YDEKC Shared Advocacy Agenda - September 2018

YDEKC Shared Advocacy Agenda – September 2018

Youth Development Executives of King County
Working to advance the youth development field

Deep Dive into Advocacy: Our Shared Agenda

The summer of 2018 has brought us to a point where many groups are convening, many ideas are baking, and individuals are stepping up to make things happen. With that in mind, check out the flurry of advocacy events to come in Fall 2018 and beyond! Come join us and help make things happen!

Read on to learn more about advocacy activities affecting young people in our communities at the state, county, and city levels!

Please like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to have access to timely information between our more formal newsletters.

YDEKC Updates | King County Activity | Washington State Activity
City Level Activity | Resources

My thanks,
René Murry
Public Policy Manager, Youth Development Executives of King County
ydekc.org | rmurry@ydekc.org | 206.963.6010

YDEKC Updates
Save the Dates: Upcoming YDEKC Advocacy Events!

September 18th: Lunching with Leaders with Greg Williamson, Director of the Youth Engagement Office at the WA State Department of Children, Youth, and Families.
October 2nd: Lunching with Leaders with Washington State Representatives
October 11th: Advocacy 101 Training with Washington Nonprofits Public Policy Director David Streeter
October 25th: North Seattle Services Coalition Story Summit
January 15th: School’s Out Washington and YDEKC Lobby Day in Olympia!

Meet our Policy Research Assistant, Hikma Sherka!
Hikma Sherka is our new point person for advocacy events through January 2018. She comes to us with experience serving on multiple youth boards and was recently appointed to the King County Children and Youth Advisory Board. Recently, we asked her to reflect on her journey as a youth advocate and changemaker.In 2016, I was interviewed by Brandi Kruse from Q13 Fox News for a series they were doing on American Muslims working to create change in their communities. My interview was shared on Facebook and went viral. I started to receive messages from people all over the world telling me how much my story inspired them.

I never thought my story was special. I was a 19-year-old girl hoping to do something good in my community. The messages that stood out to me most were from young people who wanted to do the same but did not feel like their voices were being heard.

The interview came out at a time I was feeling voiceless myself. I was almost always the only young person in a room full of adults making decisions that impacted the lives of young people. I felt small. But this interview made me feel heard.

Hikma Sherka, left, moderating the Keynote Conversation at YDEKC’s event Whole Child, Whole Day: A Social Emotional Learning Symposium.

To learn more, check out Hikma’s full response here and her full bio on our staff page!

King County Activity
Puget Sound Taxpayer’s Accountability Account (PSTAA) Update
YDEKC has been involved in 3 different groups to advocate and speak to the issues around serving 5- young adult children and youth in King County. They are 1) an overarching group convened by Jessyn Farrell of Civic Venture partners that has been working on a broad consensus of support around the PSTAA funds; 2) A group of lobbyists that are working on a legislative strategy to protect and preserve the funds that were awarded by legislation; 3) a 5-young adult stakeholder group that meets to discuss plans for advocacy for that age span and respond to King County. Luma Consulting recently developed this report that was shared with the consultant to King County Council.

Washington State Activity
Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF)
YDEKC, School’s Out Washington, and leadership from Best Starts for Kids have been working with leadership at DCYF to establish a Youth Development Work Group. They have asked for language laying out our thoughts regarding this work group. After several conversations with stakeholders, a piece has gone to them for review.

Washington Expanded Learning Opportunities Network:
YDEKC is a member of the Washington Expanded Learning Opportunities Network. Our guiding principle is “Young people’s education doesn’t stop when the school day ends; neither should their access to high-quality learning opportunities. Quality expanded learning opportunities build lifelong skills, improve academic performance, and inspire young people to discover their individual passions. When expanded learning is supported to complement the school day, our state can narrow the opportunity gap and develop tomorrow’s leaders.” Learn more and join the Network here!

City Level Activity
Seattle Issues
Family, Education, Preschool and Promise (FEPP) Levy
YDEKC is partnering with School’s Out Washington, Southeast Seattle Education Coalition, and the Save the Children Network to help educate and motivate voters for the FEPP Levy. Funds from this levy will be utilized to help fund out of school time programs and summer learning in Seattle. YDEKC will be sending literature that we encourage you to post and share with your employees and families that you serve in Seattle. We will be tracking what you do as a member organization, such as posting and sharing info or helping with a Facebook post or two. We are working on “closing the loop” for advocacy! Hikma Sherka, YDEKC’s Policy Research Assistant, will be following up to see what actions you will take and we thank you in advance for your help in promoting this levy! The levy campaign website is available here.

Resources
What advocacy steps can my organization make this fall?
Consider scheduling a site visit to your organization during September, October, or November with your State Representatives of Senators, King County Council Members, or city leadership! Showing the important work happening in our communities would be helpful to our ongoing advocacy efforts. Interested in a site visit? Contact René Murry!

Online Advocacy Training Videos
Washington Nonprofits is developing an online advocacy toolkit for programs and individuals to develop their advocacy skills and strategies at their own pace. YDEKC is partnering with Washington Nonprofits to contribute to this work. Stay tuned for the toolkit launch later in 2018!