orcc December In-service Training

Oregon Campus Compact hosted its second In-service Training at the Aldersgate Retreat Center in Turner Oregon.  The ORCC staff and VISTA members spent two days at Aldersgate strengthening our community, supporting each others' needs, and digging deep into questions of equity and oppression.

The weekend began with many introductions.  Firstly, the ORCC VISTAs were introduced to Kendra Henry, our new Program Manager.  The VISTAs also introduced themselves in depth, having to answer the question "Who are you?" by defining the most important aspects of themselves to their peers.

The in-service training continued with presentations on the topic of equity and empowerment. The ORCC VISTAs had lively and engaging discussions on race and social justice as it related to society, their service sites, and their lives. They also engaged in an in depth presentation and exercise exploring the topic of oppression.

Highlights of the weekend included:

• Allisha Tull led a very engaging activity on the Needs & Haves of VISTA members. This allowed individuals to identify the skills and tools of others and work together to provide quality service to their respective service sites and the communities they work in.
• Josh Todd provided a thought provoking, in-depth discussion about Equity & Racial Justice using key work from the Equity and Empowerment Lens. After the training, VISTA members will have to opportunity to participate in a monthly web training about Equity and Racial Justice from a leading scholar on the topic.
• Hannah Forman led an inspiring, thought provoking, and engaging activity called Theater of the Oppressed. The Theater of the Oppressed was created by Augusto Boal to use theatre as means of promoting social and political change.  During this experience, VISTAs were able to recognize oppression through scenes they acted out, confront oppressive speech and behaviors, and learn how to use the tools they learned in their daily lives.

Through these discussions of power and privilege, we found that we all brought different ideas to the table and took away new lessons.  We found that we all had things that we needed and things that we could give to each other.  We finished the weekend in the spirit of mutual support that strengthened our community and in turn, our work.