Tag: Community and Economic Development

Returning to My Rural Roots

Posted on by kward2


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By Ruby Barrera, Community Engagement Specialist, Maxville Heritage Interpretive Center

Growing up in a rural place I felt TRAPPED, and the opportunity to leave wasn’t coming soon enough. It’s a tale as old as time: grow up rural, feel like your potential isn’t being met, move to the city, and become ultra rich and successful like in the movies. Yet, when I did get out to the city, I started realizing how much I loved aspects of my rural community. Knowing your neighbors, volunteering, walking to the grocery store all become less important in the hustle and bustle of the city. In that chaos though, community—I realized—is truly what was impWallowa Mountainsortant to me. Deep down, I was still a rural small-town girl who just needed some time to widen her world by living in a place completely different from where she grew up.

Rural development: that was the phrase that just made everything click for me. Why didn’t I realize, rural development was what I was always incorporating into my school work? Truly, who takes a business innovation class and makes a presentation on the innovation of milking parlors? Me! Yes, I was influenced by my first job at a sustainable agriculture and energy museum. However, agriculture wasn’t even what I was passionate about. I’m passionate about the PEOPLE who work in agriculture. So, I started realizing that I need to get back to working and serving rural to truly see if my passion just might lead me to this broad term of rural development. Queue me discovering the AmeriCorps RARE program and within three months, I was packed and moved to isolated Wallowa County. Thankfully, I came to serve in a placement that directly works in diversity, equity, and belonging. Which felt special as I was entering a new community on my own.

Logging picture from MHICMaxville Heritage Interpretive Center is truly one-of-a-kind, reviving a 240-acre ghost town while acknowledging and sharing Oregon’s history of exclusionary laws, diversity, arts, music, family heritage, and even trauma and healing. The work we do truly speaks to my personal passions in several ways.

It was not only exciting but somewhat comforting to know I’d be landing in a work space that recognizes and welcomes my identity as a brown-Latina woman. Which was important, as I was entering a community that has little to no individuals who share my culture, age, or skin-tone. Yet, working for a Black-women led organization feels transformative for me. Someway, somehow, the stars aligned in my favor. The work I do with MHIC is truly breaking stereotypes that are often perceived with rural places.

In my service year with RARE, I’ve had to expand what my definition of rural even is. Living and working in a frontier community is really not for the weak. Yet, the same reason why I loved my hometown and the community we have there, is exactly why I love my placement. The people make it special…and the beautiful scenery isn’t too bad of a perk. I’ve had the opportunity to be exposed to nature, arts, dance, writing, history and music in my daily life that inspires me and my work. Exposure to a new community has given me a fresh perspective, for how people create solutions to their rural barriers and how those same ideas could be shared and championed in other communities. It’s inspiring to see a place that cares deeply for its community members and motivates you to contribute to this goal, however you can. I’ve been captivated by the culture of Wallowa County. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be able to expand my way of thinking through experiences like this.

Headshot of Ruby at OrientationAbout the author, Ruby Barrera (she/her/ella): Ruby graduated from the University of Portland, where she earned her B.B.A. in Marketing and Sociology. She is a proud daughter of immigrants who settled in rural Eastern Oregon. Growing up in Eastern Oregon has greatly influenced her passion for rural development, community engagement, and diversity, equity, and inclusion work. In addition to being eager to learn and expand her current skillset, she is prepared to experience the diversity—and challenges—of a new rural community. Ruby is excited to serve Wallowa county!

Interested in gaining sustainability and environmental planning experience of your own? Are you looking for a life changing experience in rural Oregon? Learn more about serving with the RARE AmeriCorps Program. Applications for Year 31 (2024-25) due April 28, 2024 by 11:59pm PDT.

Meeting the Moment

Posted on by vbinnin2

By Jane Allen, Project Coordinator, Mid-Columbia Economic Development District

We all knew when signing up for the 20-21 RARE term of service, that this year would be different. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage on in our country, it is hard to count all the ways in which our lives have changed since that virus first presented itself in the US and lockdowns began in mid-March of last year. For many RAREs, what is normally a service marked by in-person community development and fostering connections, this service year has been mostly serving behind a screen — not unlike many other people around the world who are navigating a Covid-ridden landscape. But what do you do when times are tough, and conditions change? You adjust, recalibrate, and move forward with the new set of circumstances.

One of the first projects I was tasked with as an incoming RARE working for the Mid-Columbia Economic Development District, was to coordinate their annual Columbia Gorge Economic Symposium. As someone who has had little experience with event planning, this was a daunting task. For the first time ever, this event would be held virtually, and not surprisingly, the main focus would be recent impacts to our economy and how we, as a region, begin to move forward and recover from this crisis.

Presentation slide from the Ford Family Foundation at MCEDD’s 2020 Economic Symposium.

Diving into this work was a great opportunity for me to learn about the new community I had just moved to. I found ways to build on the partnerships that were already in place in the Columbia Gorge, inviting industry leaders to speak about their experiences, how they pivoted in the face of uncertainty, and what their hopes are for the future. I am happy to say that the event was a success — we had over 200 people register, and many commented that they appreciated the discussions centered around resilience, recovery, and what the future holds for their communities.

This event solidified one of the most important lessons my service has taught me thus far — that getting things done in rural Oregon requires extensive collaboration and relationships that are built on trust and communication. I have seen it as I have joined the monthly calls of our economic resilience team — a cohort of stakeholders representing all facets of life in the Gorge, from health care professionals, teachers, workforce agencies, tourism representatives, tribal members, and more — who have been gathering since early March to meet this moment and share vital information back to their communities. I have seen it as I have listened to community members in Wasco County share the projects they have been working on, sometimes for years, to enhance their towns, and the relentless effort it takes to finally break ground. And I have seen it as MCEDD helped local counties develop a grant program to disperse over $1.5 million in funds to small businesses just weeks before the funds were set to expire. This work cannot occur without the strong foundation of partnerships built and coalitions formed, which have been critical for the Gorge region to navigate the COVID-19 crisis. I feel lucky to have been witness to this, and to play a small role in ensuring those relationships are strong, vibrant, and sustainable.

Photo of the author, a young woman with long hair in an orange sweaterAbout the author, Jane Allen: Jane majored in Environmental Studies and Geography at the University of Northern Colorado and got her Masters in Climate Change & Society at North Carolina State University. Having lived all over the country, Jane has seen the impacts of a changing climate coast to coast and wants to help communities be more resilient to these changes. In the future, Jane hopes to work on natural hazards planning and climate adaptation and is excited to apply her skills to economic development in rural Oregon. In her free time you will most likely find her exploring the outdoors with her husky in tow, listening to live music, or hanging out at a local brewery.