Category: News

Celebrating and reflecting on the 2024 legislative session

By School's Out Washington

The 2024 legislative session was fast and furious. Let’s take a moment to highlight and celebrate the work that went into a great session.  Our School’s Out Washington (SOWA) policy and advocacy team started preparing for the session in 2023. The Youth Development Strategy Table (YDST) is led by two committees. The Leadership Committee approves the legislative agenda and oversees the strategic activities of the coalition. The Legislative Committee sets the legislative priorities and strategies. During the summer of 2023, the two committees decided to put forward a $5 million youth development grant proviso. After meeting with key policymakers and … [ ]

2024 Legislative Session

By School's Out Washington

This legislative session, we are asking the legislature for a budget proviso to allocate funding in the 2024 budget, administered through the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), for a grant program that supports the creation, expansion and quality improvement of community-based youth development programs that contribute to young people’s health, wealth, and well-being. 

2023-2026 Strategic Plan

We are proud to present our 2023-2026 strategic plan, which has been deeply informed by School’s Out Washington’s community and supported by the thoughtful guidance of Be The Change Consulting. This strategic plan represents a broadening of School’s Out Washington’s focus and a deepening of our ambition. Our role as an intermediary expanded considerably in 2020. Through collective action and advocacy, grant making, and new levels of responsive training and coaching, we supported providers in sustaining and adapting to meet the heightened needs of youth and communities. We saw glimmers of what is possible when systems align, and programs are … [ ]

How was your Bridge?

Thank you for joining us at this year’s Bridge Conference: Forging Brighter Futures. We would love to hear about your experience. What were the highlights? How was the venue? How can we improve?  Please complete this evaluation form by November 20th. It only takes 5 minutes! Share your feedback STARS credit Workshop certificates have been added to all applicable workshop sessions and STARS credit has been updated for attendees. If you do not see credit in your MERIT account, reach out to us at bridge@schoosloutwashington.org. Accessing materials Materials from your sessions are still available in Sched. Please follow the directions below to access session materials, … [ ]

Bridge Conference 2023 Highlights—Forging Brighter Futures

By School's Out Washington

What an event! Together, we set out to Reflect, Connect, and Reimagine our work to advocate and uplift the young people around the state of Washington. With our collective wisdom and knowledge, we achieved our goal. Now, we have a rejuvenated pathway to Forging Brighter Futures.  Where are you rooted?  On Bridge day one, we opened the conference with a powerful message from our keynote speaker, Melannie Denise Cunningham. Her talk centered on our foundation and how we show up for ourselves and others. Ms. Melannie challenged us to reflect on our upbringing and on the cycles of socialization that … [ ]

Bridge 2023 closing plenary: Mobilizing for a Brighter Future

What role do we play in forging brighter futures for young people? Through youth and community voice, collective action and advocacy, and the resourcing and development of our rich tapestry of providers and programs, we create the conditions for all young people to be healthy, thriving, and reach the future they envision. In this closing session, we will hear from a panel of national and local leaders about how the youth development sector can be mobilized to move us toward our goal of building sustainable systems that elevate and empower young people and their communities.  Come ready to be inspired and called to … [ ]