The greater Parkrose neighborhood is a diverse part of Portland, with growing numbers of communities of color. Sandy Blvd runs through the heart of the neighborhood, connecting us to home, work, school, and nature. Parkrose has many community assets, like active community groups and a thriving school district, but the community faces serious issues like rising rents,  the need for more living wage jobs for students and their parents, unsafe conditions on Sandy Blvd, and the lack of a disaster preparedness plan for underserved communities. The Parkrose Community Action Plan will address these community concerns. 

The vision of Youth for Parkrose 2021 centers the voices of nineteen Black & Brown Youth in Parkrose through design and community building, while contributing to the Parkrose Community Plan. In seven workshops, the youth learned about and chose one out of the five topics in the Parkrose Community Plan to focus on for their final presentation:

Overall, we hoped to provide the youth with the tools on how to advocate for important community needs through local leaders as guest speakers and hands-on exercises on each topic. 
Organized by Historic Parkrose (HPR), Your Street Your Voice, Camp Elso, and Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS)
 

Students will share their projects and lead a panel discussion with professionals in the built environment.  This virtual event is open to the public, including families and friends.

VITAL VOICES PANELISTS
Leslie Lum Portland Planning & Sustainability (BPS), East Portland Planner	Safiyya Algellal Parkrose School District’s McKinney-Vento Liaison
Seile Tekle, MBA Historic Parkrose NPI Executive Director	JR Lilly Historic Parkrose NPI Board Member
Tya Winn Executive Director, Community Design Collaborative, Philadelphia PA