New grant opens opportunities for Civic Engagement
From Washington Gorge Action Programs:
By Tammy Kaufman
Bingen, Wash. April 17, 2024 — A new partnership centering around civic engagement has been formed at Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP). Recently, Cristian Olivares and Ben Noble have been made co-directors on a mission to engage low-income residents as partners in building thriving communities.
“Both Cristian and Ben bring unique experiences, perspectives, and skillsets to the role and they will make an excellent team,” said Jennifer Pauletto, WAGAP’s associate director. She said both are internal hires regularly engaging with clients and community members.
Olivares most recently worked with the Skamania County Emergency Warming Shelter team out of WAGAP’s Stevenson Office. He is focused on bringing more members of the Latino community into efforts to improve the lives of all residents.
“I want to help provide resources that our Latino community members need to break the barriers of participation,” Olivares said. He noted it is often difficult for them to go to meetings, especially during workdays. He said getting time off work, having options for childcare, and the burden of transportation costs can be serious obstacles to having a presence and voice at events and activities.
Noble will continue to support WAGAP housing teams with conflict resolution management as he broadens his scope into civic engagement. He sees the two areas as complementary, noting that he expects to use conflict resolution skills in support of getting more people involved with their local governments.
“I’m drawn to understand the challenges that leaders and the people face in the community,” Noble said. He said he wants to help bridge the gap of communication between them so they can have meaningful conversations about big issues. He cited topics like the lack of affordable housing and major projects like building a new bridge between White Salmon and Hood River and how it will impact local residents during the years of construction.
The pair will first focus on helping to promote the cleanup of Ekone Park, scheduled for Saturday, May 11, 2024, between 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in Goldendale. This event is being sponsored by the East Houseless Task Force in Klickitat County and was spun out of a meeting in late 2023 where local residents, city council, county commissioners, and law enforcement shared that there was a need for community engagement to keep the park clean and safe for all residents.
Getting people more engaged will be on both Olivares’ and Noble’s radar. Olivares is working on ideas to increase the number of Latinos who are registered to vote and participate in city council meetings. Noble is also excited to support people and groups across Klickitat and Skamania counties to be active in decision-making, including the Indigenous community.
“To be clear, the work our team is doing in civic engagement is non-political,” Pauletto said. “No party affiliations are associated with any of these activities. The goal is to get more people involved so decision-making is more representative of all of those who live in the Gorge, including our low-income residents who come from all walks of life.”
This work is being made possible by the Inatai Foundation which has awarded WAGAP a two-year, $250,000 grant.
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Programs for Peaceful Living is part of the Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP) family. Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Community Action Agency that helps individuals, families, and communities. WAGAP addresses basic human needs, including food, shelter, energy assistance, and more, in Skamania and Klickitat Counties. For more than 50 years, WAGAP has helped people help themselves and reach self-sufficiency. Learn more at wagap.org, or contact WAGAP at (509) 493-2662 or info@wagap.org.
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