Current Job Opportunities at Friends
Meeting Facilitator - Gorge Accessibility ProjectRequest for Proposals Proposals due: September 26, 2021
The purpose of this Request for Proposal is to select a contractor to act as meeting facilitator during the visioning and design process for two new outdoor recreation spaces with Friends of the Columbia Gorge Land Trust (Friends) and the Gorge Accessibility Project steering committee.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Friends purchased two new properties in 2020 and is initiating a stakeholder-driven planning process to design them as universally accessible sites. Universally accessible recreation spaces are designed to be usable by all people to the greatest extent possible. Today, we need to address accessibility in the Gorge with fresh eyes, and start the work of focusing not just on more access, but on more equitable access. The planning process aims to provide opportunities for all people to experience the wonder of the Gorge, regardless of ability level or personal identity.
Friends have assembled a steering committee to play a leadership role in designing plans for these outdoor recreation spaces. The steering committee is comprised of leaders with diverse expertise and lived-experiences whom are shaping the project designs. In addition to the steering committee, the project will also engage key stakeholders to contribute to the project. Key stakeholders will participate with steering committee members during targeted visioning sessions on particular topics, such as universal access design, transit, gathering spaces, and inclusion in the outdoors.
SCOPE OF WORK
The purpose of this Request for Proposal is to select a contractor to act as the facilitator for the visioning and planning process led by Friends. They will be a meeting organizer who facilitates six to eight, half-day visioning and planning sessions with the steering committee, key stakeholders, and a landscape architect advisor. They will also facilitate eight, one and a half hour monthly reconvening meetings with the steering committee and develop a rapport with the group. The facilitator will also develop meeting agendas, manage meeting logistics, and take/share notes from each of monthly steering committee meetings and visioning and planning sessions.
This work requires a facilitator that understands diverse communities. The facilitator will need to foster a welcoming and inclusive experience for steering committee members and key stakeholders that encourages hearing all voices. The ability to build rapport amongst a diverse group of participants is crucial. The selected contractor will also advise on best practices for virtual, in-person, and blended virtual/in-person meetings to ensure strong engagement of the participants.
The accessibility project is adopting consensus decision making for the planning process and ultimately, the conceptual designs. The ideal facilitator will have demonstrated experience and exceptional skills in guiding diverse groups and decisions towards consensus.
The ideal facilitator will possess keen organizational skills to manage the meeting logistics and information sharing with Friends, the steering committee, and the landscape architect advisor. They will also be a reliable and responsive communicator when coordinating the work with Friends’ Accessibility Project Manager.
QUALIFICATIONS
Experience leading diverse groups in an outdoor recreation planning and design process; guiding groups towards consensus; a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion; and facilitating planning sessions in a virtual, in-person, and blended virtual/in-person forums.
Electronic Submittal:
One (1) copy of the proposal must be emailed to Mika Barrett (mika@gorgefriends.org) no later than 7:00 p.m., on Sunday, September 26, 2021. Please title the e-mail very clearly with the RFP Title and your company name.
To view the full Request for Proposal and the Contract Requirements, please use the buttons below.
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About Friends of the Columbia Gorge
Ensuring the Gorge remains a vibrant, living place—wondrous, wild, and open to all—is at the core of what we do. Friends of the Columbia Gorge works to protect, preserve, and steward the Columbia Gorge for future generations.
We are the only conservation organization entirely dedicated to protecting and enhancing the scenic, natural, cultural, and recreational resources of the Columbia Gorge. For over four decades, we have successfully advocated to protect the Gorge from irresponsible development, purchased scenic and sensitive lands for long-term preservation, and worked with community partners to foster a larger culture of Gorge stewardship by connecting thousands of students and volunteers to the Gorge’s wonders.