The Oregon Humanities Programs Advisory Committee is an advisory body made up of community members who are connected to and participate in Oregon Humanities programs. This group is charged with advising Oregon Humanities on new program development, current program themes and collaborators, and supports promotion of Oregon Humanities programs in their communities.
We see this group as a critical part of:
- Ensuring our work is representative of and connected to issues affecting communities around Oregon,
- Bringing community voice into our decision making,
- Shaping our program improvement processes, and
- Amplifying the work of Oregon Humanities around the state.
MEMBERSHIP: Oregon Humanities strives to recruit members from across the state who see alignment in themselves with Oregon Humanities mission, vision, and values. We aim for the committee membership to represent diverse geographies, lived experiences and identities, and different types of program participants. We recognize life changes may mean a move from the geographic area you were in when you were selected for the committee. Members are welcome to remain on the committee despite a change in location so long as they remain in Oregon.
The ideal committee make up includes:
- 18 geographic representative community members, 2 from each geographic region (North Coast, South Coast, Portland Metro, Willamette Valley, Southern Oregon, Columbia Gorge, Central Oregon, Northeast Oregon, South Central/Southeast Oregon)
- 2 Youth at-large members
- 2 current Oregon Humanities board members
- All Oregon Humanities Programs Team members
ELIGIBILITY: We’re looking for people who are:
- Connected to place and land: Must be a current resident of Oregon and have been a resident of your geographic region for at least two years of time
- Connected to the community: Demonstrated significant involvement in your community
- Youth at-large Members will be under eighteen years of age (note this is to ensure we have at least two youth members, folks under eighteen are welcome to serve in the geographic representation spots)
We are prioritizing diverse voices, in particular, opportunities to elevate voices of those underrepresented or excluded in our communities.
TERMS: Youth members (those under eighteen) can serve up to two one-year terms for a total of two years and other members may serve up to two two-year terms for a total of four years.
MEETING FREQUENCY: Three meetings per year, 1.5 hours, virtual on Zoom, generally on Thursdays around 4:00-5:30
February - brainstorming needs for topics/presenters/etc
May - sharing draft programming plans for the next year
November - sharing and reviewing evaluation data from previous year
TIME COMMITMENT AND EXPECTATIONS: At a minimum, members commit to attend two out of the three, ninety-minute virtual committee meetings each year. Some meetings will have up to an hour of pre-reading or other prep time. If you would like to apply but do not have reliable access to a computer, tablet, device, or internet connection, please contact us.
Members are encouraged to attend and participate in Oregon Humanities programs throughout the year. As an advisory committee member you receive free admission to all events and programs.
Members are also encouraged to help spread the word about Oregon Humanities programming in their communities by resharing social media posts, sharing about programming happening in their local area, and generally sharing about programming events and opportunities.
Serving on this committee does not preclude you or organizations you are affiliated with from applying for grant funds from Oregon Humanities, leading programs with us, or participating in programs with Oregon Humanities.
There may be occasions where we are working on a project and may ask for your ideas, outside of these meeting times, if it is specific to your community or area of expertise. If this support would be greater than a phone conversation or email exchange, we would compensate you for that time.
STIPEND AND OTHER BENEFITS:
- Oregon Humanities is able to offer members an optional stipend of $150 for each committee meeting attended. This stipend amount is to help offset the costs of meeting participation (such as childcare, technology, etc) and will be distributed via check or can be considered as a donation of time to Oregon Humanities.
- Free admission into all Oregon Humanities programs
- Service Certificate at the end of your term
- Expand your network and meet people from all around the state
- Contribute to the mission of Oregon Humanities
- Representation of your involvement on our website and in our eNewsletter
HOW TO APPLY: This is a new initiative so we’re looking for all new members this year. We’ll aim to get at least one person from each area of the state to start with this year and then work to stagger start/end cycles with a yearly recruitment period to fill new spots.
To apply, please complete this form by January 5, 2024.
Please let us know if you have any accessibility needs to support your application or participation in the committee.
Advisory Committee vacancies are assessed and applications are accepted on an annual basis. You can sign up for our newsletter to learn of openings and to stay connected with Oregon Humanities. Current members will be asked to help to recruit and recommend new members to the Advisory Committee.
QUESTIONS: Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with questions you might have about the role or the application process by emailing programs@oregonhumanities.org