Rural Community Development
Rural Community Building Program
This work has a website all its own! Check it out at: https://coicruralcommunity.org/
Rural community and economic development is at the core of COIC’s mission. In the process of developing our 2017 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), we found that rural communities were lagging behind urban centers in economic development, and that some population groups were lagging behind in all communities, including women and BIPOC community members. In response, COIC started an ongoing conversation with our community partners to determine how we might help them bridge these gaps.
In 2017, COIC was awarded a Meyer Memorial Trust capacity-building grant to support community and economic development projects in four rural communities of Central Oregon, with the following goals:
- Work with rural community leaders to identify needed, tangible community and economic development projects.
- Guide and test new community outreach and engagement strategies, to ensure that projects are accountable to community priorities, successful implementation is more likely, and trust is improved between rural community members and local leaders.
- Include focused outreach and engagement efforts to populations that currently have less access to decision-making processes, including: Low-income, youth, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled, and veterans.
- Increase local capacity to coordinate, build, and deliver on community goals for the future.
To achieve these goals, COIC formed a regional steering team to guide the project and a local team in each community. The steering team included COIC, Oregon’s Kitchen Table, Let’s Talk Diversity Coalition, and the Ford Family Foundation. Together, this team provided support, technical advising, and extra staff capacity to the local community building teams.
Following our initial work with Meyer Memorial Trust, COIC and the Ford Institute for Community Building (FICB) continued on in partnership to further expand this program. With FICB’s guidance and financial support, COIC has expanded our work to include new local teams throughout the region and added new workshops and trainings, peer-to-peer networking opportunities, and one-on-one coaching for our growing regional network of rural community builders. Today, our work is informed by FICB’s Community Building Approach and utilizes community assessment and project evaluation tools co-developed with FICB and other community builders throughout the state of Oregon.
COIC looks forward to continuing to grow our regional network of rural community builders! We offer free and low-cost project support and training to organizations and volunteer groups in rural communities, including:
- Project & meeting facilitation/coordination
- Resource development & grant writing
- Data collection
- Community outreach training & techniques
- Strategic planning, land-use planning & site planning for new community infrastructure
- Financial literacy, budgeting & business planning
- Community needs assessments & feasibility studies
- Collaboration and collective impact frameworks
Every community builder group that receives technical assistance support is also introduced to FICB’s Rural Community Building Evaluation Tools. These tools can help your team understand your current strengths and identify the best pathways forward to help your community thrive!
To learn more, contact Julia Baumgartner (jbaumgartner@coic.org), or visit https://coicruralcommunity.org/
Growing Rural Oregon (GRO)
COIC is also excited to be partnering with Ford Family Foundation’s Community and Economic Development Department on Growing Rural Oregon (GRO), a framework to develop vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems in rural Oregon.
Learn more HERE!
Contact us
Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC)
1250 NE Bear Creek Rd.
Bend, OR 97701
541-548-8163
education
COIC provides an alternative high school setting for students to make up credits and return to their regular classrooms, or to earn the GED. Students may also participate in the Youth Compass Program, a work-experience program that combines classroom credits with community service and natural resource projects.
Program Introduction
The COIC approach is based on individualized instruction for credit recovery or GED. Students, primarily aged 16-21, are referred by their local high schools to make up credits and return to their regular classrooms or leave the program with the GED. COIC is recognized as one of the most successful GED programs in Oregon, with 93 GED certificates awarded during the 2025-2026 school year alone. Students may also participate in work education through our Youth Compass Program.
Programs are held in Bend, La Pine, Redmond, and Prineville in conjunction with the school districts of Bend-La Pine, Redmond, Sisters, Culver, and Crook County. COIC also provides instruction for Deschutes County Juvenile Community Justice and the Oregon National Guard Youth Challenge Program.
In addition, COIC offers summer work experience, giving students the opportunity to earn minimum wages and learn valuable hands-on work skills. During the school year, students earn high school diplomas, GEDs, and high school credits that transfer to their local high schools. Typically, our students spend more than 10,000 hours working on community service and natural resource projects.
Talk to your school counselor about attending COIC or call one of our classrooms today!
Youth Compass Program
Order Your GED Transcript/Diploma
Order a copy of your GED transcript and/or GED diploma (electronic or hard copies) online from GED.com. Select the Grads and Transcripts tab on the top banner and answer the questions to verify your specific testing record.
Statewide Testing Notices
English Annual Notice for Statewide Tests - Download here
Spanish Annual Notice for Statewide Tests - Download here
English ODE State Testing Combined 30-Day Notice and Opt-Out Form - Download here
Spanish ODE State Testing Combined 30-Day Notice and Opt-Out Form - Download here
Youth Education program Contacts
Bend Classroom
For enrollment information, contact:
Katie Estvold, Teacher's Aid/ Registrar
458-231-1436| Email here
For classroom information, contact:
Patrick Jordan, Lead Teacher
541-706-1458 | Email here
La Pine Classroom
For enrollment information, contact:
Katie Estvold, Teacher's Aid/ Registrar
458-231-1436 | Email here
For classroom information, contact:
Andrew Peter, Teacher
541-316-9039 | Email here
Redmond Classroom
For program information, contact:
Dustin Gurley, Lead Teacher
541-280-0031 | Email here
COIC Skills Lab
Deschutes County Juvenile Justice
Ami Stone, Teacher
541-322-7676 | Email here
Youth Education Program General Info:
Kris Schofield, Youth Education Manager
541-213-1998 | Email here
Youth Employment & Training Contacts
Bend Youth Compass Program
For program information, contact:
Jay Byers, Youth Employment Counselor
458-287-5575| Email here
La Pine Youth Compass Program
For program information, contact:
Nick Huggins, Youth Employment & Training Coordinator
541-280-6495 | Email here
Jefferson County Youth Compass Program
For program information, contact:
Matt Mahoney, Program Coordinator
541-403-0099 | Email here
Redmond Youth Compass Program
For program information, contact:
Matt Mahoney, Program Coordinator
541-403-0099 | Email here
Prineville Youth Compass Program
For program information, contact:
Jeff Warren, Youth Employment Counselor
541-420-6787 | Email here
Joseph Beaton, Youth Employment Counselor
541-233-6782 | Email here
Youth Compass Program General Info:
Laurie Harrer, Youth Employment & Training Program Coordinator
561-329-7873 | Email Here
Matt Mahoney, Youth Employment & Training Program Coordinator
541-403-0099 | Email here
Klamath County Youth Compass Program
General Info:
Sean Winters, Youth Employment Counselor
541-419-11812 | Email here
COIC Student Handbook 24-25 - Download