The City of Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative has published its first progress report to the community. The report is a comprehensive document covering the Initiative’s first two years of implementation. Included in the report is a description of the multiple strategies employed to prevent and reduce youth violence, stories of young people impacted by the Initiative, and the documented trends in the measures used to assess its progress. Initial results show juvenile court referrals for violent offenses and violence-related school disciplinary actions in select middle schools on a sharper downward trend than areas not being addressed by the Initiative.
Data on homeless students
A report from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction for Washington State provides data on the number and extent of homeless students in the state. Visit this Web site and click on “Research & Data.”
Families & Education Levy workshops begin in June
The City of Seattle’s Office for Education is sponsoring a series of more than 20 workshops beginning on June 23rd, 2011 for anyone interested in the implementation of the proposed Families & Education Levy renewal strategies. Registration is required. For a schedule of workshops see this Web link.
Applicants sought for Seattle Youth Commission
Mayor Mike McGinn and the Seattle City Council are looking for applicants aged 13-19 interested in helping to represent the voices of the city’s youth to elected officials. The Youth Commission provides young people with the opportunity to participate meaningfully in local government and ensure that their interests are represented, and it also provides the City’s elected officials with the opportunity to work with and receive input from teenagers throughout the year. Serving on the Youth Commission represents a one-year commitment, from June of 2011 to June of 2012.
If you are a Seattle resident between the ages of 13 and 19 and you’re interested in applying to or want more information about the Seattle Youth Commission, please contact Sol Villarreal in the Mayor’s Office at 206-427-3062 or sol.villarreal@seattle.gov. To be considered, please visit the Youth Commission’s Web site at and submit your application by May 4, 2011.
New health center for immigrant/refugee students
The City of Seattle announced on April 15 that International Community Health Services has been selected to be the lead agency in developing and operating the City’s newest school-based health center at the Secondary Bilingual Orientation Center, a school for 6th to 12th grade immigrant and refugee students. Funding for the clinic was recommended by Mayor Mike McGinn using money from the City’s Families and Education Levy approved by voters in 2004. In December 2010, the City Council voted unanimously to allocate funds to operate the health center through the duration of the current Levy.
Last month, the City Council unanimously approved an ordinance to ask voters to renew and enhance the Levy as recommended by a 24-member citizen advisory committee. A renewal of the Levy will provide ongoing support to the Secondary Bilingual Orientation Center’s school-based health center. For more information, please see this news release.
HSD to reorganize to better meet needs of community
Beginning on March 1, 2011, the Seattle Human Services Department will realign its operations to better meet the needs of constituents and the community. The work of former divisions including Youth Development & Achievement, Early Learning & Family Support, and Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Prevention will be restructured to become two divisions: the Community Support & Self-Sufficiency Division and Youth & Family Empowerment Division. The Community Support & Self-Sufficiency Division will encompass all of HSD’s programs that assist individuals and families as they work toward self-sufficiency. The Youth & Family Empowerment Division will take a more holistic approach to providing services from early childhood to young adulthood, including paths to post-secondary training – college, vocational training, apprenticeships into skilled trades, or other employment. For more details about these and other changes please read this special edition of Life Lines newsletter.
New Seattle Foundation Web Site – the Giving Center
The Seattle Foundation, one of the nation’s largest community foundations, recently launched a new Web site, the Giving Center. The site provides information for prospective donors on 675 nonprofits doing a wide range of work. Financial and evaluation information is included for each organization described. Launch of the site was covered in the Seattle Times and New York Times.
Report: number of children in poverty rising
The 2010 Child and Youth Well-Being Index is an analysis by the Foundation for Child Development. Among other findings, the report shows that the number of children living in poverty this year in the U.S. will climb to 22 percent, the highest in two decades.
Summer meals program opens June 28
Beginning on June 28 thousands of Seattle children ages 1 through 18 will enjoy free breakfasts and lunches this summer through the Seattle Human Services Department’s Summer Food Service Program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded program, also known as “Summer Sack Lunch,” is open to children at qualifying sites. From June 28 through Aug. 27, the meals will be served at approximately 100 sites across the city. These include designated community centers, Seattle park playgrounds, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs and YWCAs, and other community sites throughout Seattle and parts of King County. For more information see this news release.
Seattle Times op-ed on prostitution ‘johns’
Pimps and the youth they abuse are well-known elements of juvenile prostitution. In their guest column for the Seattle Times, Terri Kimball with the Seattle Human Services Department and King County Senior Dep. Prosecutor Sean P. O’Donnell note a new Washington law that cracks down on the overlooked role of “Johns” involved in the commercial sex abuse of minors.
