School’s Out Washington is proud to have sponsored five Lights On Afterschool events across the state this year, supporting youth organizations in directly engaging young people and their families in conversations, activities, and resource-sharing to raise awareness about the importance of afterschool programs in their communities. You can learn more about Lights On Afterschool, organized annually by Afterschool Alliance, here.
SOWA sponsored Lights On Afterschool events in 2025 for the following organizations:
- Amara
- Clark County YMCA
- OneWorld Now!
- Palouse Discovery Science Center
- Wenatchee Valley YMCA
Continue reading below for reflections from this year’s sponsored organizations, as well as an extra feature from another successful Lights On Afterschool event from a partner on the Youth Development Strategy Table (YDST) coalition, Girls on the Run Puget Sound.
Amara
Location: Tacoma, WA
Website: https://amarafamily.org/
Our harvest festival was huge success! We had about 100 people come enjoy the festivities with us. We couldn’t have done it without the help of our amazing community partners:
- That morning, students from GATES High School joined us for their day of service and helped up prepare for the event by moving furniture, setting up our photo booth, and decorating
- Face painting by our friends at ArtsCorps
- Balloon animals and bookmark making with Seeds of Peace Projects
- Cultural crafts from Asia Pacific Cultural Center
- Books and resources from our two local library systems: Tacoma Public Library and Pierce County Library System
- Fun environmental education activities from Pierce County’s Office of Resilience and Climate Action
- Resources and activities from Communities in Schools – Lakewood
- About 20 adults and kids got flu and COVID shots thanks to Bessler Center at Mary Bridge Children’s and Acts Pharmacy
- Our high school volunteer, Nancy, did a great job of running our registration table with our Director of Communications, Marcia
The Amara team ran the photo booth, shared resources and gave psychic readings. Amara staff and their families decorated their cars and handed out candy to our trunk or treaters. We had music and snacks and lots of candy. We saw so many cool costumes. It was truly a community effort and we all had a lot of fun.
Clark County Branch YMCA
Location: Vancouver, WA
Website: https://www.ymcacw.org/locations/clark-county-family-ymca
The Clark County Branch YMCA held an afterschool enrichment event focusing on STEM for youth ages 6-12. Attendees participated in two events: one focusing on 3D printing, where participants learned what a 3D printer is, how it works, and how to print an item, and one in the gymnasium exploring STEM and sports. Youth and their families learned how these topics and tools could be addressed in real life applications and creative imagination for play.
OneWorld Now!
Location: Seattle, WA
Website: https://oneworldnow.org/
OneWorld Now! joined the nationwide Lights On Afterschool celebration by hosting Community Culture Night. The event brought together current students, families, alumni, and community members for an evening of culture, creativity, and connection. Participants got to experience a “day in the life” at OneWorld Now through a leadership and culture workshops. Participants explored languages (Arabic, Mandarin, Russian, and Korean) and culture through hands-on activities. This included making crafts and playing games. Some included:
- Making Chinese Zodiac buttons
- Learning the Korean alphabet and making friendship bracelets
- Customizing Islamic art bookmarks
- Designing Central Asia travel collages
- Watching a taekwondo demonstration
The event also provided opportunities for attendees to learn more about OneWorld Now!’s leadership, language, and study abroad programs, and to share why afterschool programs are so meaningful in helping youth build skills, confidence, and community. Plus, we had a discussion about how everyone can be an advocate for afterschool programs. It was a successful night to share our program with more community members and share why afterschool programs enhance education experiences for youth.
Palouse Discovery Science Center
Location: Pullman, WA
Website: https://www.palousescience.net/
Palouse Discovery Science Center, located in Pullman, WA, had a ton of fun throwing our glow party last night! We had a total of 63 guests show up, including 34 children and 29 adults. Everyone had a blast from learning how to make their own glow slime to making UV bracelets, and showing off their new UV tattoos. It was a joy to see children recognize each other from school and continue to laugh, explore, and learn outside of the classroom.
Wenatchee Valley YMCA
Location: Wenatchee, WA
Website: https://www.wenymca.org/
We want to extend a huge thank you to [SOWA] for supporting our Lights On Afterschool event! We have always done a small activity and an educational post about the importance of afterschool programs for Lights On Afterschool, but have never had the capacity or support to do an actual event before this year! We are so grateful for the opportunity, and it was a BLAST.
Our event was museum style and spanned over the course of a week with activities planned every day for the kids to do and add to their exhibits, ending the week with a night for parents to come in and view the exhibits. Each location was able to add their own flare and ideas to the event, but all locations had the following exhibits:
- All About Me: An opportunity for the students to show what their favorite things are, what their family looks like, their favorite color, a self-portrait, and what “their Y” looks like
- STEM Sparks: Students did a STEM project focused on electricity using Coke, batteries, and wires to turn on a lightbulb
- Creation Corner: Students had the opportunity to write and draw, “What does YMCA afterschool mean to me?” This prompted hilarious conversations, highlighted incredible friendships, and reminded us all what we love about afterschool
- Family Message Wall: This exhibit was built for parents to share what YMCA afterschool means to them and their families. So many families rely on us to ensure that their kids are safe, happy, and cared for while they are at work. It was great to see how many families appreciate the work we do!
- Shine On Afterschool: The kids worked together to create a video of each of them talking about what they love about their afterschool program, what they like to do, and the impact they feel it has on their lives
We are so proud of the way this event turned out!
Girls on the Run Puget Sound
Location: Seattle, WA and Des Moines, WA
Website: https://www.gotrpugetsound.org/
We hosted two open practices, one at Louisa Boren STEM K-8 and the other at Des Moines Elementary. Our guests enjoyed seeing the program in action and some of them even jumped in and participated with the girls! We shared this info packet and were able to discuss the program with them, which was very beneficial. Our guests were:
- Seattle School Board President Gina Topp
- Staff of King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, Chris Lampkin
- Staff of US Representative Suzan DelBene, Shelby Kremenich
- Highline School Board President Jo Van
- Des Moines Mayor Traci Buxton
- Washington State Senator Claire Wilson