Oregon Rural Communities
Prioritization based on health, equity, education, and climate
Welcome to Oregon’s Rural Schoolyards Needs Assessment: An Interactive Map from Trust for Public Land
The Oregon Rural Community Schoolyard Program is an effort dedicated to building community, health, climate resilience, education, and a nature-based focus in Oregon’s schoolyards. Our vision is for schoolyards to ensure everyone has access to the healing power of nature and for Oregon’s community schoolyard program to become the model for more equitable rural communities.
What does the map show?
This interactive map uses GIS to help prioritize areas of opportunity for schoolyards in rural Oregon. All categories were weighted evenly and reflect National and Statewide data related to health, equity, education, and climate. Areas highlighted in orange reflect a higher potential for opportunity to provide access to community schoolyards.
3-Year Program Goals
In order for schoolyards to become the standard practice we must learn from our experience, work with partners, invest in designing and building projects in diverse communities. In Oregon, often the communities with the greatest needs are in rural areas. We will elevate these disparities to elected officials and the philanthropic community and focus on the need and positive impacts green schoolyards provide. Our primary goals for the next three years are:
GOAL 1: Expand the private and public funding base that supports green schoolyard development in Oregon communities
GOAL 2: Grow our capacity and partnerships to demonstrate this work in at least three Oregon communities by the end of 2024.
GOAL 3: Create a replicable process, template and case study for other communities to undertake rural green schoolyard projects in Oregon and beyond.
The trajectories of action work together. Demonstration projects elevate the need, drives policy change and increases public and private funding; policy and funding are the conditions for sustained green schoolyard development by Trust for Public Land and others around the State.
Implementation Plan
The Oregon Rural Green Schoolyard Program is not simply about creating more green schoolyards. The Program has two distinct but mutually related strategies that must work together in order to be effective and impactful. On one side, Trust for Public Land and partners need to create more schoolyards in the places they are needed most. On the other side, Trust for Public Land and partners need to advocate for funding and policy change at the state and federal level that recognize schoolyards as recreation amenities, as public health amenities and as educational resources.
Resources:
Contact us: Reach out to Amanda.Craig@tpl.org with any questions or comments!