Community News! December 2024
NEWS, STORIES, AND RECENT ARTICLES FROM AND ABOUT COO PARTNERS IN COMMUNITY
A condensed version of our monthly newsletter distributed November 26. Get all the news by signing up for the newsletter.
Apply Now for COO’s Powerful Narratives Work (PNW) Fellowship
The 2025 Powerful Narratives Work (PNW) Fellowship is a new program generated by COO’s commitment to narrative power as a critical component of community power building, and our understanding of the significant role narrative strategy can play in strengthening policy, systems, and culture change.
This first offering is geared to support individuals who are working to build a regional Solidarity Economy, centered on the principles of a Just Transition.
Supported by the subject-matter experts at Resource Media, Fellows will:
Be facilitated through a curriculum that explores and strengthens narrative change and power building strategies.
Have access to “office hours” or practice sessions to further their thinking, problem-solving, and tactical development.
Fellows will also receive a $7,500 award and strategic support for their proposed narrative change or narrative power building project during this six-month period.
Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Monday, December 16.
Drop-in group info sessions on this fellowship and application process are available with COO and Resource Media staff:
· Wednesday, December 4, 4-5 p.m.
· Friday, December 6, 12-1 p.m.
Learn more about Powerful Narratives Work and sign up for the information sessions
“Ways of Ancestors” Series Continues
Two more opportunities to attend the Ways of Ancestors series are coming up starting next week. Ways of Ancestors is a 3-part journey reconnecting us with our Ancestral ways. Sessions are free. The series is funded by the COO Learning Community and designed and produced by La Roxay Productions.
Session 2: A Practice of Remembrance, December 3
Date: Tuesday, December 3, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Location: Made Space Seattle, 2002 E Union St, Seattle, WA 98122
Join in practice with Community and Community-based herbalists. In this space participants will learn about the healing properties of herbs and create a tea blend to support your journey this winter.
Learn More and Register for the December 3 Session
Session 3, A Practice of Reconnection, December 14 (DATE CHANGE)
Date: Saturday, December 14, 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Location: Sacred Land Collective, 37308 212th Way SE, Auburn, WA 98092
Participate in learning with Community. Attend a wellness resource fair to connect and learn more about practitioners in our area. Lunch will be served. After lunch, hear from some of these practitioners, followed by immersive workshops.
Sign Up for Session 3 of the COO Strategic Health Policy Convening Series
December 5, 2025, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Tukwila Community Center
If you’re at a community-led organization working on health policy and healthcare systems change to support equitable community health and well-being: You’re invited to session 3 of the COO Strategic Health Policy Convening series. This is a COO Learning Community offering facilitated by weAVS Collective.
Participants should have a baseline understanding of state and regional policy change processes. You don’t need to have attended the previous two sessions.
At the session, you’ll participate in drafting power maps for health policies priorities for the 2025 legislative session, identified by fellow organizations in previous convenings. Hear from a public policy and advocacy leader about effective methods for driving policy change around health and healthcare. Share space with others to collaborate, connect, and practice community care.
If you are new to the series, please email us to learn more and to register.
“Facing Race” Together at Race Forward’s Conference
A group of 30+ COO partners, Governance Group members, and staff just returned from the Facing Race conference, Nov. 20-22 in St. Louis. The conference, hosted by Race Forward, is the nation’s largest multiracial, intergenerational racial justice conference. More than 4,000 community organizers, activists, and movement makers came together to build power and strategies to advance racial justice.
We’re gathering all our reflections from this powerful community-building experience and hope to share them soon.
Partners Gather to Learn REM Method for Evaluation and Storytelling
About 20 people from our funded partner organizations, our Governance Group, the Evaluation Advisory Group, and the COO team came together November 12 to collect rich stories and visualize impact through a process called Ripple Effects Mapping (REM).
Read more about this approach, find out which partners were there, and hear what we learned in this blog post.
Public Health and COO Leaders Affirm Commitment to Community
“All of us at Public Health Seattle and King County remain prepared to take important steps to support the health, well-being, and rights of you and everyone else in our communities, as needed in response to changes and initiatives at the federal level.”
Two of our public health and COO leaders recently shared “A message of commitment to our communities from Public Health.” Dr. Faisal Khan, Director of Public Health – Seattle & King County, and Matias Valenzuela, Director of Equity and Community Partnerships for Public Health (and a COO sponsor), shared this message affirming that King County will remain a welcoming place for all, and sharing resources for community members. Read the full message.
Social Media Updates! Goodbye Twitter/X
We’ll be leaving Twitter/X within the next month. If you were following us there, thank you! We hope you’ll follow us on our other platforms, including Instagram and our LinkedIn page, new this fall.
Connecting with Workforce Development
For job fairs, trainings and other career and professional development resources, you can join the list for our new Workforce Development newsletter, with job and workforce related resources, events, and opportunities! You’ll get news and tips every 4 weeks.
You can also check out our new Workforce Development Opportunities web page, for training and other opportunities that are open year round, with no imminent application due dates.
COMMUNITY NEWS!
Wa Na Wari Is Featured in “The Atlantic” Series
Our community partner Wa Na Wari was featured in this article, “Resilience Through Art,” in The Atlantic’s “Reconstructing America” sponsor content series from Deloitte. The report highlights three communities making strides toward racial equity with help from local nonprofits.
Seattle is included because of Wa Na Wari’s work, such as the Central Area Cultural EcoSystem, 21st Century (CACE 21) initiative, directed at combating the displacement of Black residents in the Central District. Wa Na Wari has been funded through the Seattle Foundation and by COO.
Build 2 Lead Honored with “Human Kindness” Award
Pictured: Dairyona Thompson, Natorius Ezell, Jimmy Brown, Najmah Messiah. Photo from Build 2 Lead.
Build 2 Lead was honored this fall with the inaugural Lloyd Dean Human Kindness Award. The award is from The Lloyd Dean Institute of Human Kindness and Health Justice at CommonSpirit Health. It recognizes B2L's significant and lasting impacts in our community.
B2L founder Jimmy Brown accepted the award and spoke about the impact of the partnership between Build 2 Lead and Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (VMFH) and its impact on students.
Read More about why Build 2 Lead won this award and see more photos.
Africatown Plaza Opens; Homes Available
“Why can’t housing be beautiful and affordable at the same time?” Africatown Community Land Trust celebrated the opening of Africatown Plaza in the Central District this fall and is now accepting applications for its affordable housing apartments. Converge Media’s Besa Gordon of “Back2Besa,”, who grew up in the Central District, covered the opening and shared this report. Back To Besa also airs weekly on Fox 13.
Find out how to apply for housing on the Africatown Plaza website.
Besa Gordon (right) talks about Africatown Plaza in her segment on FOX 13.
More News From Around the Community
"I Could Be Your Monica": Seattle Medium continued its three-part series on Community Passageways by talking with some of the people doing the work, in Behind The Neon Shirts: How Community Passageways Champions Safety And Hope For At-Risk Youth - The Seattle Medium.
"Not Surprising, but Jolting": Lavender Rights Project and other community organizations talked about the impact of the election in this Seattle Times article, Transgender people in WA brace for second Trump presidency.
Just Announced! Funding for Food Bank: The White Center Food Bank is one of over 40 local community projects and programs who just won funding through the King County participatory budgeting process. Through this process, community members submit ideas for improvements, projects, programs, or services that would make a positive difference in their neighborhood and vote to choose which will be funded. The food bank is part of the White Center partnership previously funded by COO. Read the announcement and link to the full list.
A Holiday Wish For You, "Live With Love": Quincy Jones -- who started his legendary music career in Seattle -- was scheduled to accept an honorary Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences last week for his contributions to film. But he died two weeks before he could accept it. His family accepted on his behalf, and his daughter, actress Rashida Jones, delivered the speech he intended to give. You can hear the speech in his words, and about how he “lived with love” in everything he did.
OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
Communities Rise Online Trainings
Communities Rise offers two more free webinars coming up to help nonprofit organizations and small businesses thrive. For the full list of our upcoming trainings and events, keep checking their Upcoming Events page so that you don't miss out.
Nonprofit Sustainability: Building a Solid Foundation for the Next Year, 5 Years, and 10 Years
Tuesday, December 3, 12 noon to 1 p.m.
Why do so many nonprofit organizations close down before achieving their goals? Join us for a discussion of common internal problems that end nonprofits and how they can be avoided by laying down a stronger foundation for the organization. Attendees will learn specific strategies that can yield results during their organization’s next year, next five years, and next ten years.
Register for Nonprofit Sustainability
Nonprofit Legal Health Checklist Training
Tuesday, December 10, 12 noon to 1:30 p.m.
Join us for a tour of various legal issues that can pose risks to your nonprofit organization if not handled correctly. This webinar will help nonprofit leaders understand and use our Nonprofit Legal Health Checklist to make sure their organizations are set up for success. Some of the topics covered include: state law compliance, 501(c)(3) law compliance, corporate governance requirements, fundraising, employment law issues, intellectual property, and more.
Register for Nonprofit Legal Health Checklist Training
Student Support for Public Health Projects
The Northwest Center for Public Health Practice is now accepting applications to support student projects in Washington, Alaska, Idaho, and Oregon during the 2024-25 school year. Twenty-one students will be awarded up to $3,500 each to help with living expenses during their hands-on learning experience. Applications are evaluated based on the project’s public health practice focus, attention to underserved areas and populations, and feasibility. Learn more about application deadlines and procedures and read about funded projects from past years. Applications for Fall term close December 1, 2024.
Final Opportunities to Give Comment on Seattle’s Comp Plan
The Complete Communities Coalition shared a message about the last opportunities for folks to give input on Seattle’s draft comprehensive plan, also known as the One Seattle Plan or “comp plan.”
Said the Coalition, “This comprehensive plan will set the plan for growth for Seattle for the next two decades, and will outlast many elected leaders’ terms in office. Our power to advocate for a better Seattle hasn’t changed, and it’s up to us to show up and share our comments. We’ve detailed the best ways to make your voice heard below, and you can use our talking points as a guide.”
Attend an Info Session
· Thursday, 12/5 Jefferson Community Center
· Tuesday, 12/10 Seattle Center Armory
· Thursday, 12/12 Virtual
Leave a Comment
· If you have a location-specific comment, you can leave it directly on the map here.
· Or, you can leave a general comment at the bottom of the page (same link).
Boards and Commissions
A Supportive Community for All Board
A Supportive Community for All is seeking courageous, curious, and purpose-driven leaders to join their board. They are committed to creating a world where every person is valued and supported. They’re looking for passionate leaders who are ready to bring their skills, insights, and commitment to equity to the table. If you’re dedicated to making a lasting difference and believe in the power of community-centered leadership, help ASCFA drive meaningful change and create a more inclusive, supportive world for all. Send them a message at info@asupportivecommunityforall.org to learn more about this opportunity and begin the application process.
Build to Lead Community Council
Build 2 Lead welcomes applications to its new Community Council. The council will help Build 2 Lead create health and healthcare related advocacy action plans for government leaders, educational institutions, public health, and health organizations. Community Council Members should be invested community members who are able to work 2-4 hours per month and attend monthly meetings. Stipends will be available.
Funding Opportunities
Best Starts Stopping School to Prison Pipeline
We are excited to share that the Best Starts for Kids Stopping the School to Prison Pipeline Strategy Request for Proposals (RFP) is now open! This funding opportunity closes on Thursday, January 30, 2025 at 2 p.m.
Our Stopping the School to Prison Pipeline strategy seeks to intentionally and effectively partner with communities to create school to life success pathways for young people 12 to 24 years old and their families, who are disproportionately impacted by systemic racism and most likely to be pushed into the criminal legal system or are already involved in the criminal legal system.
This RFP is seeking to fund programs that promote:
Sustainable economic strengthening through workforce and career development and/or
Positive identity development through experiences, opportunities, education/guidance, relationships, apprenticeship-type programs, and/or reconnection to cultural heritage.
Read more about this funding opportunity and how to apply on the Best Starts blog.
Other Funding Opportunities, Non-Best Starts
Best Starts for Kids is posting a monthly blog series that highlights funding opportunities from other agencies and organizations that support groups that promote the health and well-being of our babies, children, and young people. Visit their blog to see November-December opportunities for non-Best Starts funding, as well as opportunities with rolling due dates.
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
These opportunities were current as of November 26, 2024. Please check the websites of these organizations to find out if they’re still available.
International Community Health Services: Numerous positions including Data and Analytics Manager and Site Medical Director, International District
Renton Regional Community Foundation: Office Manager, .75 (open until filled).
Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department: Several positions including Assessment, Epidemiology, and Evaluation Director.
Coming Up: Communities Rise said they will soon start recruiting a Co-Executive Director of Capacity Building to replace Brianna Jones, who is taking a new role at Alphabet Alliance of Color. Congratulations to Brianna.
King County: Numerous positions including
Construction Job Order Specialist (apply by December 27)
COVID-19 Health Equity Grant Manager (apply by December 15)
Director of Training, Department of Public Defense (apply by December 6)
Finance and Administrative Services Manager (apply by December 1)
See more job listings on these sites that collect multiple opportunities:
Housing Development Consortium’s job listings from housing organizations
Philanthropy Northwest’s searchable list of positions in development, communications and more
King County, City of Seattle, State of Washington and other government jobs at www.governmentjobs.com
Find more King County, City of Seattle, State of Washington and other jobs at governmentjobs.com
If you have a job or news item to share in the December issue of COO & Partner News, please send it to us by mid-December. Thank you!