Friends of Outdoor School

Program and place network - as Outdoor School programming expands across the state, significant challenges must be addressed to ensure adequate capacity, high quality, and full inclusion. This network of Outdoor School sites and providers makes it easier to marshal resources, advance program quality, expand Outdoor School to all Oregon students, and provide support for sharing success stories. During the 2022-2023 fiscal year, this network managed by Friends of Outdoor School (fods):* connected programs and sites to one another so that they can grow a strong, cohesive, and influential network dedicated to excellent education and youth development. Continued on schedule o. * promoted efforts and made connections with key partners to reduce barriers to participation in ods for students. * helped educators to move the workplace beyond the seasonal model to make ods a lifelong career. * provide expertise to support programs and build the capacity of the Oregon ods system. * helped ods programs and sites trouble-shoot problems. Community network - through the Outdoor School community network we harness the hopes, dreams, and stories of stakeholders around Oregon to advocate about and for Outdoor School. These stakeholders are former students, family members, former and current Outdoor School educators, teachers, champions of Outdoor education, and anyone interested in Outdoor School. Their perspectives are critical in telling the story of Outdoor School and helping frame and realize the vision that Outdoor School is a place where every child can belong. Through communications, outreach, and community events we continue to gather and amplify the voices of the community so that decision-makers understand the powerful impact and promise of Outdoor School for oregonians. During the 2022-2023 fiscal year, this network managed by fods:* gathered to celebrate and share in the joy of ods. * linked community organizations and businesses to their local ods programs and sites and encouraged community members to financially support their local ods programs and sites. * worked with parents to ensure full accessibility and inclusion to their local ods program. * collected stories from the community about their ods experience.oregon state university extension service Outdoor School program - fods provided a variety of expertise and support for the osu extension service Outdoor School program including:* supporting osu extension Outdoor School in sharing information with decision-makers about the continued need for measure 99 funds, despite the pandemic. * collaborating on professional development for School districts and their ods partners in implementing responses to the pandemic. * collaborating on research and evaluation showing the amazing positive outcomes students experience from ods while shining a light on where we can (and must) improve to realize the fully inclusive and equitable ods we work toward each day. * partnering to take on a deeper look into how high School students benefit from participating in ods, especially in developing equity consciousness. * providing expertise and perspective on a variety of policy decisions. * championing the use of measure 99 funding to be used as grants for equity and inclusion projects. * connecting the Outdoor School community with the key contacts at osu extension. * communicating program data to decision-makers and shared constituency and stakeholders. * managing stipends for low-income committee participants. * cohosting over 50 virtual gatherings to support ods programs and sites. * helping to hire key staff positions at osu extension service Outdoor School.

Advocacy and lobbying - fods leads the advocacy efforts for Oregon's statewide ods program. During the 2022-2023 fiscal year, fods:* secured full $56 million in state funding for the 2023-2025 budget cycle. * passed a bill to direct the Oregon department of education to collect attendance data about ods to ensure every child has access to this transformative program. * worked with the Oregon department of education to find mechanisms to identify and remove barriers to full participation for all Oregon students at ods.continued on schedule o. * engaged legislators and other decision-makers with personal tours at ods. * shared personal stories about ods with legislators and other elected officials. * championed state funds to improve access to and offer affirming and inclusive education experiences at ods. * endorsed meaningful legislation proposed by our camp, education, and equity partners.