Session 4: January 23-24, 2026
Oregon Partners in Policymaking Leadership Series
2025-2026
COMMUNITY ORGANIZING, ADVOCACY, AND CREATING CHANGE IN OUR STATE SYSTEMS
Where: Hyatt Centric, 601 SW 11th Ave, Portland, OR 97205
Day 1: Friday, January 23, 2026 from 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Day 2: Saturday, January 24, 2026 from 8:00am to 4:00pm
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Determine which part of your topic can be focused on to create a winnable action.
Understand systems change advocacy.
Understand the messaging triangle as a tool for speaking to the press, communicating with the public and centering values.
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1:00 Welcome/Overview of Agenda
1:15 Mindfulness
1:30 Home Groups - Debrief Homework
2:00 Building and Communicating Your Message
3:30 Break
3:45 Coalition Building
Activity: Systems Thinking worksheet
5:00 Dinner with ADD Coalition Building Panel
6:30 Social Hour
8:00 Adjourn
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Breakfast on your own
8:30 Know Your Rights and Peaceful Protesting
9:30 Change Makers Panel
10:30 Break / Hotel Check Out
11:00 Monitoring the News
Group Activity
12:00 Lunch
12:45 Overview of Action Group Purpose and Strategy
1:00 Choose Your Own Adventure: Action Group Planning
Activity
2:30 Action Group Report Out
3:00 Person-Centered Planning Next Steps
3:30 Evaluations / Homework
4:00 Adjourn
Schedule for this Session
Homework
Action Groups
Connect with your Action Group
Develop an OpEd about your issue to bring to the February session
List coalitions/individuals and strategy for connecting
Person Centered Planning for Life (prep for 2-minute graduation speech)
What is your vision statement?
Steps to achieving the vision?
What are you afraid of along the way?
What’s going to help you get past those fears?
How will achieving your vision benefit yourself, your family, your world?
Watch/Read to Prepare for February Housing Session
A Home of Your Own (22 minutes)
Resources
Videos
“How to Be Your Own Advocate,” Disability Rights Oregon, 2024
Reading
”Letter from the Editor: How we select reader letters for publication,” OregonLive, December 15, 2024
“Know Your Rights: Housing,” DRO, 2024
PODCASTS
Developing accessible housing for people with disabilities in Oregon, OPB Think Out Loud, Feb 20, 2024 (21 Minutes)
