Events & Opportunities
August 28, 2019
Conversation Project: It's a Free Country
Ever heard the expression "America: land of the brave and free" or "It's a free country! I can do what I want"? Maybe you think or say these things yourself. But what does it mean to "be free"? Join Ann Su for a conversation that explores the impact of culture on how we define, value, and experience freedom personally and in community. Participants will discuss different questions: Does everyone have access to freedom in the same way? What choices come with freedom and what are the responsibilities that accompany those choices? How does the concept of "freedom" play out in a diverse, democratic society?
5 p.m., Lake Oswego Adult Community Center, Lake Oswego
August 28, 2019
Conversation Project: Can We Get Along?
In 1992, in the midst of riots sparked by the acquittal of police officers who brutally beat him, Rodney King asked, “Can we get along?” This iconic American question still resonates today. What is it that drives this question, and why can it be so difficult to answer? What holds us back from connecting with each other? How do our personal experiences contribute to—and have the potential to break down—these barriers? Join facilitator Chisao Hata as she holds space to examine our individual and collective questions on race, perspectives, and cultural values around what brings us together and what separates us. This conversation may include some hands-on activities.
7 p.m., Silver Falls Library District, Silverton
September 14, 2019
Conversation Project: Showing Up
Being part of a community is an essential need for all of us. It is a place where we find others who share common ground, where our values and identities are reflected. Community is also a place where we are supported and thrive. Join facilitator Chi Mei Tam in this conversation to explore what it means to be part of a community. What does it looks like when community shows up for you and vice versa? How does it work? To what extent are shared values and identities in our community enough or not enough to help us thrive?
1 p.m., Jackson County Rogue River Library, Rogue River
September 16, 2019
Conversation Project: The Middle Class and Other Stories About Wealth, Status, and Power
Join Oregon Humanities Executive Director Adam Davis for a conversation that explores what we think and how we talk about class in Oregon and the nation. What exactly, for example, is the middle class, who does it include and exclude, and why does it get so much attention? When does talking about class turn into class warfare, or pandering, or simple confusion? To what extent can we talk about class without talking about race, ethnicity, and cultural background? Class is clearly related to wealth and money, but it also involves much more than that, from education to dress to the shows we watch, the words we use, and the clothes we wear. What are the measures and markers that help us recognize class, and to what extent is class useful for seeing our state, our neighbors, and ourselves?
noon, Lake Oswego Adult Community Center, Lake Oswego
September 18, 2019
Facilitation Training
This two-day training will help you strengthen your skills in planning and facilitating conversations on issues you care about within your organization or in the broader community.
8:30 a.m., RCC/SOU Higher Education Center Multipurpose Room, Medford
September 25, 2019
Conversation Project: The Space Between Us
Global displacement is on the rise, thanks to intractable conflicts, economics, and climate change. Oregonians have and will continue to see the results of international migration in our neighborhoods. In this conversation, Manuel Padilla, who has worked with refugees in Haiti, Chad, and Washington, DC, asks participants to consider questions of uprootedness, hospitality, identity, perception, and integration and how we might build more informed, responsive, resilient, and vibrant communities.
5:30 p.m., Centro de Prosperidad, Hillsboro
October 23, 2019
Conversation Project: How We Grow Old
What are the stories that shape how we think about growing old? How do we acknowledge the unique differences among aging individuals and separate the true stories from the myths? How do we accept the wisdom of our elders’ experiences while also recognizing new ideas about what it means to age in America? No matter our age, we all hear and tell stories about growing older that reflect our own ideals and fears—and the ideals and fears of our communities. Join facilitator Melissa Madenski as we look at the power of story in a conversation that will ask you to share your own experiences and ideas about aging and listen to the perspectives of others in your community.
10 a.m., Lake Oswego Adult Community Center, Lake Oswego