PRIDE is coming June 25
“Whether you arrived here last week or whether you’ve lived here for five generations, you belong here” – King County Executive Dow Constantine
Please join King County Executive Dow Constantine and other colleagues, friends and family as we walk in the Pride Parade on Sunday, June 25.
Bring yourself, your family, your friends and enjoy the parade together!
As always, there will be fabulous t-shirts available for order soon for about $10 with our theme for this year: We ALL Belong Here.
Want to be up on all of the Pride information? Send an email to Leah Holland at leah.holland@kingcounty.gov with “Pride Info” in the subject line. Leah will send out updates including the t-shirt order form (in about a week), location and time to meet (one week before Pride), and other things to those who contact her as information becomes available!
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EMAP Accreditation awarded to King County OEM
King County Office of Emergency (OEM) has earned full accreditation by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) – a validation of the capabilities of our disaster preparedness and response systems. Accreditation from this internationally recognized program represents a significant achievement and compliance with sixty-four industry-recognized standards. The rigorous EMAP process required a year-long internal self-assessment of OEM’s organizational programs, plans, and procedures, capped by an on-site peer-review by a team of EMAP assessors drawn from programs across the U.S.
“For the past five years, OEM has completed a top to bottom assessment and realignment of our region-wide mission, values, goals, and objectives,” stated OEM Director Walt Hubbard, pictured with Executive Constantine. “EMAP is the capstone of this effort and represents a validation of our entire emergency management community.”
“I applaud King County’s leadership and your dedication to the safety and security of our residents,” stated Seattle Office of Emergency Management Director and EMAP Commissioner Barb Graff. “Congratulations on achieving EMAP accreditation and earning a perfect score.”
Accreditation is valid for five years. To earn reaccredited status, the program must maintain compliance with the Emergency Management Standard and be reassessed.
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Doubling down on equity and social justice
Crossposted from Inside Transportation
King County’s ambitious program to extend fairness and opportunity to all is rolling out to departments and agencies.
First came the six-year strategic plan, adopted last year as a blueprint for putting equity and social justice (ESJ) at the heart of every county activity. Now each department is creating its own specific plan for meeting the goals the county has set. These fall into six areas (see box at left).
This far-reaching program aims to transform the way we do business—both internally (hiring, promotions, training) and externally (customer service, service planning, public outreach).
In late March, 80 Transportation staffers gathered in Rainier Valley for an all-day workshop to kick off the department’s part of that work.
A powerful morning session on racial justice, presented by Metro’s diversity and inclusion manager, Anita Whitfield, featured personal stories from two department leaders.
Read more at Inside Transportation
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Mother’s Day special offer – LUZIA by Cirque du Soleil
In celebration of Mother’s Day, King County Employees can take advantage of a special offer to see LUZIA by Cirque du Soleil at Marymoor Park before it ends on May 21. Click on this link to receive 20% off select show dates on price levels 1-2-3.
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Remember Mother Earth when celebrating your mother
Crossposted from Go, Green Team!
May 14 is Mother’s Day! Celebrate your mother and Mother Earth.
Mother Earth has a place in many different cultures. The Greek version is Gaia from whom all live sprang and who personifies the interconnected ecosystems of Earth. The Earth on Turtle’s Back is a story from Native American tradition about a world of all water in which animals bring soil up from its depths that grew to become the Earth.
Mothers, cultural histories, and healthy ecosystems, are all cause to celebrate. What better way than with green gift-giving ideas that also honor Mother Earth?
Read more at Go, Green Team!
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Nurses Week focus on good health for nurses, promotes resilience
Crossposted from Public Health Insider
Anneleen Severynen builds resilience spending time with her chickens.
Burnout is a problem in many professions – and particularly in nursing. For National Nurses Week this year, the focus is on promoting good health for nurses themselves. Within Public Health – Seattle & King County, this fits squarely with many efforts to help people overcome the impacts of burnout and “secondary trauma” (which comes with providing intensive, compassionate care to vulnerable populations).
At the core of this work is resilience – the capacity to recover from adversity.
Anneleen Severynen, a Public Health Nurse with Health Care for the Homeless Network, is one of the department’s champions for understanding the impacts of trauma and building resilience. Severynen has been with PHSKC for five years, and she has a 25-year career with a number of public health agencies, with a special focus working with homeless populations.
We asked her to explain how working with traumatized clients impacts nurses.
Read more at Public Health Insider
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National Correctional Officers and Employees Week
This week, May 7 – 13, is “National Correctional Officers and Employees Week.” To honor their service, today the DAJD Food Services Section will be providing King County Correctional Facility staff a specially prepared meal.
In 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation creating “National Correctional Officers’ Week” to honor the work of corrections officers and correctional personnel nationwide. In 1996, Congress officially modified it to be more inclusive, to “National Correctional Officers and Employees Week.”
President Reagan said, “Historically, correctional officers have been viewed as ‘guards,’ occupying isolated and misunderstood positions in prisons and jails. In recent years, the duties of these officers have become increasingly complex and demanding…The professionalism, dedication and courage exhibited by these officers throughout the performance of these demanding and often conflicting roles deserve our utmost respect. The important work of correctional officers often does not receive the recognition from the public it deserves. It is appropriate that we honor the many contributions and accomplishments of these men and women who are a vital component of the field of corrections.”
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Tech Tip: Multimedia version: The Rule of Thirds
Most of the time, you can instantly get a sense of whether or not a given photo was taken by an amateur or someone with a lot of photographic experience. This is because amateurs don’t have a feel for composition, and good composition is the soul of a great photograph.
Composition is the placement of every element in a photograph. It describes how a photo is “composed,” which implies intentionality. Someone who pays no mind to composition can only take good shots by coincidence. On the other hand, once you truly have a grasp of composition, you’ll be able to create great shots out of every subject, location, and circumstance.
Of the many theories on how to compose a shot, the easiest and most effective is the rule of thirds: mentally divide the image into thirds using two vertical lines and two horizontal lines, then place elements of high visual interest at any of the four intersections.
This Tech Tip is courtesy of www.makeuseof.com.
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Exciting opportunity for motivated employees to take their career to the next level
Pictured: 2016 Bridge Fellowship graduates
The Bridge Fellowship Program, or Bridge, is a multi-week program where participants are challenged by not only classroom learning, group projects and presentations, but also participate in interviews and site visits to explore King County agencies and their priorities.
By stretching themselves to grow up and out, participants gain the skills needed to see the bigger picture. Bridge teaches employees who are considered “emerging leaders” to tackle issues head on and create future successes from current challenges. It’s a lesson past participants have taken to heart.
Linda Morales, currently a RideShare Coordinator in the Department of Transportation, is a 2016 Bridge graduate. She explains how the experience helped her transition into this new role.
“I re-discovered who I have always been, a people leader with a passion for helping others reach their full potential,” she said. “I know and understand King County as a whole. I see the big picture.”
“I am able to connect the dots for many process improvements and use phrases like ‘tell me more’ to help in the art of working together across departments,” she added.
Building on these skills to expand their career is one positive outcome for Bridge graduates. It’s part of an intense program schedule that keeps participants on their toes. Divided into separate groups, each one is tasked with a question to answer, and must develop insightful, creative solutions to the problem. After several months, these group projects culminate in a formal presentation.
In the 2016 Bridge program, participants were asked to answer the question “How might we improve the opportunities for professional growth and development for employees in King County?” From mobile trainings to online profiles to a community of learners, the groups outlined various methods to engage employees and management in identifying opportunities for professional growth.
Presenters utilized PowerPoint, skits, visual display boards and audience participation to interact with the 30 plus members of the Human Resources Division who attended the formal presentation. This helped to reinforce the importance of employee development, and the passion with which Bridge participants have in sharing their experience with others.
Another excellent benefit of the Bridge program is the potential impact it can have on personal lives. Sean Douglas, a Technical Supervisor with the KCIT Puget Sound Emergency Radio Network, is also a 2016 Bridge graduate. He shares how Bridge changed his life at work, but also at home, allowing him to connect more deeply with his loved ones.
“I was able to look deep inside myself, find who I was, who I wasn’t and who I needed to be to succeed in a career at King County while delivering top notch services to the community we serve,” he said.
“And on a personal level, I believe it has also helped in building stronger relationships with family and friends. They noticed a difference in me.”
Relying on strong instructors and facilitators to bring participants together in learning several different topics and themes, the program uses classroom, online and project-based learning, as well as peer coaching and development planning, to focus on the following areas: strengthening communication skills, learning to leading from where you are, exploring the art of public speaking, crafting a professional development plan, expanding individual growth and potential, understanding King County and its operations, and exploring the County’s approach to Continuous Improvement.
Bridge participants are encouraged to focus on specific issues, and dive deep into the meaning and purpose of each activity, often prompting surprising discussions.
The Bridge Fellowship Program will be taking place again this year. Application information is currently available at www.kingcounty.gov/Bridge. Read on to hear more from these Bridge graduates.
Sean Douglas, Puget Sound Emergency Radio Network Technical Supervisor, KCIT
I started at the King County Radio Shop 22 years ago and I have worked my way up through various positions to my current role. I have enjoyed the many opportunities that working for King County has provided for me. The Bridge Fellowship Program was offering the challenge that I was missing in my day-to-day work though so I knew I had to apply. It was just what I needed to jumpstart my career and take it to the next level.
I was able to look deep inside myself, find who I was, who I wasn’t and who I needed to be to succeed in a career at King County while delivering top notch services to the community we serve.
If you’re interested in gaining professional development skills, in the words of Nike, “Just Do It.” There are so many opportunities to serve at King County, but I didn’t know how to gain the skills and knowledge needed for those positions. The Bridge Fellowship was the answer to many of the questions I had.
In the future I plan to leverage my Bridge experience to expand my knowledge and learning, and use that to grow my career here at King County.
Linda Morales, RideShare Coordinator, Department of Transportation
I came to King County first through the Department of Community and Human Services in 2005 then moved to King County Public Health before starting in my current role. I have enjoyed participating in opportunities for growth and development in my ten years with the County. I was looking for a new challenge and a way to sharpen my current leadership skills and add some new ones when I applied to Bridge. I did not know that it would be one of the most exciting leadership programs I have experienced. I definitely was out of my comfort zone, went into the groan zone and sometimes entered the panic zone. I was challenged by others and myself.
You have to truly believe in making the impossible possible, and be persistent and have the willingness to go beyond where others will stop!
I look forward to continuing my journey of making King County the best-run government and am very grateful to King County for all the opportunities it has given me.
I will work hard to give back to the County and utilize the many skills I have acquired through the Bridge Fellowship.
The King County Bridge Fellowship Program is a professional development program that engages, challenges, inspires and cultivates diverse and individual contributors through leadership development. For more information about the program, and how to apply, visit www.kingcounty.gov/Bridge.
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9 Ounces – A social justice play that carries weight
This article is featured courtesy of Donna Miscolta, Project/Program Manager, King County Solid Waste Division
Luna, Alice, and Saraphina are friends. They live in the same building. They’re of different generations – Luna is a kid, Alice an adult, and Saraphina a 90-year-old widow. But these three black females are bound together by something burdensome – a fear of not being safe in the world.
They’re fictional characters in a one-woman play by local writer, performer, and educator Anastacia Tolbert. In 9 Ounces, the characters come alive, expressing in realistic actions and speech, their joy, hope, anger, and the everyday tenacity required for them to “keep it moving.”
In her review of the play, which Tolbert has performed at various venues in Seattle, writer and activist Natasha Marin describes the opening:
We see a black woman with short hair and an oversized white dress shirt and jeans trying not to smoke a cigarette. She paces and stops in front of the audience before removing her shirt to slap her own ass, check her teeth, and admire the muscle tone of her arms. The audience is her mirror and what we are seeing is a black woman appreciating, or trying to appreciate herself. This is already kinda radical. Fer real.
King County employees have the opportunity to see 9 Ounces as part of the ESJ Literary Project. The performance is being paired with a workshop titled “Privilege, Point of View, Perception, and Poetry” that will explore the social justice issues in the play.
Using the play 9 Ounces as a foundation, we will discuss privilege, point of view, and perception as it relates to social justice issues (racism, classism, sexism). We will examine societal perceptions of Luna, Saraphina and Alice and engage in meaningful and challenging small group and large group discussions. We will actively use our creativity as a conduit for social justice poetry and wrap up with tangible ways to be better allies and change makers.
The play will be performed at the Wing Luke Museum’s Tateuchi Theater on June 22 at 2 pm. The running length is approximately an hour and 45 minutes with a brief Q and A to follow. Attendees of the performance will sign up for the follow-up workshop on either June 26, 1:30 to 3:00 in the King Street Center 8th floor conference room or June 27, 10:30 to noon in the Chinook Building in room 121.
The performance and workshop are part of the Reflecting on Race and Racism series begun last year as part of the ESJ Opportunity Fund. The series is now funded by the Solid Waste and Wastewater Treatment divisions. The first event of 2017 occurred on March 21 and featured a panel of five literary artists who shared their poetry. Hate crimes, implicit bias, and cultural stereotypes were among the issues that arose from these works and formed the basis for a discussion facilitated by Caprice Hollins, co-author of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. About a hundred King County employees attended the event. Here are a few of the numerous comments received:
I hadn’t considered the emotional toll creating art to clarify, address and combat racism would have on artists of color. I felt disappointed in myself for not recognizing that earlier. How did I miss this very important piece of the puzzle?
The candid conversation was the most influential and thought-provoking.
This fed my soul. I think that working for the government can easily become dehumanizing with the bureaucracy and politics, so having a space which allowed for emotions and creativity completely refreshed me. This is the kind of stuff that matters to me, and it’s the kind of stuff I think we should be discussing more and more. I loved this!
King County employees can sign up for the 9 Ounces performance on the King County Employees Trainings page. Once you register for the performance, you will receive instructions for signing up for the workshop.
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