POIC

"You do not have to be me in order for us to fight alongside each other. I do not have to be you to recognize that our wars are the same." - Audre Lorde

Pride is a celebration, a statement, an affirmation: our q***r community here to stay. POIC is proud to uplift and protect the q***r youth and adults that make our community whole.

You are always welcome. You are always loved. Happy Pride Month to you, and to all of us at POIC! 🫶🏽🏳️‍🌈🫶🏾🌈🫶🏼🏳️‍⚧️🫶🏿

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If you or someone you know is struggling, please share these LGBTQ+ resources:

📱 Phone/Text
24-hour TrevorLifeline: 1-866-488-7386
24-​hour TrevorText: Text START to 678678
Crisis Text Line: Text START to 741-741
The LGBT National Youth Talkline (serving youth through age 25): 800-246-7743
National Su***de Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255

"You have to remember that through all the chaos in these photos, a good story came out of it. A lot of recovery came out of it." - Ronnie Salu, POIC Frontline Worker and Photovoice Team member.

POIC's Healing Hurt People team and researchers from the OHSU Trauma Center and the OHSU Gun Violence Prevention Research Center recently gathered to present their collaborative project in a soft launch exhibition. The study, "Journeys: A Photovoice Project," is rooted in visual storytelling and centers on the experiences of POIC intensive case managers to capture the unseen aspects of their work.

The project has drawn national attention for its unique research approach: the Photovoice methodology. Photovoice reimagines how violence prevention and intervention programs can collect and assess data by putting cameras into the hands of frontline workers. The resulting images offer an unfiltered look at the experiences of our team and the community members they serve.

Frontline workers are the core of the violence prevention and intervention movement. By documenting their realities, we can make this work more visible, valued, and viable.

Thank you to our research partners at OHSU for their dedicated time and collaboration on this project. We are proud to work alongside you on the path toward safer communities. ❤️

Great teachers make the world better 🌎🫶🏽 Rosemary Anderson Prep's Kay Shoemaker (pictured far left) is one of those teachers.

Kay is a science educator at our North campus, specializing in Marine Biology. Students come to expect a sense of belonging when they enter Kay's classroom. Where exactly her class meets is less predictable, often leading students out of the building and into Oregon's natural landscape.

This year, Kay facilitated a series of coastal field trips, with hands-on lessons exploring everything from Oceanography to Watershed and Salmon Ecology. Their final trip (a favorite among the class) concluded with a tide-pooling session led by practicing Marine Biologists with Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators. Under the guidance of field professionals, students participated in ongoing research investigating sea star wasting, intertidal zones, and sea urchin recovery.

Kay believes the most impactful way to learn is by doing. Whether at a tide pool, on a riverbank, or back on campus, students leave Kay's classroom with a deeper understanding of the world around them.

Thank you, Kay, for sparking curiosity and expanding real-world opportunities for our kids. We are so lucky to have you ❤️

Meet Maxine! POIC intern, coding whiz, and the person who made our work a WHOLE lot easier! 💡💻💪

Maxine (pictured right) joined our community as a workforce development intern and, after identifying a gap in the department's workflow, pursued an ambitious solution.

"The [Work Opportunities Training] team has to work as career coaches, case managers, intake specialists — and data entry is part of that intake. Sometimes they'd fall behind because they're just so busy 24-7."

Maxine coded a system that streamlines the form intake process, allowing career coaches to spend less time at the screen and more of their days supporting participants directly.

She credits her internship mentors for helping make the project a reality. "Working here, everyone's been so kind. It's just a lovely environment… I learned that even when building something meaningful feels big, you can just do it. Just try it."

With her sights narrowed on business administration and a career in public service, Maxine leaves a lasting legacy at POIC. Her story is a reminder of what becomes possible when young people are met with patience, encouragement, and the belief that they are capable of more. 💚💛

"If hurt people hurt people, then healed people can heal people."
Congratulations to the newest Healing Hurt People (HHP) graduates! 🎓🙌🏾🎉

HHP is a POIC Community Safety initiative that provides immediate and long-term support to victims of violence and their families. Beginning in the hospital room and continuing over 18 months, the journey to graduation is no small feat. Participants work side-by-side with case managers to set benchmark goals and build individualized safety plans that address their emotional, economic, and environmental well-being.

We know that everybody deserves the chance to heal. By investing in those most at risk of violence, POIC is building lasting safety for entire communities. 💚🤝🏾💛

Ikimashou (let's go!!) on a journey through Portland's spectacular Japanese Garden 🎏🎍🍁

Rosemary Anderson Prep students traveled to the Portland Japanese Garden for a guided tour, where they discovered the garden's cultural significance, intentional landscaping, and learned more about Oregon's Japanese American history.

The annual field trip is a favorite feature of POIC's Natural Resource Pathways (NRP), which connects students with career opportunities and real-world experiences in environmental sciences.

Our aim is to opens doors for BIPOC youth who have long been underrepresented in outdoor fields. Together we're taking up space, growing curiosity, and soaking up all that Oregon's natural environment has to offer! 💚