Tag: COVID-19

Educators, school staff, youth development, and child care providers now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine

By SOWA

President Biden recently announced a directive that all states prioritize vaccinations of teachers and childcare workers, with a goal for all school staff and childcare workers to get at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of March. In response, Washington Governor Jay Inslee and the Washington Department of Health have added K-12 staff and educators and childcare workers to Washington’s current vaccination phase, effective immediately.   The following groups have been added to the current vaccination phase:  Pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade educators and school staff Childcare and Youth Development workers/providers, including:   All licensed childcare providers.    Licensed family home childcare providers, and the family members living in their home.   License-exempt … [ ]

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 … [ ]

Wenas Mammoth Foundation—bringing earth science to life in Central Washington

By Adriana Zazula

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 … [ ]

Best starts and best practices—how 2020 highlighted the importance of out-of-school time

By Lex Gavin

In February 2020, the Best Starts for Kids Out-of-School Time Initiative (BSK OST) was heading into its final year of implementation. Then COVID hit, and communities across King County (and the world) were left scrambling to support each other through unimaginable challenges. Youth development workers navigated alarming funding cuts, rapidly changing safety protocols, school closures and the creation of virtual learning strategies, and the profound trauma their youth, families, and staff teams experience. A spotlight is now on the unique and vital role our field plays within the landscape of our communities—it’s never been more apparent how much our work … [ ]

In their own words—coach Lynda’s spotlight on Centro Rendu

By Lynda Llavore

Expanded Learning Opportunity (ELO) providers and school district personnel agree that they are Zoom fatigued, depressed, and no longer motivated to join any kind of virtual learning. Like them, Maricela Rodriguez, a Centro Rendu staff member, has been thinking of strategies to engage her young people to attend their Zoom virtual session regularly. Since Centro Rendu has a strong partnership with parents and community resources, she decided to invite parents and people from the community to co-facilitate with her.  One of her guests was Father Carlos Orozco from St. Louis Parish in Bellevue. Father Orozco is known for his collection … [ ]