Archives will be participating in the Boogie up the Block Urban Arts Festival, coordinated by our neighbors at Washington Hall.

Participants in the Boogie up the Block 2017 Graffiti Mural Competition.

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 help disrupt the school to prison pipeline,” said Arun Sambataro, the Equity Strategies Manager for the Office of Equity and Social Justice in King County. “We specifically partner with organizations that serve youth who are exposed to higher vulnerabilities that range from being out of school, evictions and homelessness, and intergenerational poverty, to domestic violence and juvenile probation and detention.”

Sambataro explained that through paid internships and mentorship to the County can engage young people in public service while helping them see employment as more than a paycheck: as a learning, supportive, and welcoming experience where they can explore a wide range of careers.

“It important they learn about their strengths, their potential, and their capacity to be leaders,” said Sambataro.

The program, which began in 2017, was developed by the very groups that engage in the program, ensuring that groups most affected by the inequities helped design approaches that work for them. Even some of the youth who participated in the first year were involved in focus groups that helped design and enhance the program.

For applicants to be eligible they must be at least 14 years old and participate in one of the following programs: The King County Superior Court’s Education and Employment Training Program, community partner Choose 180, King County YouthSource, King County’s Zero Youth Detention Peacemaking Circle Pilot, or be a returning participant from the year prior.

Applying is the first step for anyone that wants to be involved in the program. King County goes through a competitive application, interview and hiring process facilitated by case managers and King County employee mentors. Once selected for the program by the employee mentors, the interns engage with a team of three mentors, one primary and two supportive, in a field of work that they are interested in pursuing. These mentors help them identify short- and long-term career goals as well as strategies to achieve their goals, which include completing a specific internship project with the employee mentors.

“We intentionally recruit mentors who actively engage in racial equity work and have some fundamental competencies to be able to prepare these young people to navigate our workplaces and institution effectively. From there, mentors go through 12-15 hours of additional skill-building and preparation,” said Sambataro. “The mentorship is the most heavily weighted part of this experience. The trust and relationship that is built between the interns and their mentors is likely stronger than most lessons learned from doing a project.”

The interns also attend job readiness training, complete King County’s Restorative Justice Conflict Mediation Training and Certification for Youth, and attend King County Equity and Social Justice trainings as part of the program.

Lift Every Youth is also changing the way that internships are perceived at King County and other similar institutions.

“When I mention the word “intern”, our organization, our codes, and people have a very consistent stereotype of what that means – and to reframe these stereotypes was at times challenging,” said Sambataro. “Our usual internship opportunities are designed to work really well for white, college-educated, well-connected and well-to-do students, and less well for our youth and young people of color, regardless of education and income. But actually anyone can be an intern and should have the opportunity to be exposed to what an internship offers.”

Sambataro says that she is looking to expand the program next year to allow for 15 interns. Agencies are expected to build in the internship funds within their existing budgets to take part in the program.

“I do this program because I really love connecting with the mentors and the youth,” said Sambataro. “It is one of the highlights of my experience. This is something that is really obvious – it’s directly impacting our communities with the greatest needs, where we are wanting to prioritize our investments, time, and resources to see better, more equitable outcomes.”

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 the untold stories of racism. Each performance will be different, with the stories divided up among the three dates. Employees are encouraged to sign up for the performance that best fits their work location and schedule.

Performances are directed by writer, actor, and storyteller Jekeva Phillips.  Each performance will include a discussion with the audience about the stories and the issues they raise. Natasha Marin, poet, conceptual artist, and community-builder, will facilitate the discussions.

Performance dates and locations

September 20, 2018, 1:30-3:30 pm

Alvine Room, Elections Office

Renton

October 9, 2018, 1:30-3:30 pm

8^th Floor Conference Room

King Street Center, Seattle

November 13, 2018, 2-4 pm

Tateuchi Story Theatre

Wing Luke Museum

719 S. King Street, Seattle

Read the opening paragraph of a few of the stories below. The links will take you to the full stories.

I grew up in Southeast Alaska, in an environment of land loss, racism, and poverty. But at the same time, our community is very proud and continues to fight for justice, self-determination, and tribal sovereignty.  I am Pamela Stearns. My traditional name is Kajaastee.

From Alaska Indigenous Resurgence by Pamela Stearns

I was a child farmworker. My family immigrated to this country. My parents came first and I came at the age of two or three. There were nine of us in the family and we all had to help out picking fruit. We harvested apples, strawberries and blueberries, and cut asparagus.

From Child Farmworker by Jose Reyna

I was working for a hospital in Enumclaw, one of the only people of color there. The other person of color worked in the kitchen. I worked in the ER and registration. I had this one doctor who wouldn’t talk to me. When she needed my help, she would go and ask another person to come and ask me to help her. She would never address me directly.

From Cultured by Shai Malone

I am a Mexican immigrant. I’ve lived in Washington State for almost thirty years. I have been working with King County for 24 out of those 30 years. I feel very fortunate that I have come across amazing people who have provided me with many opportunities, but I have also experienced racism as a person of color, as an immigrant. Maybe in subtle ways, maybe not as aggressive as others have faced. But it’s still there. Often.

From Speak vs. Talk: The Vocabulary You Use Defines You by Penny Lara

Growing up in Memphis during the era of the King assassination meant being socialized to the ins and outs of white domination, without having to learn a single word of it. As a girl, I heard from my grandmother, who grew up in the Mississippi Delta, the importance of certain customs of the South, and that to be Black and ignore these customs was to invite danger to yourself and your front door.

From White Domination VS. White Supremacy: Why Precision in Language is Key to Dismantling Racism by Cecelia Hayes

The ESJ Literary Project is a joint effort of the Solid Waste and Wastewater divisions.