Supporting Equity with the SBEA

The Scout Books Equity Alliance is a volunteer organization supported by Scout Books. Employees donate ideas, time, and creative talents in organizing projects, and Scout Books donates the materials and labor to produce the books. Over the last few years, we’ve gotten to work with some terrific groups, and we want to highlight the great work that they’re doing and showcase some of the projects that the SBEA has supported.

We Choose Hope

Where it all began! Following the 2016 election, the Scout Books team gathered together to affirm as our beliefs as individuals, and as a company. This, like so many good ideas, came in the form of a book. We shared our message of hope by including a copy of We Choose Hope in every order we shipped out, and selling them in our shop with all proceeds being donated to the American Civil Liberties Union. Learn about the process and see behind-the-scenes shots in our Scout Books Chooses Hope blog post.

We The People Are Powerful!

After the 2016 election, Scout Books press operator Ben Charbonneau started writing. He began diving into books and compiling notes on the rights and responsibilities of citizens. Ben brought his idea of a guide to civic engagement to an early Alliance meeting, and we agreed it was a great fit for our first official SBEA project. After reaching out to illustrator friends in the community, we looped in Samantha Cohen, Sarah Day, Sarah Mirk, and Jillian Barthold to create spot illustrations, and team member Chloë Miller to add hand lettering. Topics included understanding local, state, and federal levels of government, an introduction to grassroots organizing, and how to best focus your advocacy. It also contained contact information for elected officials and representatives. Learn more about this project in the We The People Are Powerful! case study.

Outside the Frame: The Power of Being Seen

Outside the Frame is a Portland-based project whose mission is to train homeless and marginalized youth to be directors of their own films and lives. Participants learn film making under the mentorship of professional filmmakers, and screenings of their films give audiences the chance to have unforgettable discussions with young filmmakers who have experienced homelessness.

BARK: DEFENDING & RESTORING MT. HOOD

Bark’s mission is to “transform Mt. Hood National Forest into a place where natural processes prevail, where wildlife thrives and where local communities have a social, cultural, and economic investment in its restoration and preservation.”  Their network of volunteer groundtruthers help monitor logging projects and destructive actions in Mt. Hood National Forest and surrounding public lands. As big fans of environmental sustainability and long walks in the forest, we were excited to work on custom Scout Books for such a relevant local organization. Want to support Bark? You can volunteer your time and energy to become a forest defender, or simply make a financial donation.

US: Immigrant Stories from Portland B Corps

US is a collection of immigration stories from the B Corp network here in Portland, and an incredible testament to the diversity of backgrounds, entrepreneurial spirit, and tenacity of the people highlighted. This was a collaboration in just about every way, which made it all the more special. Funding for the book came in part by the SBEA, with design from Visible Alliance, incredible support and funding from The Joinery, and of course the work and cooperation of everyone featured. The book itself is intended to be used to guide discussion in small groups, with questions focusing on how we can look at implicit biases and re-examine assumptions we make about people with different cultural backgrounds. Learn more about this project with the case study on the Scout Books blog.

Portland Area Business Association: The PDX Trans Works Project

The PDX Trans Works Project envisions a world where transgender and nonbinary (TNB) people are empowered to build the careers and businesses of their dreams. This custom Scout Book is part of a creative package that helps communicate the intent and purpose of the project as momentum behind the PDX Trans Work Project continues.

Mercatus: Your Business Story

Mercatus “elevates the unique and universal narratives of entrepreneurs of color in Portland” and “connects the city and region with local talents, businesses, services and products that come from the ethnically diverse entrepreneurs in the city.” As they host storytelling workshops for entrepreneurs of color, this custom Scout Book serves as a tool for participants to carry the storytelling tips with them. Check out The Story Collective to see videos and interviews with entrepreneurs sharing their experience.

Partnership for Safety and Justice

Partnership for Safety and Justice is Oregon’s leading public safety and criminal justice reform organization. They used custom Scout Books as part of 2019’s Safety and Justice Lobby Day, their biggest advocacy day of the year. Each advocate and all 90 state lawmakers received a notebook with their logo and mission statement as a reminder that “we must all take part in promoting accountability, equity, and healing in all our communities.” Learn more about this amazing organization in our conversation with their communications director, Talia Gad, and sign up to join them for the next Lobby Day in Salem.

Project Life Hacks: What I Wish I Knew

Project Life Hacks develops resources that help students become better prepared to handle life’s challenges and make decisions that affect their future. They create workshops and events for high school students about financial literacy, communication, confidence, self-love, and career exploration. Their custom Scout Books provided a way for students to take notes, journal, brainstorm, and create action steps, while also providing information about how to engage with Project Life Hacks online.

 RepurposeU: How Mischief Changed the World

RepurposeU creates fun and accessible inclusive resources so people can “come together, imagine BIG and be more free and proud to be who they are.” With a custom Scout Book,  they transformed the interactive storytelling experience of How Mischief Changed the World into an interactive notebook for individual students to explore at their own pace.

OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon

OPAL is a membership driven organization working to build power towards environmental justice and civil rights in our communities. They work at the intersection of Transportation, Housing, Land Use and Climate Policy to fight back against historic inequality. They used a custom Scout Book for fundraising and promotion for their yearly event, where folks can come together as a community and celebrate the powerful movement leaders that have come before. If that sounds as amazing to you as it does to us, get involved! OPAL has leadership and volunteer opportunities perfect for every skill level, age and ability.

Scout Books is continuing to look for projects and opportunities to contribute our talents and resources to. Got ideas for a collaboration? Know of an organization in need? Submit a proposal on our Equity Alliance page.