Greetings YDEKC Members and Friends –
What an incredible time to be working on behalf of children and youth in our region as more attention is being focused locally, county-wide and in the state to support kids. YDEKC is thrilled to have added advocacy bandwidth to our staff team with the addition of Rene Murry, an experienced advocate for kids! Rene has been a children’s legislative advocate in Washington state since 1989. Her advocacy roles range from a parent and PTA officer in Seattle public schools to co-chairing the Public Policy Committee of the Children’s Alliance and Chairing the Children’s Campaign Fund. You will be hearing more from Rene soon – or reach out to her at rmurry@ydekc.org. There is a busy spring ahead of us – read on for many opportunities to get informed and get engaged.
In Service,
Jessica
Executive Director, Youth Development Executives of King County
ydekc.org | jwerner@ydekc.org | 206.336.6912
Advocacy: Garnering systemic support of the youth development field
2016 State Legislative Session
Only two more weeks remain in the 2016 Legislative Session. With budgets out this week from the House and Senate, we are still waiting for the dust to settle. Look for a wrap up in the coming weeks.
State Blue Ribbon Commission for Children’s Services Department
The Governor, at a press conference held last week, announced the formation of a Blue Ribbon Commission to develop recommendations for creating a separate children’s services department. Governor Inslee signed an executive order directing the Commission to submit recommendations by November of this year – in preparation for the 2017 legislative session. Read more on the issue in this policy brief from our friends at Partners for our Children.
Best Starts for Kids
Work is now well underway to plan for implementation of Best Starts for Kids. The newly appointed Children and Youth Advisory Board met this week to review the first strategy out of the gates around Youth and Family Homelessness Prevention. The implementation plan for the majority of the initiative is due to the County Council in June, so much work ahead in the coming months.
City of Seattle Education Summit
April 30th, 2015
This spring, the City of Seattle is hosting a community-wide Education Summit to address the disparity in educational opportunity and outcomes that disproportionately impact students of color and those from lower-income families. Community voices and local leaders will share what’s working well in our schools, where more support is needed and what strategies the City should support to help all students succeed in Seattle’s schools. Click here for more details on the upcoming summit. A few dozen community conversations will also be held in March and April. More information to come.
New Website – Speak Your Language!
One America is introducing its new Home Language Campaign, Speak Your Language. This campaign is aimed at dispelling myths about bilingualism, and cultivating the ability of those working with families to communicate the importance and value of home language development. This website contains key information on the campaign and resources to share with youth, families, early learning providers, teachers and education advocates.
Outcomes: Promoting common youth development outcomes
YDEKC continues to play a role in elevating motivation and engagement and social emotional learning in partnership with the Road Map Project and with and for our members. Much is happening in this space locally and nationally as recognition of the importance of the skills and dispositions that influence youth success grows.
Youth Skills and Beliefs Survey
This spring, YDEKC will be making our Youth Skills and Beliefs survey tool available to more member organizations. Keep an eye out for an invitation to participate.
Afterschool System Building
Jessica Werner was honored to be included on a recent American Youth Policy Forum webinar with System Building leaders from Providence, Rhode Island and Palm Beach, Florida. The webinar “Building a Robust Afterschool System: Lessons and Opportunities” provided an overview of the lessons learned from the The Wallace Foundation’s recent report, Growing Together, Learning Together and highlighted several communities. The webinar slidedeck can be downloaded here.
SPS Expanded Learning Tools
YDEKC has been working closely with the School and Community Partnerships department at Seattle Public Schools to mitigate the space challenges in buildings and ensure afterschool programming continues (and grows!). Expanded Learning Tools are now posted on the SPS School and Community Partnership website! These were developed collaboratively with principals, curriculum & instruction staff, youth service providers and partners, and the City.
Capacity Building: Increasing member capacity through professional development and networking opportunities
King County Youth Development Network Meeting
Neighborhood House, 11215 5th Avenue SW Seattle, WA 98146
February 29th, 11am-1pm
KCYDN meetings are great engagement opportunities for youth workers – please encourage staff to attend February’s meeting hosted by SOAR and our friends over at Neighborhood House. SOAR’s King County Youth Development Network convenes youth and youth service professionals for training, mentoring, and capacity-building. This month’s meeting will include an update on Best Starts for Kids, an Adult Allies Panel on youth voice moderated by Karen Terrado and an opportunity to provide input through table discussions. RSVP here.
The Washington Non-Profit Institute
Washington Non-Profits is partnering with 501 commons, Wayfind, and the Non-profit Assistance Center to bring free and low cost non-profit training and resources for their members with The Washington Non-Profit Institute. They offer independent learning and information, remote learning, and classroom learning. Follow the link to sign up and learn more about this new resource.
Non-Profit Technology Course – Integrated Communications
Five 90-minute webinars: February 23, March 1, 8, 15, & 22
10:00-11:30am PST
Registration price: $215 ($170 with discount code)
Washington Non-Profits and Idealware’s five-part course is designed for organizations that already understand the basics of online communications and are ready to delve deeper into strategic opportunities across multiple online and offline channels. Whether you’re seeking to increase your fundraising, play a larger role in advocacy efforts, or strengthen your brand, this course will help you develop a road map to a seamlessly integrated online communications experience.
Addressing Racial Equity and Institutional Racism in the Non-Profit Community
Colombia City Library, 4721 Rainier Ave S. Seattle, WA 98118
March 10th, 3-5pm
Those of us working in the non-profit and public sectors are well aware of the challenges faced by people of color that are a direct result of institutional racism. We also know that our own organizations can create unnecessary barriers to the participation of people of color in our programs and services. A number of non-profits in the Seattle-King County area are consciously working to address institutional racism and racial equity both within their organizations and in the broader community. To learn more about these efforts, join the Non-Profit Anti-Racism Coalition for a panel presentation and discussion with local organizations who are doing this work. Hear about their struggles, successes and best practices with time set aside for Q&A.
Leadership Tomorrow
Do you know someone who would be a great candidate for Leadership Tomorrow? Leadership tomorrow is looking for people who display a commitment to civic engagement and a potential for community leadership. LT prepares, challenges and engages emerging and existing leaders through leadership development for the benefit of the Puget Sound region. Send them as many names as you want to enter for the chance to win a special prize! Please email your referrals by 3/31/16 to Keiko Chu-Yamada at keiko@leadershiptomorrowseattle.org and include their name, company, title, and email address. The prize will go to the person who sends the most referrals that turn into actual applications. The deadline for applications is 4/18/14.
Supervisor RoundTable 2.0 – Spring 2016
2100 Building, 2100 24th Avenue S. Seattle, WA 98144
Registration deadline: February 26th
Join a group of 6-12 community leaders for this newly offered opportunity for meeting a peer learning community in a professional setting that will help you become a more effective and inspiring supervisor. The Supervisor Roundtable 2.0 will kick off on Monday, March 7th and will meet once a month through June from 3pm-5pm through June of 2016. See specific dates here. This series is being offered for those that either are alumni of The Supervisor Roundtable or looking to specifically network with supervisors that have 3 or more years of experience in supervising.
Thank you for continuing to work together to advance the youth development field. Hope to see you soon!
The YDEKC Team
Jessica Werner, Executive Director
Sarah Terry, Research & Evaluation Manager
Rene Murry, Public Policy Manager
Andrea Lopez-Diaz, Member Engagement & Communications