Greetings YDEKC Members and Friends –
One more week until ballots are due (November 3rd)! We hope you have already voted for Proposition 1 on the King County ballot – Best Starts for Kids – and have told all your friends to do the same! We have been been phone banking and putting up signs for this critical new funding source for kids and families in our communities. This month, we also held our annual Advisory Board Retreat at the beautiful retreat space at Seward Park Audubon (see photo below). At our retreat, we began to deepen our intentionality around Racial Equity work through a Peacemaking Circle process. More to come in the coming months. For now, read on for more about advocacy, outcomes and capacity building.
Advocacy: Garnering systemic support of the youth development field
Best Starts for Kids: Awesome New Television Ad!
Best Starts for Kids is very excited to unveil their new television ad airing on cable TV. You can also watch it here on youtube. We encourage you to share this with your networks and organizations via email and social media. Let’s harness our collective power and get this passed, we can do this!
Living Voters Guide
If you haven’t yet cast your ballot, Seattle CityClub’s LivingVotersGuide.org is your go to for weighing in on your opinions and to learn from other Washington residents about why they support various candidates or ballot measures. General election videos are now posted from candidates and initiative sponsors/opponents to help you learn more and make informed ballot choices. Log on to LivingVotersGuide.org today to check out the new videos, post your opinions, and read what other users are thinking.
City of Seattle HSD Youth & Family Empowerment Division Update
Last month, YDEKC participated in a Community Provider meeting to review the results of a community survey conducted by the Youth & Family Empowerment Division for the Seattle Human Services Department. The survey focused on Youth Development and Mental Health and is serving as one of many data sources for an upcoming (2016) funding process. In November YFE will be reaching out to young people through surveys and focus groups for more input. Take a look at the survey results they shared with us!
Seattle’s new Director of Education & Early Learning:
Dwane Chappelle, currently Rainier Beach High School’s principal, was nominated by Mayor Ed Murray to become Seattle’s first Director for DEEL. The Department of Education & Early Learning has the mission to foster opportunities for Seattle’s children to succeed in school and graduate from high school prepared for continuing education and success in the workplace. Learn more about the new Director and his vision for achieving their mission. “Dwane’s vision and experience will be instrumental as we work together to address the opportunity gap, ensuring our education system serves all our students, regardless of their background or family income.” – Seattle Mayor Ed Murray
Seattle Indian Health Board Community Survey
The Seattle Indian Health Board received a Circles of Care three year planning grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to develop a system of care blueprint addressing substance abuse and mental health for American Indians/Alaska Native youth in King County. SIHB is conducting a community driven survey in order to identify both where gaps exist and do not exist, in regards to services for Native youth in King County. Participate here if you are an Administrator or Director of an agency that is certified to provide mental health, substance abuse or other services for youth and adults in King County or here if you are a provider. The survey should take no longer than 10-15 minutes.
Outcomes: Promoting common youth development outcomes
The movement around measuring and moving the skills and dispositions young people need to be successful in school and life continues to grow! Carol Dweck, widely credited with the early research around Growth Mindset shared some of her latest thoughts about the construct and ensuring the construct doesn’t go the way of the self esteem movement in this Education Week article.
At School’s Out Washington’s (awesome) Bridge Conference last week, Jessica moderated a panel on the state of the Social Emotional Learning field with terrific panelists from the Susan Crown Exchange, American Institutes for Research, Professor Emeritus and Senior Research Fellow Dale Blyth from the University of Minnesota. Check out this cool tool that Debbie Moroney (AIR) shared for staff self-reflection. We are also eagerly awaiting a new “un-report” forthcoming from Susan Crown Exchange in January. To hear more about the SEL Challenge join the conference call below.
Deconstructing Social Emotional Learning Practice
How does the magic happen in a good out-of-school time (OST) program? New research is helping practitioners answer that question with precision. Join Karen Pittman as she interviews Dr. Charles Smith, executive director of the Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality, about the center’s exciting work on the Susan Crown Exchange’s Social and Emotional Learning Challenge: a research project to study staff practices and youth experiences that promote social emotional learning. Nov. 3, 2 p.m. ET Find out more.
Capacity Building: Increasing member capacity through professional development and networking opportunities
Funding Opportunity! United Way of King County
United way will be providing two upcoming community information sessions for their New Solutions grants. They are expecting to fund 10-15 innovative projects that will help United Way of King County achieve its vision that everyone has a home, students graduate, and families are financially stable. These grants will range from 20,000-30,000 and need projects that will be ready to start this upcoming February. For more information on their timeline and eligibility click here.
- November 2nd, 10am-12pm: RFP Community Information Session Southside Commons – Seattle RSVP here
- November 5th, 1pm-3pm: RFP Community Information Session Children’s Home Society Family Resource Center – Kent RSVP here
Reserve your spot soon, applications are due December 1st!
Welcome New Members!
Earlier this month we hosted our YDEKC New Member Orientation and we’re excited to welcome two new member organizations. Be sure to connect with Afi Tengue of Reading Partners and Callista Chen of Techbridge at our summit on November 17th! Follow the links to learn more about these amazing programs.
We are also excited for Amy Mack who headed across town to lead Year Up. Congratulations to Louis Garcia who is taking the helm at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound!
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
Andrea Lopez-Diaz, Member Engagement & Communications