WorldOregon

Giving thanks to our WorldOregon community for your support and friendship! As we honor #nativeamericanheritagemonth, we encourage you to visit the Indegenous Marketplace https://lnkd.in/g9xBzDa4 pop-up and/or participate in volunteering with the NAYA Family Center Community Garden. Check out the Northwest Native Chamber for more ways to support and volunteer with local Native-led projects in the area. #gratitude #community

?? Big News ?? The Chelsea Anderson Memorial Play Station at Marshall Park in Vancouver, Washington, has achieved the Gold Accreditation Certificate from the World Disability Union (WDU) for exceptional disability access! ???? The WDU is an international organization dedicated to promoting and ensuring accessibility, inclusion, and equal rights for people with disabilities around the world. Their rigorous accreditation process evaluates public spaces, ensuring they meet high standards of accessibility and inclusivity. This Gold Accreditation reflects the park’s commitment to being a space where people of all abilities can connect, play, and enjoy nature without barriers. From inclusive play structures to accessible pathways and thoughtful design features, the Chelsea Anderson Memorial Play Station sets an inspiring example of what true inclusivity looks like. A heartfelt thank you to WorldOregon for bringing their "Disability Rights – Equal Access for All" leaders to the park to bestow this incredible honor. We were humbled to welcome members from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, and United Arab Emirates. Your partnership helps amplify the importance of spaces like this and ensures that accessibility remains a top priority in our communities. Join us in celebrating this milestone and continue striving for a world where everyone has equal opportunities to explore, play, and belong. ??

WorldOregon honors all who have served. Happy Veterans Day!

We hope you can join us for this just-added event coming up next Saturday, November 2 at 4pm, featuring Ukrainian poet Halyna Kruk in conversation with Kim Stafford, former Oregon Poet Laureate as Kruk reads from her award-winning work and the two discuss poetry as a witness to war. Copresented with the Portland-Lviv Friendship City Association. How does a poet in the midst of a tragic war write about both her country’s and her own personal loss and trauma? Is there really any other choice? Acclaimed Ukrainian poet, translator, and scholar Halyna Kruk joins us for a rare Portland appearance to read from her latest collections of poems (including the award-winning Crash Course in Molotov Cocktails and Lost in Living) in English and Ukrainian. Free event at our offices. For more details and registration please see: https://lnkd.in/gVD-Huac

Wanted: Language enthusiasts! U.S. Department of State #VirtualNSLIY and #NSLIY applications available for scholarships for language study. Application deadlines are October 22 and November 4. See below or https://lnkd.in/dWmsrRgn for more info!

On Indigenous People’s Day, WorldOregon acknowledges and honors that the land now known as Portland sits on the unceded territory of the original peoples of this land: the Multnomah, Wasco, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Cowlitz, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other Tribes who prospered in thriving communities along the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. Today, our region’s diverse and vibrant indigenous communities are descended from over 380 federally recognized Tribes, with the Grande Ronde, Siletz, and Cowlitz tribes living in the area. We extend our deepest gratitude to those who have stewarded this land, and offer our respect to the Native communities and their elders, past, present, and future. We remain committed to honoring, engaging and learning from these Native communities as we fulfill our mission to connect Oregon and SW Washington with the world.

Many thanks to Unitus Community Credit Union for supporting WorldOregon! On October 10 we received a $25,000 donation as part of their Community Impact Program, celebrating our upcoming 75th year anniversary in 2025 and our ongoing initiatives that connect the people of Oregon and SW Washington with the world. Unitus' gift to WorldOregon was especially appreciated given the challenges facing nonprofits these days. Unitus is a strong partner of WorldOregon's mission to better connect our community with the world, and with CEO Steven Stapp as Chair of our Board of Trustees, this is a truly impactful step in their ongoing sponsorship!

This week, the U.S. Department of State welcomes around 80 international climate advocates to the United States for the 2024 "The Climate Crisis: Working Together for Future Generations" IVLP initiative.? ? Through this exchange program, they will meet with climate experts across the United States and explore ways we can work together to address climate impacts. Meetings will explore strategies to promote climate resilience and clean energy, efforts to strengthen land and ocean stewardship, national and local approaches to drive innovative climate solutions, and more.?? ? Check out the announcement here: https://lnkd.in/eENN42_x. ? We thank the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, our IVLP implementing partners, and all who are making this vital exchange program possible. This international exchange program is fostering greater global collaboration to address the Climate Crisis, an existential challenge of our time. ? #IVLPClimateAction | #IVLP | Exchanges360 at FHI 360 | Global Minnesota | WorldBoston | International Citizen Diplomacy of Los Angeles (ICDLA) | Global Ties Arizona | San Diego Diplomacy Council | WorldOregon | Northern Nevada International Center | Global Ties KC | GlobalPittsburgh | Global Ties ABQ | Global Santa Fe | Global Ties Miami

WorldOregon is honored to have helped play a role with our local partners in Rachid Ennassiri’s award-winning impact on climate issues! Global Ties U.S.

Excited that local partner Clean Water Services is a leading partner in this global cooperation on urban water security!