The Blueprint Foundation

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Portland, OR
The Blueprint Foundation

Providing culturally relevant and discipline-specific mentoring to underrepresented youth throughout the Portland Metro Area.

08/21/2026

What's a better way to spend a sunny day than with Portland Parks & Recreation? 🌞

The Grounding Waters crew enjoyed a day participating in hands-on environmental learning and land stewardship. Together, nearly 500 feet of grass, thistle, and blackberry were removed to support the surrounding environment.

After some tough work, the PP&R team taught everyone about bees and pollinators, including their importance to our ecosystems and what pollination looks like in nature. The lesson turned into an engaging activity where students explored and observed a variety of bees, pollinators, wildflowers, and even spiders! 🕷️

It was a great day to “bee” outside! Thank you to PP&R for a wonderful day 💚🐝

08/12/2026

We're out on the water with Estuary Partnership! ⛵

This week, we joined our friends at Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership at Sauvie Island's boat ramp for an educational canoe paddle.

Together, we learned all about the Multnomah Channel and it's connection to the Columbia River.

As we sliced through the calm waters, we put our wildlife identification skills to work and spotted a variety of birds, including blue herons, osprey, and hawks. In the distance, we even saw a black-tailed deer!

Thank you for another successful paddle! 💚

08/05/2026

Grounding Waters had an exciting day with our longtime ZAP partners at the Oregon Zoo! 🎉

For some of us, it was our very first time at the zoo, while for others, we could walk around the zoo with our eyes closed without a problem. Still, there is always something new and exciting to learn when we hang with the ZAP crew! 😎

We began our day with a question that followed us throughout our tour, "What does wellbeing mean here for the animals at the Oregon Zoo and what does it mean for each other?"

With this question in mind, we learned about the many ways the zoo cares for the animals and how, depending on the species, that care looks very different. Habitat, food, and healthcare were among the many ways our students contributed to the conversation.

Blueprint mentors, Darrell and River, had an amazing time seeing some of their favorite animals up close. For the first time at the zoo, they were full of curiosity and didn't want to leave, while Ja'Siah, Mekhi, and Davion eagerly shared what they had learned from previous years with the rest of the group. It was super cool to hear what they knew and the questions they had. Our ZAP guides were super attentive and had fun answering and learning alongside us!

As the tour concluded, we even fed giraffes! Ja'Siah mentioned that while his friends were traveling this summer, he was here with Blueprint feeding giraffes, and not everyone can say that!

We are immensely grateful to our partners for hosting our students and allowing us to learn. This experience has encouraged us to think about how we can take care of the animals at the zoo and support each other as a community. 💚

07/30/2026

Have you ever wondered what a BottleBot is? 🤔

Youth Community Scientists are spending their summer in Blueprint's Change is in the Air Program, learning all about the impacts of air pollution and how we're empowering communities to inspire change, one BottleBot at a time.

These small but mighty devices, built by students, track particulate matter, temperature, and humidity to inform communities about air quality and how to prepare for being outdoors when the quality is poor.

CAP youth are working hard to build and distribute more monitors throughout the Portland Metro area, so stay tuned for future opportunities to get involved! 🌟

07/29/2026

It's a paddle party with Estuary Partnership 🎉

Our Grounding Waters crew huddled together at Cathedral Park for our seasonal educational paddles. Taking to the river, the LCEP team taught us about native bird species like Purple Martins, Great Blue Herons, and Ospreys. 🦅

Throughout the paddle, we also learned about the history of the St. Johns Waterfront, which was once lined with shipyards, mills, and other industrial facilities that led to the pollution of the Willamette River and contaminated the surrounding shoreline and wildlife for many years.

We're proud to be one of the partners participating in restoration efforts along the Willamette, including planting native species and tending to riparian zones that support fish and wildlife.

These paddles are always filled with laughter, meaningful discussions, and opportunities for students to connect with one another while experiencing the Willamette River from a unique perspective. We can't wait for the next one! 💚

07/22/2026

We're celebrating the summer season with our annual camping trip at Timothy Lake! 🏕️✨

There's no better way to reconnect with nature than by unplugging completely, and that's exactly what we did during this trip.

Throughout the weekend, our tight-knit crew of mentors and mentees enjoyed swimming, paddleboarding, kayaking, football, trail walks, and plenty of board games. After plenty of cooking last year, some of the students felt brave enough to prepare breakfast for each other and help cook dinner.

To unwind for a fun-filled weekend, we wrapped up with a reflection circle where each of us shared something they appreciated from the trip and one of their favorite memories, and the common thread was the community built along the way 🫶🏿

These camping trips are more than just having fun; they're an experience that encourages teamwork, responsibility, leadership, outdoor exploration, and meaningful relationship building. Now, we're counting down the days until the next one! 💚

07/09/2026

Looking for something fun to do in Vancouver this weekend? 🤔

Join The Blueprint Foundation's Change is in the Air Program at this year's Pack Life Show & Shine! 🌟

This full-day event will showcase vehicles from the 1940s to today’s modern, electric vehicles. There will be music, raffles, and awards all day long.

We'll be joined by community organizations to learn more about how our individual work and the inclusion of EVs are contributing to cleaner air.

PLUS!! If you have an EV you want to show off, roll right in, because the CAP crew will be judging this year’s EV Class, and you'll have the chance to walk away with this year’s award! 🏆

This event is free and open to the public, so roll right in!

📆 When: Sunday, July 12th, 2026
📍Where: 4210 E 4th Plain Blvd. Vancouver WA 98661
🕓 Time: 9 AM — 4:30 PM

07/08/2026

This July, we kicked off our first Youth Workforce Development Crew of 2026 💫

Over the next four weeks, students will be out in the Back 5 at Leach Botanical Garden learning all about land tending and restoration. For the first session, we took to the newly cleared trails and a wide open landscape to learn more about how much the space has changed since we first started our efforts years ago.

Throughout the day, we practiced plant identification, learning about stinging nettle, native trees, and the famous sword fern, which serves as an antidote for nettle. 🪴

To cool off, we took to the creek to practice our macro-invertebrate knowledge, catching and identifying two caddisflies, three mayflies, four stoneflies, two crayfish, and FIFTEEN snails! In the midst of all our exploration, one brave student, Mekhi, spotted and even held a small snake. 🐍

After some time in the water, we focused on stewardship and land tending, removing blackberries and nettle, before ending our day with a restorative walk down Leach's brand-new bridge that had been washed away years ago. Section by section and year after year, the Back 5 comes closer to being an outdoor classroom for all! 💚

GreenSpaces NatureStewards BlackHealing pdx stem oregon mentoring education science CulturallySpecificProgramming supportblackyouth community BlackSuccess blackjoyinnature outdooreducation naturebasedlearning environmentaljustice environmentalism representation BIPOCyouth leadership

06/22/2026

The Blueprint Foundation is seeking a full-time Executive Director to lead the organization into its next chapter of growth and increase community impact. Is that you? 🤔

We're looking for an Executive Director who is deeply committed to youth of color, culturally responsive mentorship, environmental justice, and creating pathways into green careers. If you are someone who is people-centered and operationally confident, with the ability to lead staff, support board alignment, manage funding and compliance, and strengthen organizational systems, then we want to hear from YOU!

🔗 Visit: https://www.theblueprintfoundation.org/careers/ to read the full job description and apply.

Applications must be submitted by July 3rd to be considered.

06/18/2026

The Blueprint Foundation is proud to be an event sponsor of Odyssey World International Education Services and the City of Vancouver's Annual Juneteenth Freedom Celebration! 💙

From 10am to 3pm on Saturday, June 20th, at Esther Short Park, there will be plenty of music, attractions, art and historic displays, local vendors, and resources that uplift and empower our community.

The Blueprint Foundation will be tabling at this event, so swing by and learn more about our programs and current offerings. Let's celebrate together!

Address

Portland, OR

Telephone

503-901-6845

Website

http://www.theblueprintfoundation.org/

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