Rising Fellows

UPDATE: APPLICATION PERIOD EXTENDED!

To accommodate our current and prospective Rising Fellowship applicants, we have extended the application deadline to 9pm PDT on Wednesday, 3/22, not the original Sunday, 3/12. If you haven't done so already, we encourage you to apply! Here is the link to our application form.

Please note that the fellowship's start time has not changed, so applicants will need to be free for the weekend retreat from March 31st through April 2nd.

Apply for Rising Fellows!

Are you passionate about working towards socio-economic justice in your community? Would you like to develop the skills that support movements, pressure the powerful, and deliver good policies and change for the people? Do you want to explore a career in community organizing?

If so, the Rising Fellowship is for you! East County Rising Community Projects is looking for motivated individuals for this year’s Fellowship cohort. This paid fellowship will provide participants with the opportunity to learn community organizing skills by studying techniques, collaborating on projects, and applying those learnings in the field.

Rising Fellows will:

Study history and theory of community organizing
Practice and develop skills in one-on-one relational organizing, power mapping, coalition building, event planning, advocacy, electronic communications, phone & door-to-door outreach, public speaking, organizational development, and strategic planning, as well as peaceful resistance and other direct action tactics
Work on East County Rising Community Projects’ campaigns to influence policy at the local and state levels
Forge relationships with volunteers and community leaders who can inform and support their activism and advocacy during the fellowship and beyond

Compensation & Other Information

Time Commitment: 20 hours/week
Compensation: W-2, $18-20/hour
Benefits: $25/month cell phone stipend
Requirements: Working car, smartphone, and home internet connection
Fellowship Dates: March 31, 2023 through November 17, 2023

Application

Sound interesting? Apply here by 9pm PDT on Wednesday, March 22, 2023!

Applicants will be notified on a rolling basis if they are invited to schedule an interview with East County Rising Community Projects staff.

Fellows will be selected and notified ASAP. Activities will begin with a weekend retreat from Friday, March 31st through Sunday, April 2nd.

If you have any questions, please email Spencer at Spencer@ECRcommunityprojects.org

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Find more information about our organization below:

What is East Count Rising Community Projects?

East County Rising Community Projects (ECRCP) organizes and builds grassroots leadership within East Multnomah County to create an equitable and livable community and amplify the voices of the most underrepresented and marginalized residents.

Our geographic focus aims to address the social and economic disparities between the eastern and western halves of Multnomah County, the most populated county in Oregon. We use the term “East County” to refer to the portion of Multnomah County that lies east of 82nd Avenue, including East Portland, Gresham, Troutdale, Fairview, Wood Village, and beyond.

We focus our work in East County because our region has some of the highest rates of poverty in Oregon, due to the comparative lack of historical investment and services by governments and corporations.

East County is also one of the most racially and ethnically diverse areas in Oregon, with some of the most diverse zip codes and over 70 languages spoken. Nearly 40% of its residents are Black, Indigenous, and other people of color. One in five East County residents were born outside the United States. With this in mind, we apply an intersectional framework to our organizing that incorporates race, class, gender, sexuality, immigration status, age, disability, and lived experiences. In other words, we believe in the power of solidarity against oppression, and we strive to center people with the greatest needs in our efforts.

What is Community Organizing?

There are many types of community organizing, but ECRCP focuses on direct action organizing, powered by relationships between organizers and the members of the communities they serve and represent. By maintaining those relationships, organizers follow the lead of the community, understand its needs, and work hand-in-hand to address issues. We believe all our efforts to address issues must be guided by the communities most affected by those issues. Our work must win concrete improvements in people’s lives, give people a sense of their own power, and alter the structures and relations of power in a way that reduces inequality.