Category: Stories

Celebrating Sheely Mauck

By School's Out Washington

Critical thinker Curious Resourceful Thought provoker Growth & reflection-oriented Thoughtful Mentor These are some of the words used to describe Sheely Mauck by her team at SOWA. For the last 12 years, Sheely has played a key role in shaping the work, reach, and values of School’s Out Washington—a legacy that includes helping build an equitable expanded learning system across the state. Most recently, Sheely has co-led our Program Quality team, guiding SOWA’s training content, professional learning pedagogy, and program quality approach. Sheely’s youth development foundation was formed by nearly ten years at the Boys & Girls Club, both as … [ ]

Community conversation with Cornelius Cambronero of Totem Star

By Tran Tonnu

Tran Tonnu, SOWA Marketing Manager, sat down with Cornelius Cambronero (also known by his artist name Kid Cobb or Cobb) as the Program Assistant Coordinator at Totem Star. The organization is committed to supporting a diverse community of young recording artists learning music and life skills through mentorship and meaningful relationships. In this interview, Cobb shares how he was introduced to Totem Star in high school 7 years ago and started his journey of being a musician. During this time he has fostered a community that has supported him in both his artist and life journey. He also shares his … [ ]

ADEFUA Cultural Education Workshop’s is uniting communities of Rainier Valley through the power of arts and culture

By Tran Tonnu

Southeast Seattle, especially the Rainier Valley area, is one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in the country. With a population of 84,000, Rainier Valley comprises 40 different ethnic groups and 59 languages. Located at the Rainier Arts Center in the heart of it all is ADEFUA Cultural Education Workshop (ACEW).  ACEW’s mission is to create, expand, and offer options for youth to enhance growth, personal development, and academic success through the study of African culture, music, and dance. The organization is known for building education pathways for youth and families for the past 27 years. ACEW runs four key … [ ]

Get to know our Pierce County Program Quality Manager, Sergio Beltran.

By School's Out Washington

Throughout his career, Sergio always aims to be an empathic leader who builds relationships, community and centers his work in social justice and equity. Our organization is thrilled to have him on our team as we continue to grow our work across the state. In this Team Spotlight, Sergio shares how his role is helping to ensure equitable access to trainings, professional development and funding in Pierce County. Please share your journey into youth development I started my journey into the youth development field in 2010 during an internship I did for a sociology class. I was on Tacoma’s Juvenile … [ ]

What does it mean to be of a place?

By Adriana Zazula

Washington is renowned for its natural beauty, from the stoic Cascades and the stillness of the Hoh Rain Forest to the roaring Columbia River. CultureSeed nurtures a sense of belonging for youth in southwestern Washington amongst the beauty and vastness of the surrounding nature. Their mission is to “provide year-round connection to nature, self, and others, for our underserved* youth and communities to thrive.”  The organization is located in the rural town of White Salmon where the population is less than 3,000. CultureSeed is committed to long-term relationship building with the youth in their community.  Their cohorts are groups of … [ ]

“I did not expect to cry.” – King County youth workers feel the love at closing celebration

By School's Out Washington

The Best Starts for Kids Out-of-School Time initiative continues to adapt to meet the needs of our region’s young people and has once again been extended. Current grant recipients will receive funding from January to June 2022, as gap coverage until the next round of Best Starts funding becomes available for application. “Wait, is this the first time we’re meeting in person?” “Look how long your hair is!” “The last time I saw you was literally years ago at this point…” “Wow, you’re so much taller than I expected!” Best Starts for Kids Out-of-School Time cohort members were gathering to … [ ]