Building Community Power

Room One is honored to have been selected as one of 22 recipients in Washington State for the Systems, Power, and Action grantfrom the Group Health Foundation (GHF)! This fund is shaped by the foundation's commitment to racial justice, reflective leadership, and community-driven solutions. These impactful 3-year grants allow us to invest in building power locally and advocate for meaningful change to get address root causes of issues such as violence and poverty.
Kat recently attended a virtual gathering for grantees in this statewide cohort. It is inspiring to see, and learn from, so many community-based and BIPOC-led organizations doing advocacy work in community-centered ways. LiLi Liu, GHF Portfolio Director, started off the time together by saying, “Power is about belonging.” Wow - yes! So much of what we are working towards here at Room One is creating belonging for communities here in the Methow Valley and Okanogan County. Belonging is connected to place and community, and if we create space for people in our community to experience belonging, they can begin to move with, and shape, power in community. We know that this is often a long journey, but as another participant reminded our cohort, the process is just as important as the outcomes. And Room One joins local existing recipients FYRE and Rural People's Voice!