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Unite Oregon is a membership organization led by people of color, immigrants and refugees, rural...
Unite Oregon is a membership organization led by people of color, immigrants and refugees, rural communities, and people experiencing poverty. It works across the state to build a unified, intercultural movement for justice. With a grant from Progressive Multiplier, they created RIPPLE (Refugee, Immigrant, People of Color Political Leadership & Education), a program to engage individuals, other organizing groups, and corporate allies and raise unrestricted revenue through tuition and sponsorships.
The RIPPLE program, which is delivered via a culturally responsive curriculum over five weeks, teaches immigrant, refugee, and BIPOC leaders how to organize, advocate for their communities, convert their ideas into policy, and even run for office. To recruit participants, Unite Oregon offered sliding scale tuition and block pricing for multiple seats to groups that wanted to send more than one staff member. They also worked to secure student, track, and full series sponsorships from local businesses and national corporations headquartered in Portland that are supportive of social justice.
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The Portland community embraced the RIPPLE program, rallying to create a strong network around the participants. Of 17 RIPPLE graduates, four are running or planning to run for positions in their union, school board, and state office. In addition, Unite Oregon hired graduates from the program as a Washington County organizer and a community health worker and plans to hire others to support Unite Oregon campaign efforts. They are coordinating with two graduates to establish small businesses around childcare.
In total, Unite Oregon raised $12,500 from RIPPLE tuition and sponsorship and developed a robust program curriculum that can fuel their mission for years to come.
Unite Oregon is a membership organization led by people of color, immigrants and refugees, rural communities, and people experiencing poverty. We work across Oregon to build a unified, intercultural movement for justice.
