Month: April 2020

Not Alone

Posted on by vbinnin2

By Sienna Fitzpatrick, Community Development Specialist, Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council

Since moving to Oregon 18 months ago, I didn’t expect to experience so much growth, chaos, beauty, and community. My friends are scattered across the state, the country, and the continent; my professional skills now extend to community outreach, strategic planning, event planning and grant writing—and I’ve still got four months ahead of me with some of the biggest challenges I (and the rest of the world) will ever face. But RARE, more than anything, is not simply about doing what you were assigned to do; it’s about figuring out what your community needs, wherever you may be, and finding in yourself a willingness to address it no matter how much experience you have.

I am filled with the same uncertainty, fear, and grief that so many of us are feeling right now as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but knowing that I am part of a network as vast and esteemed as RARE and that I am (virtually) surrounded by people who know exactly what I’m going through helps me pick myself up each morning and get back to work. Most of that work right now is just listening to business owners and being present in the rural communities I serve, which doesn’t always feel like it’s enough. When the horizon clears and the dust settles though, I know I’m exactly where I need to be to help in the recovery.

Now more than ever, communities will need capacity to rebuild their economies; our nation’s workforce will need professional experience to keep moving towards their goals; and all of us will need to find our place and people to weather the future together. While this program was leaps and bounds outside of my comfort zone, I wouldn’t change where it has taken me, the people it brought me to, or the skills I’ve gained. RARE gives a lot, and expects a lot of its members, too, but one guarantee is that you are never alone.

Photo of the author with a yellow beanie standing in front of a waterfall.About the author, Sienna Fitzpatrick: Sienna spent last year in the RARE program serving Southern Oregon, and naturally fell in love with the beauty, opportunity, and challenges of this great state. In the last year, Sienna realized her passion for community building and decided to pursue a new project through RARE that would help her explore that career area, which lead her to Central Oregon. Sienna’s background is in environmental policy, science, Spanish, and extensive volunteer experiences, positioning her to see the big picture and the “story” behind every project she works on. In her free time, Sienna enjoys photography, traveling, and spending time with loved ones.

Let ‘er Buck

Posted on by vbinnin2

By Eleanor Williams, Food Systems and Safety Policy Coordinator, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

“Round-up week” was a term completely foreign to me before moving to Pendleton. Usually referred to as merely “round-up,” it always took me an extra second to realize we weren’t talking about the weed killer. I had no concept of the multi-day event or the kind of cultural and social impact it has on a relatively rural Eastern Oregon town. I incorrectly had assumed as a born and raised Oregonian that I knew the majority of the state’s high-trafficked events — even if they weren’t held on what Eastern Oregonians refer to as “the West side” of the state. Unbeknownst to me, nothing could have prepared me for the spectacle of wild west regalia, cowboy boots, leather, booze, food trucks, and seemingly endless rodeo events lasting a whole seven days.

It happened my first week here. My first week of an eleven month term of service with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). I had been convinced at a university job fair by an enthusiastic and passionate program director that my career aimlessness after graduation and thesis focus on environmental reproductive justice was a great fit for the RARE program. RARE (Resource Accessibility for Rural Environments) was a branch of AmeriCorps housed at my alma mater, University of Oregon. Although the application deadline was fast approaching, my job search had been fruitless up to this point and RARE was an opportunity to do work I believed in while still getting paid. I agreed, applied, and began a five month application and placement process which resulted in my mom and I driving a rented sprinter van with my cat and all of my belongings across the state to a region I had never visited.

The first day on my own, after my mom and the sprinter van left my cat and I adjusting to our new space and roommates in Pendleton, I was invited to a concert. It was, in fact, the kick-off concert to Round-Up week with country singer Trace Atkins performing in the Happy Canyon arena. With my roommate and some of her friends, we wandered down to the river walk to enjoy the concert the Pendletonian way – for free within earshot of the outdoor arena with blankets and snacks brought from our home. That night I met a group of former and current AmeriCorps volunteers who graciously welcomed me into their close friend group. The week that followed was a parade of western pride, from bull-riding and free rides across town in the backs of pick-up trucks to normally vacant parking lots overflowing with party-goers and delicious greasy fair food from trucks that occupied the entire stretch of Main Street.

I was quickly and entirely introduced to the culture of Pendleton that week (my first, mind you). I heard a litany of different perspectives on the week-long event from townspeople, past AmeriCorps, co-workers at the Tribal government, and visitors from out of town who had booked their Airbnb months in advance. Watching and participating in the events that drive a town’s economy for the rest of the year, that require all schools in the district shut down due to students’ participation in the events, that more than triples the rural town’s population for a week, was altogether overwhelming.  However, Round-Up allowed me to witness my community’s most paramount display of local culture from the start and all at once so that entering my term of service I had a fuller and personal perspective of the community I was serving.

Photo of the author smiling in front of a red flowering currantAbout the author, Eleanor Williams:Eleanor graduated with honors from the University of Oregon with a B.S. in Environmental Studies and a minor in Legal Studies. She also graduated from the Clark Honors College, though which she wrote and defended a thesis titled: “Miscarriages of Justice: Examining Environmental Reproductive Injustices within Native American Communities.” As an Oregonian with a passion for environmental justice, Eleanor is very much looking forward to serving with RARE this year.

Rural Oregon needs you now more than ever. Does community development work interest you? Are you looking for a life changing experience in rural Oregon? Learn more about serving with the RARE AmeriCorps Program via our website. Applications due April 24th.