You Are Invited to Welcoming Week!
Beginning tomorrow, Sept. 10, the City of Portland, along with other municipalities and organizations around the country, will affirm their commitment to building a more welcoming country where everyone — regardless of their race, ethnicity, or citizenship status — feels like they belong.
Portland’s Welcoming Week will begin on Sept. 10 with an outdoor celebration at Gateway Discovery Park beginning at 6 p.m. The event will be filled with dance performances, music, and remarks by:
- City of Portland Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty
- Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization’s Director Lee Po Cha
- City of Portland Commissioner Carmen Rubio
- Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal
- Beaverton Mayor Lacey Beaty
- Oregon Senator Kayse Jama
COVID-19 protocols will be followed at all the Welcoming Week events.
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New Portlander Policy Commission Member Mia Sabanovic and her family share their journey from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Portland. Civic Life sat down with Portlanders to hear their important stories about immigrating to the United States, challenges and wins, and how each of us can support their immigrant and refugee communities. You can view all 11 videos on our website.
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Portland’s First Multilingual Resource Guide
Prior to Welcoming Week, Civic Life worked with the New Portlanders Policy Commission (NPPC) and other community groups to develop Portland’s first multilingual guide that would serve as a “road map” for new immigrants and refugees coming to Portland.
The City of Portland believes that immigrant and refugee communities keep Portland, and the country, culturally vibrant, innovative, prosperous, and more interesting. This brochure is one way to ensure immigrant and refugee communities feel welcomed and have the information needed to ease their transition into Portland. Read the brochure in multiple languages on our website.
“This brochure is a ‘soft launch’ and a starting point to build more equitable, expansive, and inclusive multicultural communications,” said Civic Life’s Strategic Communications Officer Daniel McArdle-Jaimes. “Later this year, our team plans to do a large citywide assessment to further improve our reach and refine our community engagement while examining our newly earned census data.”
Civic Life is also proud to feature the stories of members from the New Portlanders Policy Commission and Multnomah Youth Commission describing their journey to Portland. Watch and listen to these 11 powerful short stories on our website.
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Celebration All Week Long!
The Welcoming Week program has a wide assortment of events, both virtual and in-person. For example, on Saturday, Sept. 11, escape to Favela Brazilian Café and indulge in Brazilian food while participating in a dance concert. Or learn about resources for immigrant-owned businesses and entrepreneurs during Civic Life and Prosper Portland's informational and networking meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
Our website contains information about each event and how to RSVP in English, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
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No-Cost Trainings for Portlanders
Civic Life’s Constructing Civic Dialogues program provides no-cost training on communication and conflict resolution to the public.
This year, we’ve partnered with several community organizations and businesses to provide free curriculum that is applicable to everyone.
This month, the radical educator, Vo Vo, is offering a set of unique trainings that explore racial justice, intercultural communication, trauma-informed care, de-escalation, and transformative justice. Vo Vo has trained staff and board members from more than 300 organizations in Oregon and Washington. See a list of all trainings below. Find out more and RSVP on our website.
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Multnomah Youth Commission’s 25th Class
PDX Parent Magazine’s September issue introduces the 25th class of the Multnomah Youth Commission (MYC). Find their article on page 7.
Since 1996, MYC has trained and activated 479 youth to grow leadership skills and build civic engagement power to take ownership of the region’s outlook.
Three Multnomah Youth Commissioners were interviewed as part of immigrant and refugee story collection efforts. You can view the stories of Arianna, Rakeb and Noah on our website.
The MYC is the official youth-led advisory body for both Multnomah County and the City of Portland. Members are between the ages of 13 to 21 and work to influence policy and positive perceptions of youth. Civic Life and Multnomah County Chair’s Office of Diversity and Equity share support for the advisory body. Learn more about the MYC on our website.
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Civic Life is Hiring!
Civic Life's programs invest in building strong civic engagement, community leadership, and support relationships between businesses and their neighbors. We are currently hiring for a new position, come join our team!
Communications Coordinator II- Temporary
Civic Life is seeking a Communications Coordinator to join their team! This is a full-time, 12-month appointment with the possibility of extension depending on funding. To find out more, please visit the Portland Jobs website.
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