City of Seattle: Ending Youth Homelessness

Homeless Youth Employment Services

PRO Youth Employment – The New Working Zone

Employment services are essential for homeless youth who have to support themselves and maintain stable housing.

The Working Zone provides employment training services to homeless young people by offering paid internships. It is part of PRO Youth, a partnership of the City of Seattle and seven local social service agencies operating throughout King County.

Each year, more than 100 homeless youth between the ages of 15 and 22 enroll at the Working Zone job sites. At these sites, youth gain employment skills including professional behavior, work ethics, job search and retention, writing, and customer service.

This Working Zone homeless youth employment program, started in 1994, is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development McKinney Act, and by City of Seattle General Funds. In 2011, approximately $96,895 in local funding leveraged an additional $315,270 in federal funds for the Working Zone.

Funded Agencies and Programs

Catholic Community Services University District Youth Center, serving the University District and North Seattle
YMCA, serving southeast Seattle
YouthCare Orion Center, serving downtown Seattle and Capitol Hill

FULL ARTICLE

Mental-health advocate is also a symbol of recovery

For most of her life, Keris Myrick has struggled with mental illness. Now board president of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, she’s pushing for better access to care.

For much of her life, Keris Myrick has tried to silence the voices that filled her head with suicidal thoughts and repeatedly sent her to a psychiatric hospital.

But now, Myrick, 51, who has schizo-affective disorder, is embracing one voice that has grown loud and clear — her own. And as she becomes a symbol of recovery and strength in the face of mental illness, others are listening to what she has to say.

FULL STORY

Teens for Peace: Nonviolence is Not Silence

Reposted: from Centraldistrictnews.com
Special Thanks to Tom Fucoloro

When: Monday, July 30, 2012 06:00 PM – 08:00 PM
Where: Garfield Community Center
What: The Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation youth are holding an event at Garfield Community Center July 30 to discuss the causes and solutions to violence. All (not just teens) are welcome.

WWFOR’s Peace Activist Trainees present variety show exploring causes of violence and how to make Seattle safer on Monday July 30, 6-8 pm at Garfield Community Center (2323 E. Cherry St)

What are the causes of violence?
What can we do to make Seattle safe?
How can nonviolent strategies be effective?

Explore these questions and more with the Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation (WWFOR) Peace Activist Trainees. There will be a variety show addressing these questions, followed by discussion. Hear guest speakers, including an IRAQ VETERAN from Iraq Veterans Against the War, and personal stories of violence from people in the Seattle area. Hear poetry and musical performance from the Seattle youth. Artwork will be displayed, and some refreshments will be served. Participate in discussion about these topics in a peaceful and welcome environment.

Suggested $5 Donation. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Visit http://www.wwfor.org for more information, or e-mail wwfor@wwfor.org

Stopping The Violence: “The Interrupters”

“The Interrupters” (download this important PDF click here)

Directed by Steve James. Produced by Alex Kotlowitz and Steve James.

Every City Needs Its Heroes.

An epic tale of courage and hope, The Interrupters is a new film from Chicago-based director/producer Steve James (Oscar-nominated for Hoop Dreams) and award-winning author-turned-producer Alex Kotlowitz (There Are No Children Here), whose original article inspired the film.

Filmed out of Chicago’s Kartemquin Films, The Interrupters follows a year in the life of the city as it grapples with the plague of urban violence. At the heart of the story are Ameena Matthews, Cobe Williams and Eddie Bocanegra, each of whom has credibility on the street because of their own personal histories.

With gumption, wisdom and wit, they work to protect their Chicago communities from the violence they themselves once employed. These “Violence Interrupters” (their job title) — work for CeaseFire, a local organization whose guiding principle is that the spread of violence mimics the spread of infectious diseases, and so respond with similar treatment: go after the most infected, and stop the infection at its source.

See it this summer and fall: http://www.theinterrupters.com
To order The Interrupters on DVD or Blu-ray go to http://kartemquin.com/store

Directed and Photographed by Steve James
Produced by Alex Kotlowitz and Steve James

RUN. HIDE. FIGHT. Surviving an Active Shooter Event

After last week’s shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., the city of Houston has released a how-to video on surviving a shooter event.
The video was created with funds from the Homeland Security Department.

“I can’t imagine the horror and grief. If it is at all possible for any good to come out of it, perhaps it can be letting people know the options to consider if it happens again,” said Mayor Annise Parker in a statement.

Entitled “Run, Hide, Fight,” the video depicts a fictional shooting incident at an office building.

“It may feel like just another day at the office, but occasionally life feels more like an action movie than reality,” says a narrator.

FULL STORY

Concerns of crime, lack of support for neighborhood homeless – Part One

(photo credit:Stephen Miller)

Seattle Action Network wish to thank Mr.Stephen Miller, editor of the Capitol Hill Times for his article Concerns of crime, lack of support for neighborhood homeless – Part One on Seattle Action Network.

Please citizens do not become too ‘passive’ about serious issues. Lets get to work. Thank you again Mr.Miller and we love the great reading in the Capitol Hill Times!

Seattle Channel: Mayor`s Media Availability: SPD East Precinct Summer Safety Patrol 7/19/2012 19:24
Mayor Mike McGinn is joined by Seattle Police Department representatives at the East precinct to talk about public safety. Watch the Mayor here as he talks about public safety.

Read about the death of young Victor Duffy. I hold community churches, at-risk youth groups, etc as also being responsible for not having monitored Mr. Duffy after his first experience with the police. I’m sure there will be an investigation into the Tukwila Police Department.

CAPITOL HILL CRIME PREVENTION WEEK – JULY 16 thru JULY 22

The Seattle Action Network would like to propose that during the Capitol Hill Block Party, that we all get together and declare “Crime Prevention Week’. The whole city should be declaring this, however they are not. So I feel maybe we will, or area by area, will make citizens become more responsible to themselves and their communities. Let’s hope so…

‘Have Fun! Support Local Businesses – Stay Safe’

Capitol Hill Block Party July 20 thru July 22

Stay Safe/Crime Prevention Week
July 16 thru July 22

Seattle Action Network.com
310-270-6887

volunteers needed