You are invited! The 2018 Equity & Social Justice Speaker Series invites you to a Lunch & Learn Tuesday, Aug. 28, noon to 1 p.m. in room 123 of the Chinook Building. This session features The Anti-Defamation League, with a presentation by Hillary Bernstein and Miri Cypers (Director), and is brought to you by KC Equity Fund and KCIT ESJ: Learning, Advocating, Cultivating.  

Shared from King County Superior Court and Downtown Seattle Association King County Superior Court has several treatment programs. One of the programs is Family Treatment Court. The Downtown Seattle Association recently voted a 2016 Family Treatment Court graduate Scott Siemers the DSA Clean Street Ambassador of 2018! Enjoy!  The judge asked for a picture of Scott Siemers. Not for legal reasons, but to celebrate his graduation from the treatment program that successfully reunited Siemers with his three-year-old daughter and fiance. It was a good day, and Siemers ended it by getting married. Siemers has… Read More

Archives will be participating in the Boogie up the Block Urban Arts Festival, coordinated by our neighbors at Washington Hall. The walls of the Archives and Records Center will once again provide a surface for the Graffiti Mural Competition. Images from last year’s event can be seen on Bytes and Boxes. Archives will also have a table at the Street Arts Festival, featuring their new “photo booth” that allows people to become part of King County history today!

King County is helping to break down barriers to well-paid jobs and career success for young people through an innovative internship and mentorship program that intentionally prioritizes young people with the greatest needs. The Lift Every Youth Employment & Mentorship Program aims to help youth and young adults who are disproportionately affected by discrimination, bias and oppression. These conditions lead greater barriers to meaningful employment, post-secondary education opportunities, and impact overall health and life outcomes. “One of the meta-goals is to ensure the county is playing its role as an employer to… Read More

Earlier this year the King County ESJ Literary Project invited employees of color to share stories of times they were affected by racism. The project reflects King County’s commitment to addressing the historical and persistent inequities in our communities that result from race. Such inequities are experienced by the county’s own employees, both on and off the job. The project received more than two dozen stories, which are available now to read at http://untoldstoryproject.blog. Sign up to attend one of the performances in which local poets and performance artists will read aloud… Read More

King County Community Court seeks to go beyond punitive actions to identify and address the underlying challenges of court participants that may contribute to further criminal activity. The hearings are held at Redmond Library instead of a traditional courtroom. This setting is less intimidating and allows the judge to be seated at eye-level with those being spoken with. The court addresses things like theft, shoplifting, trespassing, and other low-level offenses. Traditionally punitive action is taken against crimes like these, which don’t address why the crime is happening. In this courtroom members have… Read More

Crossposted from Zero Youth Detention “Our job is to listen.” That is how Upower coaches describe their role in offering fitness classes at the King County Juvenile Detention Center. Upower offers trauma-informed fitness and wellness classes at no cost to underserved teens in King County. Their classes are fun, safe and open to all fitness levels. Upower’s sensitive approach to trauma-informed fitness means that they advocate for physical fitness and social-emotional well-being for every teen served. Upower coaches get teens moving through activities such as cardiovascular conditioning, strength training, flexibility and fun fitness games. Equally… Read More