Community Matters Campaign

A few noteworthy tidbits from the expanse of the internet:

- League of Education Voters is keeping track of what's going on in the legislature's current session with regard to education on their Education Reform 2010 page - not so you don't have to, but so it's much easier. With categories like "Hot Education Bills", "Recent Press" and a list of resources, LEV's created an easily navigable collection of information and opinion about education reform in 2010. (LEV's Lisa Macfarlane, Director of External Affairs, is on our upcoming panel.)

- Did you know Scott Oki (also a panelist) has a new book out? Titled Outrageous Learning, the book's website says: "In this thought provoking new book, Oki describes the ills facing public schools and coolly applies the same frank, no-nonsense analysis that made him one of the most successful top executives at Microsoft and a recognized leader in the technology world."

If you find this topic as important and timely as we, don't miss the discussion on February 24. Additionally, we're putting the final touches on our 2009 Community Matters Campaign Final Report - the campaign focused on education and economic opportunity - and when it's ready, it will be available on our website. Coming soon!

Over the course of the Community Matters Campaign (CMC) this fall, we've convened hundreds of participants – both online and face-to-face – in community conversations about this year's theme: education and economic opportunity. During these sessions, participants voted on what they thought was the best strategy for working toward solutions to issues in these two areas. (We also offered the opportunity to vote on our webpage and at our events during CMC.)

They responded 2-1 in favor of the following two strategies outlined in the The Seattle Foundation's Healthy Community Report:

• Involve families and communities in student achievement and aspirations
• Increase support for high-quality public schools

The CMC Steering Committee - made up of representatives from CityClub, Communities Count, Executive Service Corps, The Seattle Foundation, Seattle Works, United Way of King County, and the YMCA of Greater Seattle - chose 6 winners based on these two strategies.

Our winner selection demonstrates the ecology of community engagement needed to make a difference. The People’s Choice Awardees represent a spectrum of organization format, scale and focus. One is a recently emerged organic and quickly changing organization formed by and for youth. Another unites youth and parents. Others bring diverse community sectors together to foster change and opportunity. Still others work on the systemic level through policy development and advocacy. It’s together - across these various modes of organization and action - that change can be created and sustained in our community.

We invite you to join us - as well as Eric Liu of the Guiding Lights Network and Norman B. Rice of The Seattle Foundation - in celebrating the diverse and dynamic organizations that make up the 2009 People’s Choice Award winners on the evening of November 16 from 6-8pm at City Hall in Seattle. Click here to learn more, and sign up now! (I should mention there will be cake. And hot cocoa!) Here's a snapshot from last year's party:



MAD (Making A Difference) – MAD is a newly emergent youth led non-violence group whose mission is to advocate for victims of violence. (MAD currently has no website)

Puget Sound Off (PSO) – Eighteen area teens came together in the Summer of 2007 to design the Puget Sound Off website after gathering input from 180 peers, including the Mayor's Youth Council. PSO’s mission is to provide youth with a forum for discussion, artistic expression, and action as a way to empower and encourage youth to have a strong voice. The project aims be a catalyst for increasing youth involvement and engagement within the community while encouraging expression of one's beliefs, respect for others, and commitment to public service.

Para Los Niños - Para Los Niños is a grassroots community organization founded by members of the community it serves—the growing immigrant, Spanish-speaking population in South King County. Para Los Niños builds a healthy community with a focus on Latino immigrants. It supports holistic, family-based educational opportunities and builds lasting community networks.

4C Coalition - 4C is an acronym for Clergy, Community, and Children/Youth Coalition. In partnership with King County Superior Court, 4C provides mentors to young persons involved in the juvenile justice system. The 4C Coalition is not a program to solve a problem, but a process to provide possibilities: mentors to youth, church and community resources to families, and a united voice to the community and government agencies to educate and effectively address youth issues.

SOAR - A community coalition dedicated to building partnerships that support the healthy development and success of children, youth and families in King County. SOAR connects, convenes and catalyzes communities around common goals and strategies and strives to create alignment between systems, sectors, organizations, providers and practice.

League of Education Voters - The League works to improve Washington’s public schools through a grassroots statewide network of advocates. Its mission is to make Washington’s preschools, public schools, and colleges the best in the nation. Its goals are:

• Every child reads by the third grade, with more attention to early learning and the role of parents.
• Every child is taught by an excellent teacher. Like all professionals, teachers deserve ongoing mentoring and training.
• Every child graduates from high school ready for college, work, and life. Standards for high school graduation must align with college entrance requirements.
• All students master the math and science they need to succeed in our technology-driven economy.
• More investment in our children’s education, but also more accountability to ensure all children succeed.

Congratulations to all our winners!

Ah, I remember the old days: my first election season at CityClub, when the acronym GOTV meant nothing to me. Now, it's a battle cry. GET OUT THE VOTE!

To do that, you need information. Thankfully, the King County Elections website has a ton of it: Did you know Initiative 1033 is hard to find on your ballot? Do you need to check your registration status? Want to track your ballot? Need to review the voter's pamphlet? Where on earth is your nearest ballot drop box? All this and so much more! Who's excited?


While we're speaking of ballot boxes - keep in mind that with our new all-mail voting, ballot boxes are a hot place to be. On primary election day, the drop box at the Seattle Public Library Ballard Branch was completely full at 8:00 a.m., and MyBallard.com reports folks were walking away with their ballots in hand. Plan ahead; keep a stamp handy just in case!

If you're still not sure which candidate is right for you, and are having trouble really getting to know your candidates and initiatives, let us help you: join us (and Seattle Works!) tonight for Speed Candidiating and Seattle Trivia! A short blurb in Publicola's Morning Fizz lists our event with another election-related program happening this evening, both under the description "one for campaign junkies, one for the campaign-weary." While it isn't explicit which one is which, I like think we're a little of both: for the junkie, we offer one more chance to speak directly to candidates and representatives; for the weary, we offer wine, appetizers, and fun, mostly politics-free trivia (with prizes)!

Ballots are due November 3 - if you're anything like me, your ballot is laying open on your kitchen table, half filled out. Finish it! Mail it! If you need help, we'll see you tonight - and we'll bring you a cheat sheet.

Cheers,
Sara @ CityClub

CityClub's programs always include an audience question&answer period, and it's often the case that there are more audience questions than we have time to ask them. Our mayor debate was no exception. There were many questions about the tunnel, which was no surprise of course. Here's a sampling of some of the other questions that unfortunately didn't get asked during the program.

• Do you have any concrete ideas for increasing diversity and providing affordable housing in newly dense neighborhoods (Ballard, Green Lake, etc)?
• What is your view on the city's efforts to preserve industrial jobs by limiting office and retail development in SoDo/Interbay?
• What are your plans for improving the safety and community value of the North Aurora corridor?
• What would you do differently than Nickels regarding neighborhood planning? What roles should the neighborhoods play? Would we still have urban villages?
• Are you aware of the city's Race&Social Justice Initiative? If so, what do you see in the future for the program?
• What is your vision for the role of the Office of Civil Rights? Are you committed to maintaining the programs and efforts of this department and seeral departmental committees it has developed? (e.g. departmental "change" teams)
• What are the concerns of Nickelsville? How will you as mayor work to address those concerns?
• Given the shortfall of city revenues and the proposed budget cuts for The Seattle Public Library in 2010, how important is it to:
• • maintain hours at current levels
  • improve funding levels for collections which includes public computers
  • and, to restore the capital budget for building maintenance?
• To McGinn: Given your opposition to the waterfront tunnel, what does transportation look like here in 20 years? Specifically, what new/renovated/deleted infrastructure will/will not be in place?

And a few of my favorites, simple and to the point:

• BIKING IN SEATTLE ... WILL IT IMPROVE (All-caps as submitted by asker, no question mark included.)
• What would you do to improve the economy?

Many of these issues will also be addressed by candidates tonight at our City Council debate. Click here to sign up now!

Here's a handy list of press from last night's debate, if you didn't attend but would like to check out what happened:

• The Seattle Channel - Click here for a list of broadcast times. Online video available soon!
• Publicola - Liveblogging the CityClub Mayoral Debate
• The Seattle Times - Mayoral debate skips tunnel issue, envisions city after Nickels
• Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Mallahan, McGinn challenge caricatures; spar over viaduct
• News Talk 97.3 KIRO FM - Seattle Mayoral candidates debate (audio)

Don't forget another important race - Seattle City Council! CityClub's (FREE) debate will take place on Tuesday, October 13 at the Seattle Public Library. Click here to register!

As we're talking with youth and working with Puget Sound Off during the 2009 Community Matters Campaign, one thing we're hearing is that youth violence is a big issue for them.

In a recent blog post at Puget Sound Off, a young person expresses confusion that no one seems to be paying attention to the issue. "I hear how there are concerns but when a event is thrown for our Youth there is no one present to show their concern. Why is this?" This person was out marching for friends who have experienced violence, and was met with rows empty chairs. Read the whole blog here.

Stay tuned (and save the date!) for more information about an upcoming program CityClub is doing with The Seattle Channel on this topic: "Seattle Speaks: Youth Violence" coming on Tuesday, November 10.

As education is a focus of CMC this year, we also wanted to share another great video put together by youth technology interns at the YMCA of Greater Seattle.

In his announcement of the American Graduate Initiative on July 14, 2009, President Obama "set a goal for America: by 2020, this nation will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world…"

Calling it "the most significant down payment yet on reaching this goal in the next ten years", the Initiative is set to focus on community colleges, helping them get resources and better provide for students to enter the workforce prepared.

There are a lot of good people working on this issue. On Tuesday, September 29, we'll ask a few of them some questions:

• What does it take to produce a robust workforce and are we offering enough accessible and affordable opportunities for Washington State residents to obtain a postsecondary education, both out of high school but also later in life?
• Is it necessary to obtain a traditional four year degree in order to earn a family supporting wage?
• What career pathways exist in the health care industry, green sector or through labor apprenticeships?
• How are community colleges dealing with increased demand as unemployment continues to rise?
• Are any stimulus funds available to help people achieve their educational goals?

If you're interested in learning more about this issue before you attend our program (so you can develop your own questions to prepare for audience Q&A!) we've got a few links to share - poke around at your leisure!

The American Graduation Initiative - Remarks from President Obama and information about the initiative - "Stronger American Skills Through Community Colleges" - can be found on WhiteHouse.gov.

Building Pathways to Success for Low-Skill Adult Students: Lessons for Community College Policy and Practice from a Longitudinal Student Tracking Study - This research report builds the case for at least 1 year of post-secondary education and it may include wage gains as well.

Investing in the Forgotten Middle: A Tested Strategy to Grow America's Economy - The Workfore Alliance weighs in on the issue: "Middle-skill jobs, which require more than high-school, but less than a four-year degree, make up the largest part of America’s labor market."

This publication from the Lumina Foundation discusses changes in the way colleges and universities are approaching adult education.

Charting A Path: An Exploration of the Statewide Career Pathway Efforts in Arkansas, Kentucky, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin - a paper written by CityClub volunteer and event chair for this program, Rosanna Stephens.

What do you think? Can we reach President Obama's goal by 2020?

With our 2009 CMC theme in mind - education and economic opportunity - we're gearing up for next Tuesday's program, "Education Series: Getting Ahead - Education for Today's Job Market"  I know, I know - sounds like a perfect fit, right? That's because it is (if we do say so ourselves).

Our expert panelists represent organizations in our community that are deeply involved in work on these issues, and we wanted to tell you more about them! Here's a quick glance at their work, taken from their websites:


Health Work Force Institute
In response to the burgeoning heath care personnel crisis, the Washington State Hospital Association founded the Health Work Force Institute as a non-profit affiliate in 2004. Since then, the Institute has made great strides in building a more sustainable health work force for the state of Washington. The Institute has brokered partnerships that have resulted in an investment of more than $56 million for health care training, retention and recruitment efforts.

The Institute is chartered to look past economic, educational, and regulatory boundaries to develop, test, and launch the most promising catalysts to increase the supply of skilled health care workers.  HWFI's strategies focus on increasing capacity of the state's colleges and universities to train people, especially those from diverse backgrounds, to enter a health profession. Improving our health care system, increasing its diversity, and bolstering our economy - this is the work of the Health Work Force Institute.


Seattle Jobs Initiative
Lack of job skills, transportation, housing and childcare, and limited English proficiency can be  major hurdles to long-term job success.  Seattle Jobs Initiative approaches the problem from a big-picture point-of-view.  Through partnerships and innovative approaches, SJI eliminates these barriers by providing participants with the full range of services necessary to ensure their long-term financial stability.  By partnering with community-based organizations (CBOs), community colleges, and employers, SJI links Seattle’s low-income and low-skilled residents to jobs – jobs that pay living wages, offer room for advancement, and include necessary work supports such as health coverage, sick leave and paid vacation.  Our policy team complements our efforts on the ground by keeping abreast of the current labor market and supporting legislative changes that improve access to training and services for low-income residents.  Seattle Jobs Initiative’s comprehensive approach creates real opportunities for Seattle residents to support themselves and their families.


Bill&Melinda Gates Foundation
As part of their United States Program, Bill&Melinda Gates Foundation puts a focus on education: "We work to make sure high school students graduate ready for success and prepared to earn post-secondary degrees. We fund college and graduate school scholarships. We support high-quality early learning programs in Washington state." The foundation breaks down focus - high school, post-secondary education, scholarships, and early learning - and goes into more detail about their work in those areas on separate webpages. Click here to find your way to each.


Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges
Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges has the following vision: "Build strong communities, individuals and families, and achieve greater global competitiveness and prosperity for the state and its economy by raising the knowledge and skills of the state’s residents."

Higher education is vital to society and individuals. Economic prosperity, the livelihood of families and individuals, and the strength of communities are just a few tangible results. People who attend colleges and universities live healthier lives, and give back to society locally and globally. For these reasons, the state must find ways to create more higher education opportunities for all residents across the state.

Their website details principles and 10 year goals - click here to learn more.