Category: Community Spotlights

The long journey to liberation

By Adriana Zazula

The Bridge Conference has a history  of bringing together those in the youth development field to reconnect, revitalize, and reinspire themselves for the work ahead. JVH Empower Consulting Firm intends to be part of that revitalization at this year’s conference.   Their workshop, “Hold Change: The Power of Collective Healing in Movement Leadership,” is an “enlightenment session, participants will learn about the effects of unrecognized collective trauma and examine how we may have individually participated in the collective trauma of our culture. We will also explore the depths of our radical imaginations to uncover how Expanded Learning Program spaces become a … [ ]

20 on 2020—Ryan Quigtar

By School's Out Washington

In a year like no other, we saw how youth workers and organizations came together and reimagined what it meant to support children, youth, and families. Below is one of 20 people and organizations that inspired us in 2020. Read the full report. Building capacity for the future As a young leader of color, sometimes the best thing you can be given is an unforged path. No preconceived expectations, just the opportunity to create something you know is needed and make a path for others like you to follow.   For Ryan Quigtar, executive director of the Renton Innovation Zone Partnership … [ ]

20 on 2020—Nuestras Raíces

By School's Out Washington

In a year like no other, we saw how youth workers and organizations came together and reimagined what it meant to support children, youth, and families. Below is one of 20 people and organizations that inspired us in 2020. Read the full report. Exploring the Complexity of Latinx Identities and Experiences The Nuestras Raíces session at SOWA’s 2020 virtual Bridge Conference invited attendees to hear a collection of unfiltered, raw, and authentic multilingual stories and voices around the complexities of carrying the Latinx identity in the U.S.   With vulnerability and honesty, youth workers and expanded learning professionals told their stories … [ ]

20 on 2020—Altera

By School's Out Washington

In a year like no other, we saw how youth workers and organizations came together and reimagined what it meant to support children, youth, and families. Below is one of 20 people and organizations that inspired us in 2020. Read the full report. Growing in rural Central Washington Altera, an educational nonprofit partnering with central Washington rural school districts serving Hispanic families, many speaking Spanish as their home language, saw firsthand how devastating the COVID pandemic could be for their communities.   Two of their programs in the small rural communities of Highland/Warden and Tonasket/Oroville serve families with little internet access … [ ]

20 on 2020—Bellingham Public Schools and YMCA Partnership

By School's Out Washington

In a year like no other, we saw how youth workers and organizations came together and reimagined what it meant to support children, youth, and families. Below is one of 20 people and organizations that inspired us in 2020. Read the full report. Building Systems That Care—An “all hands-on deck” approach to child care in Whatcom County Seven school districts and the Whatcom Central Emergency Command, with leadership from Bellingham Public Schools, worked together with child care providers to make sure there was safe, quality child care for essential workers in spring 2020, at the onset of the pandemic.   Two … [ ]

20 on 2020—Youth Development Strategy Table

By School's Out Washington

In a year like no other, we saw how youth workers and organizations came together and reimagined what it meant to support children, youth, and families. Below is one of 20 people and organizations that inspired us in 2020. Read the full report. Youth Development Strategy Table Advocacy has always been a crucial part of SOWA’s work—championing funding and support for expanded learning opportunities across the state. Like so many things, that work shifted dramatically in the last year.   Legislators and state agency staff saw the immense value of child care and youth development providers. Organizations came together to share … [ ]