OPEN MINDS
OPEN DOORS
EDUCATION
EMPLOYMENT
EQUALITY
S
UPDATE
ince 1945 the League
In the 1§st year the League developed aloosition paper on affirmative action written by the President
and CEO, entitled Affirmative Action: Pursuit of a Meritocracy. In
has worked to promote
equal opportunity for all
Oregonians. The agency was
founded to advocate for African
Americans who came to Portland
addition, the League is working
jointly with Institute of Portland
to build ships during World War
II. When Blacks were denied access to jobs and housing after the
war, the League supported legis-
lation and policies which promoted equal treatment in employment, housing and education.
Today the League has a multicul-
tural mission "to assist African
Americans and others in the
achievement of parity and economic self-sufficiency through advocacy, community problemsolving, partnerships and by con-
ducting programs designed to
strengthen the growth and development of individuals, families
and communities."
The League continues to advocate for those who have experienced discrimination and operates programs that directly serve
constituent needs.
Advocacy
he Urban League of Portland advocates on a
broad range of issues to
improve the quality of life for
African Americans and other disenfranchised groups and individuals.
Policy
In the last year the Office of the President has engaged
"to assist African Americans and
others in the achievement of parity
and economic self-sufficiency..."
in numers activities in order to influence policy at the local, state and national level. Activities include participation in the African American Legislative Issues Roundtable and membership with the Oregon Council on
Civil and Human Rights.
Metropolitan Studies in the development of the Center for Community Research (CCR). CCR's mission is to provide methodologically
sound social science research services to community-based organizations in the six-county PortlandVancouver region.
Mediation and Conflict Resolution
Such as dialog on Black
Jewish relations with the American
Jewish Committee and mediation
on racial incidents at a local shopping center.
In addition, Urban League President
Lawrence J. Dark testified before a
state congressional committee on the
impact of Senate Bill 1, which created
the Oregon Department of Youth Authority and incorporated Measure 11.
Passed by voters in November 1994,
Environmental Justice
Measure 11 requires youth age 15 and
Urban Parks Project
An
emerging focus of the League's ad-
vocacy work is around environmental justice, public investment
and quality of life, including these
initiatives:
violent crimes with mandatory at-
The
League is implementing a four year
program to support the expansion
tached sentences.
of urban parks, particularly in un-
up to be prosecuted as adults for 16
derserved neighborhoods.
Mr. Dark and the Urban League have
also advocated at the federal level for
continued funding of summer youth
employment programs and job training and employment for adults.
Environmental Justice Through
Pollution Prevention Program
In
1996 the League will conduct a Pollution Prevention Community Education Program to empower
Research and Education
The
League conducts research and devel-
North/Northeast residents to become effective advocates for the
ops position papers on issues perti-
environmental health of their community.
nent to constituents.
Continued on page 2
Page 2
(gos The Urban League of Portland
Advocacy continued,
Grant to Combat Suburban
The League and three
Sprawl
other partners of the Coalition for
a Livable Future have received
funding from the Ford Foundation
to support education and outreach that will help combat suburban sprawl in the Portland metro
area.
HIV/AIDS - The Urban League is
currently operating a number of
HIV/AIDS education/prevention
and client services programs.
One goal is to encourage people
who are HIV+ to utilize available
health services, with a special
Center at the intersection of Martin
Luther King Jr. Blvd. and N.E.
Killingsworth in Northeast Portland.
The Senior Services staff is colocated with Loaves and Fishes'
Northeast Meal Site and Multnomah
County's Aging Services' Northeast
Branch, offering a "single point of
entry" for senior and disabled
services, with a focus on cultural
diversity.
Social activities are provided for
senior and disabled citizens to
develop leadership skills and
establish community involvement.
Activities help seniors build selfesteem, which makes for a healthy
and enjoyable lifestyle. About 100
emphasis on communities of
Social activities are provided for
color.
senior and disabled citizens to
develop leadetship skills and
Adult and
Senior
Services
community
establish
involveJenL
seniors attend the Center daily for
Center
activities and meals.
programs tclude:
Healthy Grandparents Parenting
Program: "parenting" grandparents
To provide services to the
the first Thursday of each month
1.
and
Case
management
transportation services are provided
to individuals who are experiencing
problems that jeopardize their
independent living and diminish
their lifestyle. In the last fiscal year
the Center enrolled 142 new clients
and served 950 clients overall.
The Whitney M. Young, Jr.
Education and Cultural
Center is a free after-school
assistance
homework/tutorial
program for students who could not
supplemental
otherwise afford
education support.
During the
school year the Center is open from
3 to 8 p.m., Monday through
Thursday.
The Center includes a multicultural
library, computers, guest speakers,
scholarship
cultural
events,
incentives and one-on-one tutorial
assistance. The Center served 325
students during the 1994-1995
school year. Students represented
a variety of cultures and ethnic
backgrounds and came from 33
schools in the Portland metro area.
A Parent Enrichment Program
he Adult and Senior Service
Center is one of eight
Service
district Senior
Centers in Multnomah County. The
Center has two primary goals:
elderly and disabled population that
allow them to live independently in
their homes with dignity as long as it
is possible and reasonably safe.
To provide activities to
2.
senior and disabled citizens that will
enhance their social skills and
provide them with opportunities for
personal growth.
Education
provides parents of students
attending the Whitney M. Young
Center and the Portland Street
Academy with resources and
their
enhance
to
strategies
children's education.
are working together to improve
their parenting skills and gain better
access to services important to
A
Grandparents Support Group meets
them and their grandchildren.
from
7:00
p.m.
to
8:30
p.m.
Educational sessions are held on
third
Thursdays,
from
7:00-
8:00p.m. A new program focus is
inter-generational activities.
Living with Alzheimer's or Normal
Forgetfulness: a support group for
ten caregivers meets to share
strategies, ideas, and laughter. The
Center also offers a respite program
for Alzheimer's clients.
In 1995 the League assisted with the
creation of the new Adult Day
in
Center
Care/Respite
North/Northeast Portland. Day care,
education
care
and
respite
by
provided
are
programs
The Urban League is the lead
Volunteers of America and the
agency for the Multicultural Senior
Urban League.
The Urban League was selected, in
conjunction with Children First for
Oregon, to coordinate the National
Hand in Hand Take Our Parents to
School Week. This initiative seeks
to increase parental involvement in
schools and support existing efforts
to involve parents in schools. This
project is funded by the Mattel
Foundation in conjunction with the
National Institute for Educational
Leadership.
The Portland Street Academy is a
learning center for junior and high
school age students. Up to 65
students attend the school Monday
through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until
3:00 p.m. The Academy serves
youth who have left Portland Public
Schools.
It
is located
at the
League's Whitney M. Young, Jr.
Education and Cultural Center.
Continued on next page
Page 3
gThe Urban League of Portland
local businesses including the lead
Education continued,
The school is structured so that
students deal with academic issues
as well as social issues. The
curriculum includes school-to-work
activities, female/male responsibility
groups, the Computer Training
Center, strong emphasis on science
and math, special speakers, Matt
Dishman Recreation Center, anger
management, conflict resolutions,
sponsor, Key Bank of Oregon.
ployers recruit and retain qualified
The IBM/Urban League Computer
Training Center opened its doors on
August 30, 1993. The Center offers
students a free 12 week modular
program, Monday through Friday
from 9:00a.m. until 3:30 p.m. The
Center offers two viable components:
1
Career and Job Development
Computer Center Lab
and field trips. Bilingual instruction
is available.
2
Students may work towards their
Certificate of Initial Mastery, earn
credit to receive their diploma, or
These components consist of
instruction in business math and
english, job readiness skills, resume
writing, job interviewing skills, special
study for their G.E.D.
speakers, as well as instruction in
The Portland Street Academy has
entered
Portland
into partnership
Public Schools
with
and
Portland State University in a five
year Urban Ecosystems Project
designed to increase the ability and
motivation of all students in grades
6-8 at targeted schools to reach high
performance standards. The project
has a strong focus on math, science
and social studies content. The
targeted schools include Ockley
Green, Portsmouth, and George
middle schools.
The goal of the Female & Male
Responsibility Program is to
discourage teenage pregnancies by
providing youth with positive
personal
for
alternatives
development. The program helps
youth identify and promote positive
values; develop a healthy selfimage; be accountable for their
actions and
reactions;
become
involved in their community; and
take necessary steps to become
academically prepared.
The Female & Male Responsibility
Program coordinated the Youth
Summer Employment program for a
fourth year in 1995. This program
provides an opportunity for youth to
work and develop job skills. Youth
in the program provided free yard
maintenance work to hundreds of
low-income senior citizens. The
program is generously funded by
Partners". The goal of the Employer
Partnership Program is to help em-
WordPerfect,
Windows,
databases
and
spreadsheets,
desktop publishing.
DOS,
Graduates receive Certificates of
Achievement and work closely with
the League's Employment Services
Department to develop potential job
placements.
Saturday' and evening classes are
planned for 1996. The Computer
Training Center was made possible
by a generous grant from the Meyer
Memorial Trust and in-kind support
from IBM Corporation.
protected class job candidates. Employer Partners send staff to work at
the League periodically as volunteers, assisting with: interviewing,
referring clients to job openings,
counseling
and
pre-screening
clients. During 1995, the Employment Services Department placed
approximately 348 people in new
jobs.
In July qf 1995 the Urban League
was named the "Designated Agency
of the One-Stop Career Center Sys-
tem" for North/Northeast Portland.
As the "Designated Agency" of the
One Stop Career Center System
(One Stop) the League is responsible for the coordination and management of the One Stop; for all development activities related to the
One Stop system and; for the overall provision of One Stop services.
The One Stop is a partnership
among Adult and Family Services,
Albina Ministerial Alliance, the Employment Department, the Housing
Authority of Portland, Labor's Community Services, Mt. Hood Commu-
nity College's Dislocated Worker
Program, Portland Community College's NE Skills Center, the Portland
Development Commission, The Pri-
vate Industry Council, the Urban
Employment
Services
TLeague's Employment
Department assists minorities, women and others find employment in the Portland metro area. Services pro-
vided by the Employment Services Department include: intake
and/or information and referral;
comprehensive case management; placement; retention; basic
skills training; occupational skills
training and; motivational and self-
League of Portland, Vocational Rehabilitation, and the Volunteer
Lawyer's Project. These programs
are integrated through joint planning
in meeting community employment
and training needs and joint provision of services, and through an integrated system of enrollments and
referrals.
On March 22-23, 1996 the League's
Employment Services Department
will host the annual "Career Connections" job fair. Our third successful
job fair, Career Connections '95 was
attended by approximately 3,900 individuals.
Eighty-two exhibitors
were present with 1,700 open jobs.
esteem workshops.
The job fairs have allowed us to
Some 44 local companies are sup-
form additional employer relationships and to expose our clients to a
porting the League as "Employer
greater number of job opportunities.
Page 4
QThe Urban League of Portland
included individual and family
support services which involve;
group, family and individual efforts to
build on strengths and positive
values. Groups include "Friends",
Youth and
Family
Services
The
Youth
&
Youth & Law, Shoplift 101, Living
Large, Future, Positive Resolutions
and Mainstream alcohol & drug
Family
Service Center is one of
seven
Multnomah
centers
County
that
has
designated as a "Youth and
Family Center". This designation
emphasizes the County's focus on
the family unit and each of its
members. Urban League staff
work to assist families in meeting
their needs in relationship to each
other.
The Center worked with more than
800 youth and families during
calendar year 1995. Activity areas
education. Other projects include
and
employment
education
assistance, outreach to the
SE
Asian
and
Hispanic
communities, the Big Brother/Big
volunteer
program,
Sister
involvement, the Rainbow outreach
to gay/lesbian youth and the
Diversion program.
In the Diversion Program, over 376
of the 517 juveniles referred by the
courts, schools, families and the
business
community
provided
community services to local nonprofit programs in the community.
They also received over 2,000 hours
of
educational/skill
building
programming.
The Big Brother/Big Sister program
provided nearly 3,000 hours of
volunteer time to 38 Little Brothers
and Sisters. During the year, 28 new
matches were made. This program
is affiliated with the National Big
Brother/Big Sister program.
The Youth Employment component
placed more than 85 youth in a
variety of jobs, including jobs in un-
subsidizild private businesses and
special summer programs with the
Private Industry Council and the
U.S.D.A. Forest Service.
Family Support services includes
group
family and
individual,
counseling, mediation and intensive
case management to insure that the
individual and family issues reach
positive resolution.
THE URBAN LEAGLIE Or PORTLAND
10 N. Russell Street
Portland, OR 97227
(503) 28012600 Fax: (503) 281-2612
DEPARTMENT
Advocacy
btKVIL;tb
Policy/Legislation
Research and Education
Race Relations and Diversity Issues
Mediation and Conflict Resolution
MU Nt NUIVII:StK
(503) 280-2600
Urban Parks & Open Spaces
HIV/AIDS Outreach
Adult and Senior Services
(503) 248-5470 ext. 4551
Case Management and Transportation
Senior Center - Daily Activities and
Meals
Healthy Grandparents Parenting
Program and Alzheimer's Support Goup
Education and Career
Development
Whitney M. Young Tutorial Program
Portland Street Academy
Computer Training Center
(503) 280-2635
Employment Services
One-Stop Shop/Career Center
Employment Counseling & Job
Placement
Employment Partners
(503) 280-2630
Youth and Family
Services
Diversion Program
Individual, Family & Group Counseling
Big Brother/Big Sister Program
(503) 280-2600
Northeast Employment
Training Center (503) 241-4644