Tag: Centering Culture

Seattle CARES—creating and becoming superheroes

By Adriana Zazula

Seattle CARES is more than mentoring. The organization invests not only in the youth they work with, but also their families. Their mission is to secure and transform the lives of Black children by inspiring, recruiting, and mobilizing masses of caring Black men and women to mentor and nourish them. Their programs respect the voices of the students, adults, parents and guardians they serve, and reflect the needs and wishes of the community. The pandemic highlighted an increasing need for wrap-around support. Seattle CARES took only three weeks to reassess how they would adapt their programs virtually. Immediately following, they … [ ]

African Young Dreamers Empowerment Program Intl.—amplifying youth voice and resilience

By Adriana Zazula

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 Director, Beatrice Kiraguri, noticed that there wasn’t a space for young immigrants to connect and heal—including her daughter, Fiona Okech, an AYDEPI Youth Representative. The urgent need for change and input from immigrant youth inspired the formation of AYDEPI. Their mission is to provide sustainable community health, social services and education programs targeting vulnerable youth and their environment. AYDEPI’s  key focus areas are in education, socio-economic interventions, mental health awareness, substance abuse and prevention, and … [ ]

King County Best Starts for Kids quality out-of-school time initiative extended for fourth year

By Lex Gavin

The Out-of-School Time Initiative, a part of King County Best Starts for Kids, began in 2018 and was slated to provide youth program providers with funding and quality improvement support through 2020. The initiative is designed to increase access to high quality and culturally relevant summer and afterschool programming for elementary and middle school youth. In total, $8.3 million was distributed to 12 People-of-Color-Led organizations and 7 Place-Based Partnerships (representing 26 organizations). The cohort represents dynamic, engaging youth development work and has fostered a richer landscape of services across King County In January of last year, the SOWA Best Starts team was gearing up to enter the final assessment season, collecting data on programs’ gains, and planning to close out the inaugural cycle with a bang. When COVID hit, communities across the county (and the world) scrambled to support each … [ ]

Chinese Information and Service Center helps kids adapt to a new country, culture, and language

By Lex Gavin

A new student at Chinese Information and Service Center (CISC) had only arrived in the United States in August. When he enrolled in their Bilingual Orientation School, he did not know the English alphabet, and was struggling to adjust to a new culture and a new language. Weeks later, he proudly read the entire alphabet! The reading specialist who had been working with him was also proud– not only of his blossoming English proficiency, but of his perseverance and zeal for learning. When he started, the specialist had talked with him in Toishanese and determined that he would be best served by visual and kinesthetic … [ ]

Northgate Elementary students tell their neighbors, “we all live here”

By Lex Gavin

This summer, hundreds of kites cumulatively flew at Gasworks Park. Northgate Elementary School students were responsible for dozens in the sky one sunny Friday afternoon. They built and then decorated their creations with images that reflected their cultures and their communities. Family crests, the Mexican flag, and drawings of culturally specific foods danced above Kite Hill as the downtown Seattle skyline glittered in the distance.  Rebecca Brito, Recreation Leader at Northgate with Seattle Parks and Recreation, said she was excited to be at that location because she, “wanted kids to feel ownership of public space— especially when that seems to … [ ]

Life Enrichment Group cultivates scholars and leaders in Rainier Beach

By Lex Gavin

“I have something I want to say,” a middle school boy in the back row said unexpectedly. He stood in front of family and friends, who had gathered for Parent’s Night in the Rainier Beach Community Center to celebrate the accomplishments of their kids in The Scholars Project. “Before this program, I used to have a bad attitude. But I got here and I was inspired. I connected so much with these guys. I really changed as a person.” It seemed like something out of a marketing campaign, but it was straight from the heart– and his parents nodded in … [ ]