The African Young Dreamers Empowerment Program Intl. (AYDEPI) was established in 2019 in response to missing resources for young immigrants in South King County. Executive
Coalition for Refugees from Burma (CRB), based in Kent, knows that literacy is a vehicle that changes lives. Their programs provide support for immigrant and refugee communities across the age spectrum, always with an eye trained towards self-advocacy. Executive Director, Mona Han wants to work herself out of a job—a philosophy that influences all aspects of the organization. While some social service organizations utilize a case management strategy and aim to be a one-stop-shop to access a wide range of supports from rental assistance to counseling sessions to bus passes, CRB has stayed focused on their specialty: literacy as a … [ ]
What if we told you that Mammoths roamed Washington 16,000 years ago? What if we told you that you and your family could see it for yourself? The Wenas Mammoth Foundation (WMF) prides themselves on doing just that. Since 2005 the organization has welcomed the community, from archaeologists to kindergartners, to visit their property to dig for and examine Mammoth bones. Why? Because they love earth science and think you should too. When we first discovered the mammoth—although we usually tell people it found us—we knew it was an opportunity to get the community involved in earth science. We wanted … [ ]
The origins of quality improvement Since 2008, School’s Out Washington has been leading the effort to build and sustain a quality improvement system for expanded learning programs. The impetus for this work is grounded in the belief that all children deserve the opportunity to thrive and an understanding of how historical inequities continue to limit opportunity for children experiencing poverty and racial oppression. The reality is that schools cannot meet these challenges on their own. We need an integrated approach to learning across the day and year to narrow opportunity gaps and amplify classroom learning. We know that children and … [ ]
A new year often means change and that holds true for SOWA’s training opportunities. Janell Jordan, King County Program Manager, shares their excitement for the new King County Training System and provides insight as its project manager. While virtual, trainings are open to any youth development professional and there is no fee to attend. What is the King County Training System? Why King County?The King County Training System is an option for organizations and their staff to access training and professional development opportunities. Training opportunities range from topics such as Exploring Structure Racism, Mapping Multiracial & Cross-Cultural Identities, Leap Into Science, our suite of … [ ]
We did it! 394 individuals virtually gathered over four days to grow, strategize, nourish, and ultimately work to create sustainable impact for our field. Planning this year was tough, not knowing what folks would need or want in the middle of a pandemic, while also navigating the fight for Black lives and the buildup of fear around the upcoming election. There were so many unknowns we were juggling, and our team worked really hard to ground ourselves and the spaces we curated in our Bridge values: equity, belonging, leadership, nourishing, change, innovation, and community. Some aspects of the conference manifested so beautifully and perfectly timed, and other aspects we dropped the ball a bit and have room to grow. Holistically, though … [ ]