Movement Building
We build alliances among community, environmental, labor, social justice and other public interest organizations to develop common strategies for addressing vital public policy issues.
It takes more than one organization to push for progressive policy change. Western States Center builds relationships across communities, organizations, states, and issues to gain collective power and victory. This approach facilitates continuous collaborations.
We do this by working directly with these groups and gathering leaders from diverse communities to network and strategize together. Organizers and communities form relationships that extend beyond the gathering event itself.
In 2009, the Center helped start Oregon Voice as part of the State Voices Network. Oregon Voice provides year-round shared services, information, and resources to organizations involved in civic engagement. Oregon Voice fosters collaboration among these organizations and provides training and access to technology and tools that let groups be more focused, accountable, and able to evaluate their work not just at election time, but year round.
We also support permanent, multi-issue statewide coalitions that combines the power and effectiveness of individual organizations in both the public policy process and in elections. These groups include:
