In May, the Arlene and Michael Rosen Foundation had the privilege of bringing together 25 grant recipients of the Oregon GO Grant for a gathering that felt, from the very first moment, like something rare. The Oregon GO Grant piloted in 2025. Watching this cohort of leaders coalesce felt like a meaningful milestone worth celebrating.
The 25 organizations are led by and for community – communities whose resilience, creativity, and determination continue to shape the landscape of social change across Oregon and beyond. To have these powerful leaders in one room was an affirmation of what becomes possible when people who share a vision are finally given the space to find each other.
The convening was built around collective learning. Attendees engaged in deep conversations about national organizing strategies and explored the arc of local and statewide legislation that could inspire their work and advocacy in Oregon. These sessions were driven by the knowledge and lived experience that every leader brought with them. The goal was never to deliver information, but to build a shared understanding that could travel home with each participant and take root in their own communities.
Equally central to the day was something that can be easy to overlook in the urgency of movement work: joy. We were intentional about creating an experience that honored the whole person, not just the organizer. That meant sharing a delicious meal prepared by small businesses owned by members of our own communities, a way of keeping resources circulating within the networks we care about and savoring food that carries real culture and meaning. It meant making time for storytelling, for laughter, for the kinds of conversations that happen not in workshops but over a shared table.
It also meant being moved by the performances of local artists, dancers, and musicians whose creative expression reflected and amplified our collective vision. Their presence was a reminder that culture and artistry are inseparable from the work of liberation.
What we are most proud of is what we cannot fully measure: the relationships begun in that room. Leaders from across the state met counterparts whose work mirrors and deepens their own. Stories were exchanged, ideas sparked, and we hope those connections continue to grow long after the gathering ended, quietly strengthening the fabric of a larger movement.
