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Creating Sustainable Endowment Funds for Oregon Students to Attend Outdoor School

Outdoor School has been one of the most beloved and memorable educational experiences for many Oregonians for years. Unfortunately it is often also one of the most hatcheted items in school budgets. During the last few years many Outdoor Schools have bit the dust because of budget cuts.
If we could get Outdoor School endowment accounts set up that would not be subject to district or state economic ups and downs but from which each year's Outdoor School could be at least partially supported from the interest from the endowment fund, then we would perhaps be able to sustain the Outdoor School over a long period of time. For example, in my district the ODS for 80-100 6th graders is about $18,000. $4000 of that is paid by parent fees, PTO and a few local groups add about another $1000, and the district had for about 40 years paid the rest. Last year the district was only able to pay $7000 of the remaining amount and we were very fortunate to get a grant for $7000. This year the district does not expect to pay that amount nor do we know if similar grants will be available. This uncertainty in financing makes many districts and parents and teachers give up from weariness of trying to constantly raise new funds.
In our district we have been thinking about starting a fund that people could donate to that would not be used right away but would grow over time to eventually be enough to consistently fund ODS through the interest.
However, this would obviously have to be a very large fund to get enough to sustain the program just off of interest.
That is where the MMT could help districts by providing some seed money for districts to start these kinds of long-sustaining accounts.
This might be especially valuable to do with Outdoor Schools that offer Challenge Courses to their students because Challenge Courses teach youth to solve tough problems together, to think outside the box, and to consider other students' ideas and suggestions. This is the kind of teaching that might help keep future Oregonians thinking creatively about how to solve new problems together.

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    SherrySherry shared this idea  ·   ·  Flag idea as inappropriate…  ·  Admin →
    jeremyhedlundjeremyhedlund shared a merged idea: Donate to Friends of Outdoor School  ·   ·  Show description

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      Million Dollar Ideas: Youth Development

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      Oregon was once known as a place where new, creative thinking flourished and people weren’t afraid to face hard truths and take bold steps. But lately Oregon conversations are full of pessimism and cynicism. We all know Oregon is in a world of hurt. We’ve grown accustomed to hearing what’s wrong here.

      Meyer Memorial Trust wants to help change the tone of the conversations and jumpstart action that again makes our state a place where ideas begin and grow. But we need your help. Tell us what you think is the most pressing issue facing Oregon that an investment of up to $1 million from MMT could provide meaningful support and leverage over the next two years. Give us your best ideas about the form that support and leverage might take.

      This is not a time for faint hearted suggestions. We're looking for bold and innovative approaches. And while the nonprofit sector is proving itself to be resilient, innovative and inspired in these times, we need to move beyond categorical thinking and invite all sectors to work together to address the issues we face before it's too late. This is not the place for an organization to make a pitch for funds on its own behalf. We’re looking for ideas that rise above individual organizations and constituencies.

      Asking for public input in this kind of forum is new for us. Frankly, we don’t quite know what to expect. But we have faith that Oregonians will take this process seriously and contribute their best thinking. We believe Oregonians are ready to reengage and stay engaged and work together to find solutions. But awarding the million dollars depends on the quality of ideas—if we don’t have sufficient participation or we don’t find a good match with MMT’s mission and values, we reserve the right to find another route to helping create a better future for Oregon.

      We are confident Oregonians won’t let us down. We expect lively—but civil—discussions. We desire innovative, entrepreneurial ideas…the kind Fred Meyer might have had.

      Thank you for jumpstarting a better future for Oregon by submitting your million dollar idea below and/or commenting on ideas already suggested.