2008/2009 VOTE Project

The Voter Organizing, Training and Empowerment (VOTE) 2008/2009 Project will work with 6 Oregon groups and 4-6 groups in the region to boost their capacity to involve members in defining, shaping and leading policy issues critical to their constituencies and advancing their missions. The VOTE project will support groups who aim to register and educate voters on the issues important to their communities. The project makes the connections between public policy arenas from the legislature to the ballot box and grassroots organizing.

Building off of the success of the first Base Building Project, which worked with six community based organizations in Oregon and Washington for over 18 months, in June 2007 the RACE program began its work with another seven community based organizations led by and serving communities of color in Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. Participating Organizations include: Center for Intercultural Organizing (Portland, OR), Native American Youth and Family Center (Portland, OR), Oregon Action (Portland, OR), Seattle Young People’s Project (Seattle, WA), Unete (Medford, OR), VOZ Workers Rights Education Project (Portland, OR), and Wind River Alliance (Ethete, WY).

Community Strategic Training Initiative (CSTI) will be held on Friday, August 1st - Sunday, August 3rd, 2008 in Portland, Oregon.

CSTI provides three days of intensive training and networking for those organizing for justice in the West. The event is designed for leaders, staff and volunteers of organizations who are working to address racial justice, civil rights, immigration, gender justice, women's leadership, electoral organizing and other critical struggles facing our communities.