Partner News and Partners in the News! (July 2022)
Partners in the News
Updated 7/21/2022
The Splendid Table Episode 761: On the Road - Seattle: Kara Martin, Program Director of the Food Innovation Network talks about Spice Bridge, a food hall dedicated to refugee and immigrant chefs. Also joining was one of those chefs, Theary Ngeth, the chef of Theary Cambodian Foods, and Angela Dunleavy and Carlin Llorente of FareStart, an organization that helps people break the cycle of poverty with job and life skills training.
Gun violence leads community groups to take bolder action:
So he seized the opportunity. [Dominique] Davis [of Community Passageways] arranged for 16 young men from the two groups to leave the city — one to Phoenix, the other to Los Angeles — and paid them to stay away for 30 days and work with therapists and mentors. Davis said that since returning to Seattle, all but three of the young men, several of whom had previously been involved in gun violence, have faced no charges.
Another Seattle-area organization, the SE Network, arranges community gatherings on Friday evenings — in the parking lot of a grocery store where a fatal shooting occurred in 2020 — to try to prevent further violence. The group’s executive director, Marty Jackson, said they use data about where shootings have occurred to determine where to deploy their teams.
Wa Na Wari creates connection and Black belonging in the Central District:
Now a thriving center for Black belonging and community in the midst of a gentrifying neighborhood, Wokoma notes that Wa Na Wari focuses on the intersection of what it means "for Black folks to have autonomy over a piece of land in the Central District."
A cultural bridge to artistic and high-tech success:
An advisory group of eight youth, four paid high school/college interns and community surveys have helped guide and co-create offerings. Centro Cultural Mexicano is also drawing on previous successes. Bilingual programs attract families from King and Snohomish counties and include conversing on culture, sharing regional foods, live Mexican music, and hands-on art lessons such as making musical instruments out of gourds.
Family access to interpreters in schools expands under new WA laws:
“It all starts with language and being inclusive as a human being,” said Moses Perez, program coordinator at Open Doors for Multicultural Families, which advocates for families of color throughout Washington state who have children with disabilities.
Sen. T’wina Nobles, inaugural CEO of the Black Future Co-op Fund, Washington’s first cooperative philanthropy created by and for Black people to ignite Black generational wealth, health and well-being, penned this piece in the Seattle Medium on the legacy and impact of Juneteenth, Manifesting The Legacy Of Our Liberation:
The legacy of our liberation continues with Black Washingtonians. Recently, on June 5th, hundreds of Black Washingtonians joined together in person and virtually to share community-identified solutions for Black well-being in our state. Together, we began to formulate a vision for Black well-being through education, health, economic mobility, public safety and civic engagement.
Pandemic recovery that goes beyond ‘back to normal’ — on the Seattle Foundation’s Fund for Inclusive Recovery:
The pandemic pulled back the curtain of what was already happening in our society,” says Kris Hermanns, chief impact officer of Seattle Foundation. “[These inequities] intensified in a very short period of time and, since we were all in our homes in lockdown, we saw and experienced the pandemic—but in very different ways.” …
This is what led Seattle Foundation to launch the Fund for Inclusive Recovery, which provides grants to organizations led by Black, Indigenous and people of color, individuals who possess firsthand knowledge of the barriers faced by their communities. This past spring, the Foundation announced that 21 organizations will receive $12.6 million over the next three years. This funding will provide a reliable cash flow to these organizations, while also allowing grantees to determine how to best use the funds.
The Tesfa Program has launched the Ethiopian Outreach Guide! The Toolkit ties together community sotires and data to provide evidence-based best practices for better connections with the Ethiopian community. Check out this new resource here! And their podcast, 13 Months of Sunshine, on how the local Ethiopian community navigated social services during the beginning course of the COVID-19 pandemic
COO Governance Group member, Ubax Gardheere, detailed the process and goals of the Seattle Foundation’s Fund for Inclusive Recovery, Leading With Community: A Call To Uplift Organizations At The Center Of Inequities:
The Fund for Inclusive Recovery is built on trust. Nonprofit organizations appreciate donor dollars but the real value of the Fund’s support is the flexibility and responsiveness of those dollars. Grantees determine how to use money from the Fund so that their organizations can best advance power and base-building – this may look like running programs, conducting outreach, or training staff. For organizations like The United Indians of All Tribes Foundation (UIATF), this means using grant dollars to form a new partnership with Sound Alliance to support more client families in advocacy work related to early childhood and K-12 education. For UTOPIA WA, this funding will help protect the rights and safety of sex workers.
Resources, Opportunities & Events
Updated 7/21/2022
Join the Circle Keeper Network every Summer Friday from 4-6pm! Come through, bring a friend! Folks will in the RBAC Garden (message RBAC for the address). Questions? Email jdavis@rbactioncoalition.org
What are the Summer Circles?
In-person Community Circles (almost) every Friday!
Lifting up the Rainier Beach neighborhood
Locations announced a week ahead
Open to all community members!
Opportunity to learn, engage, and enjoy Circle Practice!
Dates/Themes include:
Intergenerational - July 22
Black Queens Connect - July 29
Master My Melanin - August 5
Unlock Your Inner G - August 12
Adulting Sustainably - August 19
Mindfulness - August 27
FEEST - Rest & Restore Event Series: Generative Somatics
Join for FEEST's third and last summer event series on July 26th from 5-6:30 pm for virtual practice led by devon de Leña. In this time together we hope to practice cultivating mutual connection, tools for centering, and body-centered practices that will help to revitalize resilience that support us to face the ongoing challenges of our collective world.
These virtual events are FREE and open to students, teachers, parents, and community members. Register early and attend to win a $50 Safeway and or $25 grubhub gift card!
Teachers, if you would like to host folks in your rooms, please reach out to multi-gen organizer Fotima Ibrokhim at fotima@feestseattle.org for questions and set ups.
Spanish interpretation is available. Register here!
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About the Series:
This school year has been one of the most difficult years to be an educator, parent and student. We are living through a global pandemic that is coupled with major loss, grief and a growing mental health crisis all the while transitioning back to “normalcy” at schools. None of this should be normalized. At FEEST, our students are campaigning for better mental health resources for students and teachers, and we want to take this time to practice embodying mental health with our community. This is why we’re creating our Summer Rest & Restore Series, to cultivate belonging, play, care, and self & community-preservation. In 3 Sessions with community practitioners, we’ll explore Mindful Meditation, Generative Somatics, and healing spaces.
Native Family Learning Circle Dinner
Tuesday, July 26, 5-7pm
Location: Technology Access Foundation (TAF) Building (605 SW 108th St, Seattle, WA)
Dinner provided! Free to Everyone!
Event sponsored by the Na’ah Illahee Fund
https://www.facebook.com/WhiteCenterCDA/posts/5966822826668105
Africatown and the Zola Experience are looking to serve ten Men & ten Women who would like a safe, confidential space to recover and heal from something missing in their life, through the ZOLA Healing Circle. The ZOLA Healing Circle is a 7-Session Wellness Experience and is most impactful in a group setting. The ZOLA Wellness Experience is essential in the process of grief, as well as the essence of life.
Date/Time: Saturday, July 30th, and Sunday, July 31st (9am-1pm PST for this 2-part virtual healing circle)
Register here: Women Registration Form | Men Registration Form
Each participant will receive $100 at the completion of the seven sessions and completing two questionnaires (Pre and Post). The seven sessions will take place over the two days. You must attend Saturday AND Sunday to be paid.
SPACE IS LIMITED! Only register if you are able to attend BOTH sessions and if you have NOT attended a Zola Healing Circle before. Must be in King County or the surrounding area.
Sign-Up for The Ripple Effect Collaborative, a Trauma-Informed Care Workshop Series!
Best Starts for Kids Workforce Development Strategy is offering an opportunity for the Prenatal to Five Workforce, who provide services in King County, to participate in a 4-month trauma-informed care series of workshops called “The Ripple Effect Collaborative.” Through this interactive workshop, participants will not only gain strengths-based tools to help them reflect on their own lives, but also learn how to understand and respond to children and families experiencing impacts of trauma.
The Ripple Effect Collaborative is a 4-month commitment at no cost to participants. Workshops will be held on Friday mornings from 9 am to 11 am, September through December.
September 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
October 7, 14, 28
November 4, 18
December 2, 9
Deadline to register: Friday, July 29, 2022. Click here to apply!
If you have any questions, please reach out to Ebasa Sarka at esarka@kingcounty.gov or Diana de la Lanza at bsk-wested@wested.org.
Interested in learning about additional Best Starts Workshops? Learn more at https://beststartsworkshops.org/
Sign-Up for Building Confidence in Vaccines: from COVID to Routine Childhood Vaccinations Workshop Series
Best Starts Workshops is offering a 3-part training series on Building Confidence in Vaccines: from COVID to Routine Childhood Vaccinations. This workshop series is for educators, community health workers, providers, social workers, school nurses, and anyone else interested in building their skills in talking with patients and clients on COVID, vaccines and boosters, and general childhood vaccinations.
Building Confidence in Vaccines: from COVID to Routine Childhood Vaccinations is a 3-part training series offered at no cost to participants. Workshops will be held on the following dates and times:
Part 1: COVID Vaccines, The What? Tuesday, July 26, 12 pm to 1:30 pm
Part 2: COVID Vaccines, The How? Tuesday, August 2, 12 pm to 1:30 pm
Part 3: Routine Childhood Vaccinations Tuesday, August 9, 12 pm to 1:30 pm
This 3-part training series will also be presented in Spanish:
La serie de entrenamientos “Creando confianza en las vacunas: desde COVID hasta las vacunas de rutina para niños” será presentada en español los días 17, 24 y 31 de Agosto, 12-1:30pm. Pronto más información en beststartsworkshops.org
Click here to register! Visit the training page to learn more.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Adrian Lopez Romero at alopezromero@kingcounty.gov.
Native Neighborhood Survey
Share your thoughts for a Native Neighborhood! The Indigenous Seattle Working Group and Na'ah Illahee Fund have been collaborating on a community survey that is made by and for Native and Indigenous Peoples who live, work, visit, or get services in Seattle. This survey is the first step toward building a Native Neighborhood that can be anything from a single building to multiple blocks.
What are your hopes and dreams for a Native Neighborhood in Seattle? Your answers to this quick 15-minute survey can help build a place of belonging for the Seattle Native Community. Information from the survey will be anonymously included in a report that will advocate for more funding and resources. After taking the survey, you can enter a drawing for prizes made by local Native artists. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Demarus Tevuk at skoden@naahillahee.org.
Survey Link Here!
Check out the New Models for Creating Thriving Black Communities and Inclusive Cities 4-part virtual conversation led by Africatown Community Land Trust (ACLT) and featuring community leaders doing impactful work across the country to discuss how to advance equitable development locally in Seattle and nationwide. The four conversations are all available at the links below for you to watch, comment and share:
The Struggle for Land: With Shirley Sherrod, Co-Founder, Sherrod Institute, SW Georgia
Preserving Cultural Heritage Through Affordable Housing: With Christa Stoneham, CEO & President, Houston Land Bank, Houston
Building New Black Wallstreets: With Marimba Milliones, President & CEO, Hill Community Development Corp, Pittsburgh
Healing and Building Community Through Art and Creative Placemaking: With Mama Shu, Founder, Avalon Village, Detroit
Partner Job Opportunities
Current opportunities with COO community & institutional partners (updated 7/21/2022):
African Community Housing & Development: Housing & Social Services Director | Social Services Manager | Housing Manager | Jobs & Training Case Manager | Education Team Members
Alliance for Gun Responsibility: Digital Communications Manager
Chief Seattle Club: *New* Program Manager (Permanent Supportive Housing)
CHOOSE180: Office Manager | Grants Manager | *New* Advocacy Program Coordinator | *New* Community Engagement Manager
Creative Justice: *New* Mentor Teaching Artists for Creative Economies Makerspace
FEEST: Community Organizing & Training Manager
Mother Nation: Multiple Opportunities
Open Doors for Multicultural Families (ODMF): *New* Senior Public Policy Analyst
Partners in Employment: Employment Practitioners (2)
Seattle-Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda): *New* Executive Director
Seattle's LGBTQ+ Center (formerly Gay City): *New* Co-Executive Director of Finance & Administration
Southwest Youth and Family Services: Child & Family Therapist | Fund Accounting Specialist
A Supportive Community for All (SCFA): Navigation Program Coordinator
Tubman Center for Health & Freedom: African American Health Board Short-Term Executive Director | Healthcare Administrator - Tubman Health