US – The Untold Story Project invites stories from employees of color
As someone who identifies as a person of color, what is your untold or unheard story? This is the question US—The Untold Story Project asks King County employees of color.
US-The Untold Story Project is part of the ESJ Literary Project sponsored by the Solid Waste and Wastewater Treatment divisions. The purpose of US is to provide an opportunity for King County employees of color to share their experiences of racism in a space dedicated to their voices. In a system in which they may have felt marginalized as other, employees of color can shift the traditional narrative to center their story.
To participate, employees of color can submit their story of 750 words or fewer at bit.ly/UntoldStoryProject. Stories are due by Friday, May 25, 2018.
The project has three components: Optional story development workshops, story submittal and presentation on website, and live performance of selected stories.
Optional story development workshops
Before submitting their stories, employees can attend a workshop led by a local writer. To help guide employees in identifying a story that can be told in 750 words or fewer, the workshop leader will cover the following:
- Discovering the story
- How to identify the key element in your story
- Scene vs. exposition
- How to edit your own story
Employees can sign up for the workshops, held from noon to 1 p.m., at the links below.
- March 29, King Street Center, with poet and performer Daemond Arrindell
- April 17, King County Elections, with journalist Florangela Davila
- May 1, Chinook Building, with poet and essayist Jourdan Imani Keith
Workshop leaders Daemond Arrindell, Florangela Davila, and Jourdan Imani Keith are accomplished local artists who are also dedicated to social justice and elevating voices that might otherwise go unheard.
A few participants at each workshop will be randomly selected for the opportunity to submit a draft of their story to the workshop leader for additional general feedback. Drafts must be submitted to the workshop leader within a week following the workshop. The artist will provide written comments within two weeks of receiving the draft.
Story submissions
Stories are due Friday, May 25 to the Untold Stories website. Stories will be shared online with King County employees. If preferred, stories can be published anonymously.
Employees who prefer not to write their story, may request to tell their story in a taped interview with a project team member. The interview will be transcribed and edited down to a 750-word story. A limited number of interview opportunities are available. For more information, contact Julia Yen.
Performances
In the fall, performance artists will present some of the stories. Following each performance, a facilitator will guide the audience in a discussion on how we respond to racism and how we listen to stories by those affected by racism.
Members of the King County ESJ Literary Project are John Conway, Ericka Cox, Kimberly Diaz, Kirsten Garcia, Donna Miscolta, De’Sean Quinn, Debra Ross, and Julia Yen.
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Social Media Spotlight: King County Road Services Division Facebook
King County Road Services (Roads) maintains 1,500 miles of road and 181 bridges in unincorporated King County. Our Facebook page is monitored during business hours. 24/7 Roads Helpline: 206-477-8100 or 1-800-527-6237 (1-800-KC-ROADS)
Follow the King County Roads on Facebook today.
Click here to view all King County social media pages.
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Featured Job: Senior Oracle EBS Trainer
Closing Date/Time: 02/15/18 11:59 PM (GMT -8:00)
Salary: $81,076.94 – $102,769.89 Annually
Location: Chinook Building, 401 5th Avenue, Seattle
Job Type: Special Duty Assignment or Term Limited Temp (TLT)
Department: Department of Executive Services – Business Resource Center
Description: The BRC is seeking a one-year special duty or TLT position that will focus on training for the Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) financial system to support existing training curriculum and to plan, develop and deliver training to prepare county users for the EBS 12.2.7 upgrade project to be implemented in 2018.
The ideal candidate selected will work collaboratively to deliver quality training solutions to county EBS users. Additionally the successful candidate will have working knowledge of financial business processes, the Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) financial and procurement system and training best practices.
Contact: For more information contact Sharon Gadzik at 206-263-8694 or Sharon.Gadzik@kingcounty.gov.
Learn more about this position, or view all available jobs.
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Kudos! Metro receive rave from Seattle Times readers
This piece was featured at the top of the Seattle Times’ Rant and Raves list for January 25, 2018. Kudos to our Metro operators and employees!
“RAVE To King County Metro Transit for providing buses to transport those of us in the Womxn’s March from Seattle Center back to the downtown area. Lots of buses were ready and waiting for us as we finished the march — and, to top it all off, the ride was FREE!”
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Council approves creation of Immigrant and Refugee Commission
In 2016, the Metropolitan King County Council accepted the recommendations of King County’s Immigrant and Refugee Task Force that evaluated the challenges facing King County’s growing immigrant and refugee community. Monday the Council voted toward acting on those recommendations with its unanimous approval to establish a King County Immigrant and Refugee Commission.
“The new residents of King County are working hard to become part of the greater community and this commission will be their voice,” said Councilmember Larry Gossett, the prime sponsor of the ordinance. “For people newly arrived not only in the county, but possibly in the country, there are numerous challenges. The commission provides them a ‘seat at the table’ which can be invaluable in being comfortable in their new homes.”
Read more in the official press release.
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Nominate a Peer for a 2018 STAR Award!
Crossposted from KC Employee Giving
It’s that time of the year to recognize a colleague who went far and beyond the call of duty to make a difference in the community!
With the Employee Giving Program’s Annual Celebration just around the corner — Thursday, February 15, 2018 (details below) — which celebrates outstanding effort and contributions made by departments and individuals, we want to remind you to nominate your STAR peers!
Read more at KC Employee Giving
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Count Us In volunteers hit the streets for annual homeless count
King County Executive Dow Constantine joined close to 1,000 volunteers in the early hours of Friday, Jan. 26, for the 2018 Count Us In to better understand how many people in our community are experiencing homelessness and how we can better serve their needs.
Watch him speak about the importance of the 2018 Count Us In event and how we can combat homelessness within King County in the video below.
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King County Information Technology pilots volunteer program
Crossposted from KC Employee Giving
In 2018, the King County Employee Giving Program (KCEGP) is launching its new volunteer program. In partnership, King County Information Technology (KCIT), a department of King County government, and KCEGP are initiating a pilot engagement to accomplish three objectives:
- Understand technology needs of Nonprofits
- Align volunteer services
- Establish an ongoing program
KCIT has more than 400 IT professionals serving King County in the areas of Infrastructure, Network Operation and Business Solution delivery services. These services are delivered by professionals working in different disciplines including Engineering, Application Development, Network Architecture, Project Management, Business Analysis and End User Training.
Read more at KC Employee Giving
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LinkUp: Supporting reuse and recycling markets
Caption: Left to right: Daniel Harding of Salvation Army, Kris Beatty of King County and Liz Fikejs of Seattle Public Utilities
Whether you wait until spring to get your spring cleaning done or chip away at it throughout the year, be mindful of items that have a second or third life before labeling them as waste.
The Solid Waste Division (SWD) LinkUp program works to expand markets for selected recyclable and reusable materials. Through this program, collaboration with businesses, public agencies and non-profits is helping extend the life of the King County landfill.
“Our projects are designed to reduce barriers preventing materials being reused or retained in the economy as a resource through recycling,” said Program Manager Kris Beatty, who oversees multiple LinkUp project partnerships. “The current materials identified as priorities for King County are asphalt shingles, mattresses and textiles, but we’ll soon be adding projects to address wood from construction projects and plastics.”
One recent LinkUp project has focused on textiles. Annually, about 40,000 tons of used textiles generated in Seattle and King County end up in landfills, but it’s estimated that 95% of that could have been reused or recycled.
In 2013, LinkUp set about researching used textiles markets to look for opportunities to reduce waste of that material. “In that process, several of the larger textile collectors, such as Goodwill and Salvation Army, reported accepting textiles that are damaged, such has having holes, stains and broken zippers,” Kris said. “Consumer research showed that residents were unaware of that fact.”
As a result, LinkUp worked with Seattle Public Utilities to develop Threadcycle – a public education campaign that encourages residents to donate all their used clothes, shoes and linens to participating organizations for reuse or recycling. Here is a full list of acceptable items.
In 2016, 922,000 tons of solid waste was disposed at King County’s Cedar Hills Regional Landfill, and an estimated 70% of those materials could have been recycled.
“Landfill space is valuable,” Kris said. “Extending the life of our landfill is a top priority for us, and a value to King County residents and businesses.”
LinkUp is one of the Solid Waste Division’s complementary programs that are finding ways to increase reuse and recycling and reduce waste.
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Tech Tip: Scammers impersonate the Social Security Administration
Ralph Johnson, Chief Information Security and Privacy Officer
By Ralph Johnson, Chief Information Security and Privacy Officer
Your Social Security number is an important key for an identity thief. Scammers want it, and they think of all sorts of ways to trick you into giving it away.
The Federal Trade Commission receives reports about calls from scammers claiming to be from the Social Security Administration. They say there’s been a computer problem, and they need to confirm your Social Security number. Other people have told the FTC that they have come across spoof websites that look like the place where you would apply for a new Social Security card – but these websites are actually a setup to steal your personal information.
If you get a phone call or are directed to a website other than ssa.gov that is claiming to be associated with the Social Security Administration, don’t respond. It’s most likely a scam.
Here’s some tips to deal with these government imposters.
- Don’t give the caller your information. Never give out or confirm sensitive information – like your bank account, credit card, or Social Security number – unless you know who you’re dealing with. If someone has contacted you, you can’t be sure who they are.
- Don’t trust a name or number. Con artists use official-sounding names to make you trust them. To make their call seem legitimate, scammers use internet technology to spoof their area code – so although it may seem they are calling from Washington, DC, they could be calling from anywhere in the world.
- Check with the Social Security Administration. The SSA provides additional information about these scams here and suggests you contact them directly at 1-800-772-121 to verify the reason for the contact and the person’s identity prior to providing any information to the caller.
If you come across one of these scams, please report it to the Social Security Administration’s Fraud Hotline at 1-800-269-0271/1-866-501-2101(TTY) and then report it to the FTC at www.ftc.gov/complaint.
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