Youth opportunities to join EPRC actions planned for 2023
The EPRC Tree Enhancement/Shade Equity program is underway!
In Spring we will be working with youth groups to learn about the benefits of trees to our neighborhoods. Youth from participating community organizations will survey trees on public and private property to gather data on tree/shade and carbon mitigation benefits from shade and trees. The data from tree surveys will help to identify places where shade and trees are needed on our streets. We invite community organizations to plan a tree event to help survey the neighborhoods and learn how to gather data about the benefits of trees and shade areas for residents. Contact Gayle, palmertum@gmail.com to learn more about this action.
Actual tree planting will have to wait until the Urban Forestry department of Portland’s Parks and Recreation Bureau completes a new version of the Urban Forestry Management Plan. Funding to increase the number of street trees has been designated as a top priority under the new code changes in the Portland Clean Energy Fund through a new City developed Climate Investment Plan (CIP) which targets PCEF funding into several categories of strategic spending. One of the first strategic initiatives that will be funded is a plan to grow an equitable tree canopy to support the City’s 2035 tree canopy cover goals. The CIP intends to spend $40 million over five years on tree canopy programs. Specifics of how funds will become available for community organizations will have to wait until the City staff and PCEF committee members develop a plan and recommendations for review and approval of the plan by City Commissioners in July 2023. That means that the first opportunity to apply for funding under the new guidelines and strategic priorities will likely be in late 2023 or early 2024.
EPRC will be watching for opportunities to influence the CIP and participate in every forum or survey offered by PCEF and the City to express our viewpoints about our program to enhance Shade Equity and Trees on commercial streets in the 13 neighborhoods. To join the Tree Enhancement/Shade Equity workgroup contact epresiliencecoalition@gmail.com Our top priority in 2023 will be collecting data, surveying trees and developing information about workforce development opportunities in Regenerative Agriculture and tree planting to enhance the number of trees on commercial streets in our neighborhoods. We want to work with Partner groups to develop a PCEF application for projects for 2024.
Save the date for the Volunteer and Job opportunity Fair coming up in February 2023
EPRC along with the Centennial Neighborhood Emergency Team and the Centennial Community Association is hosting a Volunteer and Job Fair.
The event is Saturday, February 18, 2023 from 3:00–5:00 pm at The Center Powered by Y.O.U.T.H., 16126 SE Stark St, Portland, OR 97233.
Community organizations are invited to reserve a free table to present volunteer opportunities for your organization to community members. We will also have tables for organizations that are looking to hire for job openings, such as school bus drivers. To join in and reserve a table at the event, please email centennialnet@gmail.com.
YOUTH organizations — make your voice heard and potentially earn some money
EPRC and Participatory Budgeting Oregon invite youth organizations to host an idea event. Take a look at three potential opportunities for East Portland Resiliency Coalition members and any youth they serve to participate in the Youth Voice Youth Vote Participatory Budgeting (YV2 PB) project. See the links to more information at: YV2 PB project map, the PB process diagram
Contact Youth Voice Youth Vote if you want to learn more.
Host a Pop-up Idea Collection Event:
Your youth can hold an Idea Collection Assemblies where young people learn about PB, brainstorm ideas on how to spend $500K in COVID relief and recovery funds in their community, and learn about opportunities to stay involved in local government. We invite any EPRC orgs that are interested in co-hosting a “pop-up” idea collection with the youth they serve to contact us to schedule an event now. All the events and activities use a popular-education method to engage and enlist youth in YV2 PB opportunities. These opportunities include submitting ideas, serving as a paid budget delegate in the project development phase this winter, or helping organize or voting in the voting phase next spring and summer.
YV2 PB Budget Delegates:
All the ideas for how to spend the available $500K in COVID relief and recovery funds will be collected, sorted, and vetted by youth leaders based on the criteria in the YV2 PB process rule book created by the YV2 PB Steering Committee last summer. Paid YV2 PB budget delegates will develop specific ideas into feasible projects for the PB ballot. We are currently looking for youth interested in the youth budget delegate opportunity. Youth Budget Delegate’s can apply by January 15.
Project Implementation Opportunity for youth organizations:
All of the 10-15 feasible projects that will end up on the YV2 PB ballot will be associated with one or more non-profit project implementers who have the capacity to implement one or more winning projects. Projects will range from $50K-$100K.
The Steering Committee put a high priority on non-profits with a demonstrated capacity to follow and support youth leadership and with a record of developing and implementing authentically youth-driven projects.
Selected project implementers will be supported with PB staff in developing authentically youth-driven projects with the paid youth budget delegates. See this Project Implementer Interest Form. We would welcome the opportunity to meet with organizations about the project implementer opportunity.
