Our Mission
The Office of Community &Civic Life connects the people of Portland with their City government to promote the common good. Our programs create a culture of collaboration, expanding possibilities for all Portlanders to contribute to their knowledge, experience, and creativity to address local concerns and make life better in the city we all share.
Our Goals
Inclusive Structures
The Office of Community & Civic Life will build inclusion into our daily operations, setting broader change in motion across City government. This requires proactively considering input from and impacts on the diverse communities within Portland. It also requires strengthening partnerships with and investing in community-based groups that represent a broader spectrum of Portlanders.
Adaptive Governance
The Office of Community & Civic Life will bring diverse communities together to address shared concerns and issues that affect all Portlanders. We will also seek more ways to collaborate with other City bureaus, bringing the power of our collective resources and expertise to achieve shared goals and citywide initiatives.
Fulfilled and Empowered Portlanders
The office will strengthen Portland's culture of civic engagement and create an environment in which all Portlanders feel encouraged to contribute. We will invest resources across a wider range of communities within the city and ensure more people who live in Portland see their experiences, concerns, and aspirations reflected in City-supported programs.
What We Believe
One City, Many Communities
Portland is home to a diverse range of communities with unique experiences and interconnected lives. Weaving these distinct perspectives together to inform local decision-making strengthens our city in ways that benefit everyone.
Power For and From the People
Portlanders have the ambition and ideas to address the challenges that impact their own communities. Support from and partnerships with local government create new opportunities for participation and encourage more people to help lead the way forward.
Creating Our Future Together
Our actions today will shape our city tomorrow. It's critical that we respond to the opportunities created by our growing, increasingly diverse population now while learning from the experiences of the native and global populations that have long made this place their home.
Promote the Common Good: Civic Life is building stronger communities by supporting and empowering Portlanders. We think, act, and partner with our communities to better understand and take care of their diverse needs. We invite you to join us in this continuous, much needed work to make our communities safer and more welcoming for all.