Equity and Inclusion in Local Government

The City of Eugene’s Office of Equity and Community Engagement (OECE) provides leadership, guidance, and insight on equity and community engagement to make Eugene a safe and welcoming community for all residents, workers, and visitors.

We also work towards developing a culture of belonging at the city of Eugene government.  A sense of belonging is present when organizations engage the full potential of individuals, where innovation thrives, and views, beliefs, and values are integrated. Achieving this vision requires tackling tough issues such as institutional racism and implicit bias. Creating a culture of equity and belonging will ensure we are meeting the needs of all residents, visitors, and City of Eugene employees.

Services Provided by the OECE team

Equity Consulting

• Consult with city departments on how to embed equity in planning processes and service delivery
• Provide evaluation of equity dimension of proposed plans and services
• Advise staff regarding communication on issues affecting marginalized communities
• Support the work of Strategic Equity Advisors (ongoing)
• Support the work of equity panels (project specific)

For City of Eugene staff only: Request an equity consultation on departmental projects

Community Engagement

• Advise City departments on design of community engagement processes
• Maintain partnerships with community leaders and institutions for equity and outreach work
• Provide training on best practices for community engagement
• Lead community engagement processes as assigned by CMO
• Publish a biweekly newsletter on community engagement opportunities 

Language Access

• Consult with city departments on best practices and planning for multicultural/multilingual communications and outreach
• Work to operationalize language access across all City departments.
• Coordinate weekly newscast and outreach in Spanish
• Support Spanish website landing page and website resources
• Coordinate a City Hub resource page including a list of translation vendors
• Create and support auxiliary programs, such as the Language & Cultural Liaisons
• Provide Spanish language support in the OECE office and CMO

DEI Training  & Education 

• Belonging  Series ( 4 DEI modules, 14 hours)
• Equity & Belonging conversations for staff (upon request)
• Curiosity Keepers: Microaggressions and allyship (2 hours)
• Scratching the Surface of Eugene’s Racial History (2 hours)
• Hate & Bias Prevention and Response  Workshops (five, 90-minute sessions)
• Upstander Bystander Intervention Workshop (two, 90-minute sessions)
• Inclusive Public Participation Workshop 
• Language Access training 

City of Eugene staff can access DEI training through the Employee Resource Center.

For more information on OECE training for  community partners, please contact us at 541-682-5177 or via email.