What’s the Story of Inclusive Competitiveness? A Collaborative Community Conversation

Friday, October 2 5:30pm - 8:30pm University of Oregon - Portland 70 NW Couch Street Portland, OR

Have you heard this story?

According to census data, more than 31% of the U.S. population today is

African American or Latino American with a projected growth to more

than 46% of the population by 2060. Yet, less than 3.5% of GDP comes

from these two demographic groups. How can America sustain leadership

in global competitiveness with so much of her population producing so

little?

What if we took responsibility for raising awareness and empowering

disconnected communities to work together by telling the emerging story of

Inclusive Competitiveness?

OUR PURPOSE for this evening’s conversation and collaboration is to

connect people across sectors so that we all get a greater appreciation of

related efforts occurring across the region. You may also come away with

new relationships, new perceptions and an idea of your own next step.

As part of Experience Engagement, a conference on journalism,

community engagement, and impact, Journalism That Matters and the

Agora Journalism Center, are hosting this community conversation to

highlight a topic vital to Portland’s future.

This highly interactive session will bring a diverse cross section of Portland

residents involved in the innovation economy together with conference

attendees -- journalists and other community storytellers from around the

country.

Collaborative sessions will focus on…

● Stories told from across the spectrum of the innovation ecosystem

-- education, workforce development, entrepreneurship, funding,

and policymaking -- that bring about shared vision, strategy and a

framework with measurable goals to improve the productivity

performance of underrepresented populations to grow new jobs and

benefit the national economy.

● Underrepresented populations -- racial minorities, women, rural

residents -- connected to education, resources, and support to

effectively cultivate their hidden talent and value.

● Public support for policies that equip entrepreneurs from all

backgrounds to contribute to the prolific growth of innovation

ecosystems and fast-paced industries that improve the economy.

● Inclusion and economic well-being of, by, and for us all.

Registration is free, but space is limited. So please register soon and join us

to jump start a conversation to bring these aspirations to life in Portland --

and beyond.

￩ Inclusive Competitiveness is a

vision and strategy that empowers

underrepresented populations to

actively engage and compete in a

globally competitive innovation

economy. Local efforts are seeking

to address this important issue of

economic inclusion and

competitiveness in the Greater

Portland region.

￩ Journalism That Matters is a

nonprofit that convenes

conversations to foster

collaboration, innovation, and

action so that a diverse news and

information ecosystem supports

communities to thrive. We believe

journalism matters most when it is

of, by, and for the people.

￩ Agora Journalism Center is the

gathering place for innovation in

communication and civic

engagement. It is devoted to

nurturing transformative

advancements for better journalism

and stronger democracy.

Why you should attend

If you are in education K-12 and higher education, workforce development,

small business development, economic development and urban planning,

community foundations, local corporate entities, NGOs or someone

concerned about Portland’s future… Register today!

Agenda (5:30-8:30pm, Friday, Oct. 2)

5:30 Buffet Dinner, Registration

6:30 Program

● Welcome - Andrew DeVigal

● Introduction to Inclusive competitiveness - Mike Green

● Community conversation - Peggy Holman (facilitator)

The bulk of our time together will involve a lively exchange intended

to bring to life the story of Inclusive Competitiveness in Portland.

We will envision how it manifests across community sectors

individually and collectively today and in the future.

● Next Steps

8:30 Adjourn

Meeting Hosts

● Airship Technologies

● Built Oregon

● City of Portland

● Oregon Entrepreneurs Network

● Oregon Story Board

● Portland Incubator Experiment

● TiE Oregon

Organizers

● Agora Journalism Center

● Journalism That Matters

● ScaleUp Partners

￩ This Friday evening community

event is a part of a larger gathering,

Experience Engagement, Oct 1-4,

which brings together the best

practitioners on the leading edge of

engaging with communities to learn

from one another.

￩ For the community

conversation, we'll be using the

World Cafe, which creates a living

network of connected small-group

conversations focused on shared

“questions that matter” in order to

foster the emergence of collective

intelligence and committed action.