Category: Stories

Relationships are key with ALL IN Mentoring

By Adriana Zazula

According to a recent study by Afterschool Alliance, 80% of Washington parents agree that afterschool programs help young people to build positive relationships with caring adults and mentors. In the Renton Highlands,  ALL IN Mentoring is doing their part to provide those meaningful opportunities with their mission to, “develop middle and high school aged youth holistically and see them thrive and bring change to our neighborhoods.”  ALL IN programming includes an afterschool drop-in time for youth alongside mentoring opportunities. Executive Director,  Lovell Davis, has been active in this work for over seven years. The organization relocated at the beginning of … [ ]

Coyote and the expansion of curiosity, creativity, and collaboration

By School's Out Washington

The ability to express oneself as a young person is a valuable tool for growth and healing. Coyote’s mission is to, “spark creativity in young people, putting tools in their hands to build skills and forge their futures.” Jess  Schwab, Communications Director at Coyote, and Alex Peterson, Program & Engagement Manager, shared their insight into the organization’s impact so far and the exciting future ahead.  Can you expand on the organization’s vision of “An equitable world powered by curiosity, creativity, and collaboration.” How does that play out in Coyote’s approach to programming and community engagement? Coyote’s model is unique in Seattle … [ ]

Best Starts for Kids and the celebrations of 2.0 (so far)

By School's Out Washington

In summer of 2022, School’s Out Washington launched the second iteration of the Best Starts for Kids (BSK) Expanded Learning initiative. We celebrated the distribution of over 16 million dollars in funding awarded across 62 different community programs throughout King County, and an in-depth guided experience of the Youth Program Quality Intervention (YPQI) process. Each incredible program provides high quality expanded learning opportunities for youth, ages 5-13, who are BIPOC and/or living in poverty in King County.   The 62 grantees hit the ground running with school and programs starting shortly after the funding announcement. The BSK Expanded Learning initiative is a … [ ]

2022 Bridge Conference Reflections

By School's Out Washington

Conferences are a time to learn, reconnect, and dream a little bigger. At this year’s Bridge Conference, there was an undeniable hum of excitement in the air. We were back together, in-person, after two years of connecting virtually. Youth development leaders, community workers and organizers traveled from across the state and beyond to hear from one another. Lines formed at registration as early as 7:30 AM and groups gathered with their pastries and coffee waiting for the first plenary to begin. Tanaya Winder grounded the crowd of over 530 in intentionality and the hard work of the “heartwork.” From there … [ ]

Celebrating queer youth leadership, every day.

By Adriana Zazula

An oasis is defined as a, “peaceful area in the midst of a difficult or hectic place.” For LGBTQ youth in Tacoma,  Oasis Youth Center  is just that.  For more than 36 years it has been a place of joy, community, and understanding. Their mission is to, “transforms the lives of queer youth by creating a safe place to learn, connect, and thrive.”  “Oasis believes that queer youth are amazing leaders that have the ability to change the world,” said Siggy Frank, Program Manager at Oasis Youth Center. Frank was introduced to Oasis at 14 years old  and participated in … [ ]

Graduate Tacoma and the spirit of collaboration.

By School's Out Washington

Graduate Tacoma is a community-wide movement of more than 350 cross-sector partners across the full education ecosystem. The Foundation for Tacoma Students (FFTS) plays a unique role in building and strengthening the community-wide movement to help every child achieve success from cradle to college and career. “The most unique thing we see [in Tacoma] is the spirit of collaboration. How do we make sure that students have access to all of our programs or how do we make sure folks know what kinds of programs we have and fill gaps where we know there aren’t enough programs? That spirit of … [ ]