Sample of BTG projects
Process Design, Development, Facilitation
Office of Equity/Human Rights
City of Portland
Recruitment, on-boarding, facilitation of board
BTG collaborated in designing, developing, and facilitating the creation of the Portland Committee on Community Engaged Policing (PCCEP), a community board charged with: helping to fulfill requirements of the Settlement Agreement signed between the City of Portland and the US Department of Justice; serving as a platform for the community to engage around issues of police conduct and to process situations occurring in Portland that involve individuals who experience harm by the Portland Police Bureau (PPB); providing feedback regarding the PPB Annual Report and community survey efforts; advising the PPB on the development of a Community Outreach and Engagement Plan; and convening regular check-ins with the Mayor, the Chief of Police, and various other governmental staff.
BTG: facilitated the work of the Selection Committee as they worked to select the 18 member PCCEP; presented an outreach and execution plan to the Mayor of Portland for approval; conducted community outreach and engagement to solicit applications; communicated with the media (radio and print); developed a process for the Selection Committee to follow as they considered applications; facilitated a consensus conversation with the Selection Committee to choose 25 individuals to interview out of the 115 applications received; developed interview questions and a scoring guide based on conversations BTG facilitated with the Selection Committee; facilitated the interviews; and facilitated a consensus discussion with the Selection Committee to lead them in choosing 13 PCCEP members and 5 alternate members for the Mayor to consider for approval. Assisted Mayor in personally choosing another 5 alternate members.
BTG: designed, developed, managed, and facilitated a 35 hour PCCEP member orientation process that was focused on team building, role preparedness, developing bylaws and subcommittees; planned a strategy for completing the deliverables required by the Settlement Agreement; developed a process for electing members to a Steering Committee; facilitated the drafting of the first meeting’s agenda; facilitated the first public meeting; and provided ongoing support through submitting recommendations to the PCCEP and Mayor’s Office.
Communication Audits & Trainings
City Frontline Workers
City of Tigard
Library, Court, Council Chambers
BTG designed, developed, and delivered numerous customized communication trainings to employees and supervisors of the City of Tigard, including staff from the library, courthouse, and council chambers. Sessions focused on improving interactions with individuals in distress or crisis, including individuals experiencing a situational crisis such as homelessness. Additionally, strategies were shared to improve communication, education, and enforcement related to new policies and procedures stemming from Covid-19 guidelines.
Portland Parks
City of Portland
Rangers, Facilities, Maintenance
BTG designed, developed, and delivered customized virtual training sessions focused on addressing the range of issues, internally and externally, that the Parks employees are facing, including interacting with individuals in distress due to a mental health or situational issue such as experiencing homelessness. Sessions included tips on strengthening team dynamics, internal communication, and self/team care.
Trimet
TriMet Mass Transit, Portland Oregon
Facilities, Fare Inspectors, Operators, Customer Service
BTG designed, developed, and delivered numerous customized communication trainings to employees and supervisors of the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon’s Facilities teams that were focused on enhancing safety while improving interactions with individuals in distress or crisis, including individuals experiencing a situational crisis such as homelessness.
Home Forward
Portland Housing Authority
Front Desk, Money Managers, Landlords, Rent Assistance, Maintenance, Phone Staff
BTG designed, developed, and delivered numerous customized communication trainings to improve employees’ communication with residents of subsidized and supportive housing who are in distress and/or who are experiencing a mental health crisis. Sessions provided tips on enhancing safety, strengthening team dynamics, improving internal communication, and developing self/team care models.
Rose Haven Day Shelter
Rose Haven Day Shelter for Women
Front Line, Support Staff, Managers, Human Resources
BTG surveyed all staff of Rose Haven in regard to current practices, strengths, and challenges when communicating with individuals who are in distress and/or who are experiencing a mental health crisis and delivered training to address communication goals. Sessions included tips on strengthening team dynamics, internal communication, de-escalation practices, and self/team care.
Portland Streetcar
Portland Streetcar
Operators, Command Center Staff, Facilities, Security, Ambassadors
Designed, developed, and delivered custom communication training curriculums for all Portland Streetcar operators, dispatchers, maintenance technicians, fare inspectors, security personnel, customer service representatives, supervisors, and managers. Trainings accounted for the environmental and social challenges and dynamics of engaging distressed individuals within and surrounding a major public transportation system.
Metro of Oregon
Metro-OCC
Security, Facilities, Concessions, Phone, Zoo, PR, HR, Maintenance
BTG designed, developed, and delivered a training session to 150 Metro employees that was focused on team building and enriching the understanding of each employee’s role within a response to a crisis situation or public safety event.
BTG: met with the Security Manager to set goals for the training; delivered a customized training on role identity and communication processes and strategies to employees; facilitated a discussion among employees geared toward developing a greater understanding of the employee’s role when a public safety issue occurs; provided strategies to help employees utilize the new tools and concepts; provided tools and strategies to improve communication between employees and security personnel; highlighted the value for the emotional and physical safety of all members of the community.
BTG developed and led an additional two day intensive workshop for the Security Team that further focused on practicing de-escalation and crisis intervention skills.
PacifiCorp Field Teams
PacifiCorp
All Field Staff, Phone Staff
BTG designed, developed, and delivered custom communication training curriculums to 250 PacifiCorp field employees in regard to current practices, strengths, and challenges when communicating with individuals who are in distress and/or who are experiencing a mental health crisis and delivered customized training to enhance safety while addressing communication goals.
Office of Independent Police Review
City of Portland’s Auditor’s Office
Investigators, Outreach Staff, Office Staff, Managers
BTG surveyed all staff of IPR in regard to current practices, strengths, and challenges when communicating with individuals reporting police abuse and who are in distress and/or who are experiencing a mental health crisis and delivered customized training to address communication goals. Sessions included tips on strengthening team dynamics, internal communication, de-escalation practices, and self/team care.
Bureau of Environmental Services
City of Portland Environmental Services
Field Staff, Phone Staff, Front Desk
BTG designed, developed, and delivered custom communication training curriculums to 65 BES field employees in regard to current practices, strengths, and challenges when communicating with individuals in the community who are in distress and/or who are experiencing a mental health crisis and delivered customized training to enhance safety while addressing communication goals.
Parking Enforcement
City of Portland
Enforcement Officers, Appeals Staff, Managers
BTG conducted an audit and survey of 60 Parking Enforcement employees with regard to current practices, strengths, and challenges when communicating with individuals in the community who are in distress and/or who are experiencing a mental health crisis and delivered customized training sessions to improve communication skills. Sessions included tips on strengthening team dynamics, internal communication, de-escalation practices, and self/team care.
Water Bureau
City of Portland
Field Staff, Front Desk, Customer Service
BTG conducted an audit and a survey of 125 field and office staff in the Water Bureau with regard to current practices, strengths, and challenges when communicating with individuals who are in distress and/or who are experiencing a mental health crisis and delivered training to address communication goals. Sessions included tips on strengthening team dynamics, internal communication, de-escalation practices, and self/team care.
Parks & Recreation
Lane County Parks, Eugene, Oregon
Park Rangers, Animal Control Officers
BTG designed, developed, and delivered a two-day intensive training workshop for 50 Lane County Parks and Animal Control Officers that focused on improving interactions with individuals who are experiencing a mental health crisis and who may also be experiencing homelessness. Sessions also focused on improving internal communication between managers and staff, which included increasing the efficiencies and effectiveness of meetings and of one-to-one supervisory interactions.
City of Portland Frontline Workers
City of Portland
All Bureaus’ staff
BTG designed, developed, and delivered numerous customized communication trainings to 150 employees to improve communication with individuals who are in distress and/or who are experiencing a mental health crisis and developed training to address communication goals, including dealing with stressful and/or abusive calls, maintaining appropriate boundaries, and strategies to disengage form abusive calls.
311 Call Center
City of Portland
All Phone Operators
BTG designed, developed, and delivered numerous customized communication trainings to employees to improve communication with individuals who are in distress and/or who are experiencing a mental health crisis and developed training to address communication goals, including dealing with stressful and/or abusive calls, maintaining appropriate boundaries, and strategies to disengage form abusive calls.
Bureau of Development Services
City of Portland
Field Staff, Phone Operators, Mangers
BTG designed, developed, and delivered numerous customized communication trainings to 180 employees to improve communication with individuals who are in distress and/or who are experiencing a mental health crisis and developed training to address communication goals, including dealing with stressful and/or abusive calls, maintaining appropriate boundaries, learning strategies to disengage from abusive calls.
Portland Bureau of Transportation
City of Portland
Field, Maintenance, Phone, Office, Managers
BTG designed, developed, and delivered numerous customized communication trainings to 120 employees to improve communication with individuals who are in distress and/or who are experiencing a mental health crisis and developed training to address communication goals, including dealing with stressful and/or abusive calls, maintaining appropriate boundaries, and disengaging from abusive calls.
Facilitating client developed Training Sessions
TriMet
TriMet Mass Transit, Portland Oregon
Facilities, Fare Inspectors, Operators, Customer Service
BTG partnered with the TriMet to deliver numerous TriMet-developed training sessions to 250 employees from all departments that were focused on improving security awareness and promoting effective strategies and techniques to improve the security of TriMet properties while promoting the physical and emotional well-being of TriMet employees.
BTG: met with managers and supervisors to identify goals and develop strategies for completing the training; engaged with TriMet staff to learn the curriculum and the manner in which it would be conveyed to employees; prepared and delivered the content; followed up with TriMet managers to relay feedback from employees and outcomes of the curriculum quiz.
Strategic Planning
Independent Police Review
City of Portland
All Staff
BTG designed, developed, and facilitated four staff retreats for the City of Portland’s Independent Police Review (IPR) office focused on: team building; inventorying strengths and challenges; exploring the mission and vision statements; and brainstorming details of the plan.
BTG: met with IPR Director and the Auditor and communicated with staff members to establish goals, identify possible challenges and conflicts, and build trust; researched past strategic plans along with past communications from the community and the City; designed staff retreats and strategic planning sessions with participation from all staff; advised on the drafting of a strategic plan; designed and facilitated a community outreach plan to engage members of the community in further editing of the plan; developed timelines and benchmark points to continually track progress toward the plan’s goals.
Citizen Review Committee
City of Portland
Full Committee
BTG designed, developed, and delivered a training workshop and facilitated an accompanying conversation with newly appointed members of the City of Portland’s Citizen Review Committee (CRC), a community board that is responsible for hearing appeals involving complaints against officers of the Portland Police Bureau.
BTG: met with City managers to set goals for the training; explored the scope of responsibility of the group; researched past successes and challenges of the CRC; provided skills on how to serve on a high profile committee; provided guidance on team building; provided tips on self-care and burnout prevention; facilitated discussions among employees geared toward exploring greater understandings of the complexities of homelessness in Portland and utilizing the new tools and concepts to prepare for improved communication outcomes; provided follow up services to help track the progress of the group in reaching desired outcomes.
Street Roots
Street Roots
Staff, Vendors, Volunteers, Community Stakeholders
BTG: designed, developed, and delivered a strategic planning process that included all staff, members of the board, and several community stakeholders; researched past strategic plans; met individually with Street Roots Executive Director and Board Officers; communicated with board members, staff, stakeholders, and volunteers through focused meetings, emails, and one-to-one meetings in order to establish goals; designed and co-facilitated a two-day strategic planning session; assisted the Executive Director in developing and editing the initial draft of the Strategic Plan; facilitated the review of the draft and edits; developed timelines and benchmarks to monitor progress toward the plan’s completion of goals; collaborated on the final draft of the Strategic Plan.
BTG created space and activities for staff to: revisit and revise the mission and vision statements; develop a succession plan to prepare for the Executive Director’s eventual departure; develop a plan to implement an intentional and overarching Equity Plan; inventory strengths and challenges; engage in self-awareness and team building activities; participate in interactive brainstorming activities; collectively sharpen the collective vision regarding the larger goals of the organization and finalizing a consensus goals to outline for the 3-5 Year Strategic Plan; assign responsibility for the multiple components of the plan.
Public Involvement, Outreach, & Engagement
Portland Bureau of Transportation
City of Portland
PBOT, Community Members, Bike, Bus, Car, and Pedestrian Commuters
BTG developed and facilitated a process to gain general community consensus of design option for a major transportation project that would impact neighbors and users of the area.
BTG: engaged hundreds of community members and stakeholders who were most impacted by the transportation project; designed, developed, promoted, produced, and facilitated several neighborhood and community meetings for community members to share information, receive testimony, gain feedback, and receive input that promoted accountability, transparency, equity, accessibility, and partnership; created a memorializing document that described the meetings and summarized the content discussed; designed, developed, promoted, produced, and hosted an open house for community members to actively and meaningfully engage with the City and to provide testimony, feedback, and input as well as to express questions and concerns about the project and the various choices; delivered a concise report describing the process, highlighting the efforts of the community, and relaying the design that was most favored by the community.
Facilitating Recruitment & Hiring Process
Mayor’s Office
City of Portland
Police Chief, Portland Police Bureau
BTG designed, developed, and facilitated a process to solicit feedback from 35 community leaders regarding qualities and qualifications that they would like to see the incoming Chief of Police possess.
BTG: designed, developed, and facilitated each session; described the process and the intended outcome to the attendees; received and responded to feedback, thoughts, and concerns; placed feedback within the context of the objective; and organized the feedback from each session in a uniform and concise report for Portland’s Mayor Ted Wheeler to read and consider as he proceeded in the recruitment process.