2012 conventions 2012 election 2013 session arts arts and culture author ballot measures basketball bomb books boy scouts budget bullying business charlie hales children clackamas climate change coal college courts crime culture culture club democrats drugs economy education environment family film fluoride food gay rights guns handguns health health care health insurance high school history housing immigration internet kitzhaber law legislature lgbt literary arts living marijuana marriage media medicine mental health military minor parties mohamed mohamud movies music native americans news newspaper obama olympics oregon our town parenting pers photography police politcs politics port portland portland business journal president prevention public safety religion republicans rnc romney rural salem sam adams sandy hook schools science shooting sports suicide supreme court taxes technology television terrorism theater third parties transportation union university of oregon washington wildfire women

I grew up in Ontario, went to high school and college in Salem and Eugene respectively and moved to Bend literally the day that I finished college (and before all the roundabouts). In Bend, I found work in social services and had opportunities and mentors that I don't believe that I would have found in the valley. I was fully dedicated to being a rural social worker- in great demand much like rural health care providers. However, I was laid off and moved back to Portland after only a year with the State. In Bend I was managing a chaotic load of 18- 20 cases a month, with little resources, lots of public scrutiny and a whole lot of supervisor support. When I moved to Portland, my caseload dropped to 6/month and the perceived dynamic between worker and client was dramatically different.

This is a part of the gap, I believe, between urban and rural areas. There are distinct cultural differences that play into how people in rural areas operate and what they see as important. If you play it all the way back to the Oregon trail, it was not only important, but crucial to our survival, that we all maintain friendly relationships, even with the most difficult of neighbors. There is also a lack of information and exposure to culture in rural areas that absolutely affects political and personal views of the world in ways that can be damaging and cruel.

I cannot describe how frustrating and disheartening this experience was for me (being moved across the state to a position where I was clearly less needed). I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out how I was going to move forward and saw myself moving into political work to help shorten that gap. When I heard about the office of rural policy development, I was so excited! I knew that this could be a way to help ensure that rural needs were represented within State government and to help explain State decisions to people in rural areas whose need to understand the decisions that affect them is often overlooked. I suppose it was just irony that the same news article wherein I learned about this office was the same that told me that the office was closed.

I guess now we'll have to rely on the Internet. No joke- the internet provides ways for people of all stripes to come together on different issues and provides a means to educate, collaborate and be represented on different issues with one's state senator. You know, as long as they actually read those email...

posted 5 years, 1 month ago
view in context