Category: Community Spotlights

Read more about Lights On Afterschool events held in Washington in 2025, including 5 events sponsored by SOWA.

One of the greatest challenges facing youth development nonprofits is access to sustainable and multiyear funding, especially for smaller, grassroots, and BIPOC-led programs. In partnership with King County Best Starts, SOWA works to address this issue by providing funding and quality- and capacity-building supports for expanded learning providers through the Best Starts For Kids Expanded Learning Initiative. This initiative invests in BIPOC-led organizations as well as Place-Based Collaboratives—made up of at least three organizations offering programming in school or housing communities. When After-School All-Stars (ASAS) Puget Sound opened in Washington in 2016, SOWA helped them understand the local youth development … [ ]

Bridging Cultural Gaps’ Hidden Genius program, which has introduced traditionally marginalized students of color to the fast-growing field of technology since 2018, is about more than learning applicable skills like coding—it’s about belonging, connection, and possibility. Abdi Haro, program manager at Bridging Cultural Gaps, recognized the potential of offering this programming to Afghan refugee students in his community, but he simply didn’t have the capacity to do so effectively. That changed in 2023 when Abdi learned about a federal grant opportunity provided through Washington Department of Social and Health Services’ Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance, which was administered by … [ ]

For youth program coordinators Yusuf Ali-Halane and Ankita Gupta, engaging with quality improvement has been a journey of both individual growth and collective transformation for the youth and families they serve at Living Well Kent. As a Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)-led organization funded by the King County Best Starts Expanded Learning Initiative, Living Well Kent receives ongoing coaching support from lead coach at School’s Out Washington (SOWA), Lynda Llavore. “Lynda helped us grow as individuals, helped us know our own strengths,” said Ankita. “That has helped us cultivate programs that work for the benefit of youth.” SOWA’s … [ ]