would be a year of such immense challenge but let us not forget how far we have come, and the growth we all have experienced.

Rather than focus on the challenges we face, we at the RARE AmeriCorps Program strive to focus our attention on the opportunities.  Yes, we have all been challenged in unprecedented ways this year, and yet we rise to the occasion, keep our heads up and our hands clean, and continue to get things done for rural Oregon.  And in doing so, we garner the priceless gift of personal and professional growth and progression.

As you peruse this edition of our Alumni newsletter you will learn about the resiliency of our members who stuck with and continued to make positive change happen across the State of Oregon throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.  You will also read about how the RARE AmeriCorps Program has responded to the killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement, which this past year’s cohort helped develop and drive.  I walk away from this last service year inspired and hopeful for all the future has in store for the RARE AmeriCorps Program and for rural Oregon as a whole.

We have a long road ahead and there is much work in store, but if there is one thing I truly believe… it’s in the power of this group of movers and shakers to make positive change happen.  With that, I want to leave you with one of my favorite quotes from author Margaret Mead – “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”  Let us work together, our small but mighty group, to be the change we want to see in the world!

In Service,
Titus Tomlinson, Years 13 & 16
RARE Program Director

Dear RARE Community,

The Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) AmeriCorps Program unequivocally condemns the murders of Black people by police and white supremacists. These are repetitive, horrific reminders of the systemic racism and militarized police force still present in our society. We stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and commit to elevating racial justice in our ongoing work throughout rural Oregon.

The RARE AmeriCorps Program is a white-founded and white-led organization which strives to build capacity and quality of life. Our program, staff, and members benefit directly from community development models originating from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) leaders and organizers who are largely unacknowledged in the field.

We must honor and celebrate the vibrancy and resiliency of BIPOC individuals and communities within our state and the community work they do for rural Oregon.

Our work has not previously, but must now begin centering lasting change that will build up and support the voices of our BIPOC members and communities. We are in a deep learning process. Internal conversations regarding our own implicit biases, white fragility, and the structure of our organization have led to the development–and delay–of this statement. We recognize our silence has contributed to the continuation of blatant and passive forms of discrimination, injustice, and racism. RARE is committed to spending the time and money to educate ourselves in order to build more equitable communities in rural Oregon. We must break the silence about racial injustice in our communities and organizations.

RARE is committing to continue to listen, learn, invite people in, and work for better BIPOC representation in community development. Our tangible action items of commitment include:

• Developing a more robust equity plan,
• Revising recruitment processes,
• Investing in further anti-racism training opportunities for members and staff.

To uphold the mission of the RARE AmeriCorps Program “to increase the capacity of rural communities to improve their economic, social, and environmental conditions,” we must change the way we recruit, train, and support our communities, members, and staff.

We look forward to publishing our Equity Statement, sharing resources and tools, and continuing conversations with our members and communities. Our anti-racism work is not limited to our staff, members, and policies, but extends to every corner of this state. We invite you to join us in our continuing journey.

Standing together for rural Oregon,

The RARE AmeriCorps Program Staff and RARE Year 26 Cohort

Dear RARE Alumni,

I often say that it’s through the challenges we face in life that we come to grow as individuals.  It’s all part of the process when serving rural with the RARE AmeriCorps Program; we challenge ourselves through service and are transformed for the better as result.  With the arrival of COVID-19 in Oregon nearly two months ago, well, I can’t help but keep coming back to this mantra.  Yes, it’s true, we are being challenged enormously as individuals and as a nation, but we will get through this.  And in doing so, we will become stronger, united, and more resilient then ever before.

How can one remain so hopeful during times like this?  Well, just look around you, and it doesn’t take long to see an array of positive action taking place.  Humans are taking immense measures to help each other during times of such immense adversity.  It’s a beautiful thing, and something I am reminded of on a daily basis.  Just look at this year’s members alone, all of whom have risen to the occasion, stepped in, and stepped up to provide much needed capacity to rural Oregon right now.  Whether it’s helping pack emergency food boxes at Columbia Gorge Food Bank or helping small business owners in Reedsport access emergency funding, I have seen nothing but the best from this year’s cohort.

Though adversity comes opportunity, which is another mantra that I keep coming back to.  Here at the RARE AmeriCorps Program we are seeing an array of opportunities arising that will absolutely shape the future of our service to rural Oregon.  As odd as this might sound, I am excited about what the future has in store for the RARE AmeriCorps Program and for National Service as a whole.  Some of you might have read the recent piece by New York Times Opinion Columnist, David Brooks, that speaks beautifully to the need for service in county.  Or maybe you caught the article written by William Burns in the Atlantic about the Nation’s need for a rebirth of public service.  Such press combined with legislation like the Undertaking National Initiatives to Tackle Epidemic Act or the Pandemic Response and Opportunity Through National Service Act, speaks to the immense opportunity that we have in our future.

Rural Oregon needs us, possibly more than ever before.  When COVID-19 hit, the team and I quickly realized the RARE AmeriCorps Program has a critical role play in long-term rural economic recovery game.  With that, I am pleased to let you all know that we have a new initiative in place with The Ford Family Foundation that will result in the placement of RARE AmeriCorps Members with an array of rural Economic Development Districts during the 2020-21 service year.  Using a proscribed yet place-based approach developed by staff and faculty within the Institute for Policy Research and Engagement, the RARE AmeriCorps Program will provide both the capacity and expertise needed to “get things done” for rural Oregon in the coming years.

I sure hope this letter gives you a touch of hope and inspiration as we work through these trying times.  Let this group of amazing individuals not forget the power of community, even if that community is held within a digital format.  This community, RARE Family, has played a key roll in getting me through some of my toughest times, so if you find yourself feeling isolated, hopeless, flustered… just don’t forget about all the people within this network that care about you!

Keep your head up and your hands clean!!

In Service,
Titus Tomlinson, Years 13 & 16
RARE Program Director

Are you interested in community building, natural resources, food security, natural hazard planning, economic development or land use planning?  Does your organization have community building, natural resources, food security, natural hazard planning, economic development or land use planning projects that you do not have resources to complete?  If so, you should consider applying to the Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) Program. Continue reading “RARE AmeriCorps Applications for 2020-2021 Now Available!” →