Warm Up With Stories of Oregon Summer Learning

“We want to tell our own story.” 

When FBO approached community partners to explore opportunities for collaborative storytelling, we heard these exact words. It was a conviction that each partner expressed as they launched summer programs that connect Oregon children—and critically, their learning—to their identity, community, culture, language, and sense of place.  

It’s also an affirmation that communities own their stories, a core tenet of FBO’s growing narrative practice. To uplift rich, nuanced, and true stories, we must elevate communities across Oregon as storytellers and honor their deep-rooted storytelling traditions and expertise. That means building relationships and trust first, taking the time to show up, listen, learn, and understand. Instead of parachuting in and out, it means co-designing collaborations that uphold community as a greater than equal partner from ideation to publication. 

Today, I’m excited to share a selection of stories from FBO’s summer storytelling collaborations with Capaces Leadership Institute, the Chinese Friendship Association of Portland, and Adelante Mujeres. Whether through photography, video, or the written word, these stories open a window into the power of community-based learning, and why it’s an essential part of Oregon’s learning ecosystem. They reflect what’s possible when our state invests directly in communities—as it did with summer learning in 2021—to create inclusive, equitable, and culturally relevant learning opportunities for every child. 

Having walked alongside our partners, I won’t soon forget the joy that children so clearly found this past summer: the joy of learning, making new friends, feeling seen, and bonding with their community. They are stories of hope—hope we must carry into the new year. I invite you to savor these stories below.