As we near the end of 2024, our team will be taking a brief break between Dec 23rd-Jan 3rd to prioritize our wellness and rest and to prepare for the year ahead. We wish you a restful and restorative end of the year with your loved ones!

 In this newsletter you will find:

• Giving Tuesday Gratitudes + End of Year Giving Updates!

• Circle Keeper Training Reflection by Mari Ramirez

• Circle Prompts for New Year Reflections

• WA-BLOC Office Closure Dec 23-Jan 3

• Community Events and Resources

Last month, Anab shared her reflections about her experience at the annual Circle Keeper Gathering with Kay Pranis and The Circle Center in Nashville TN earlier this Fall. 

This month, check out Mari’s vlog about his big takeaways and lessons learned!

Happy back to school season to all of our scholars, families, educators, and school communities!

This month’s newsletter includes:

• Back to school! A peek into our school partnerships and programming this school year!

• ICYMI: Joy Manual: Free Community Building Resource! + Donor Survey!

• Community Events and Resources

Happy back to school season to all of our scholars, families, educators, and school communities!

This month’s newsletter includes:

• Back to school! A peek into our school partnerships and programming this school year!

• ICYMI: Joy Manual: Free Community Building Resource! + Donor Survey!

• Community Events and Resources

“Ella Baker was a Freedom Fighter who taught us how to fight. We gon fight all day and night until we get it right. Which side are you on my people, which side are you on (I’m on the Freedom side!) Which side are you on my people, which side are you on (I’m on the Freedom side!)...Salome is a Freedom fighter who taught us how to fight…”

The beautiful voices of 50 children rang out in the streets of south Seattle around Emerson Elementary as WA-BLOC Freedom Schools scholars took to their neighborhood streets leading a march and rally to raise awareness about gun violence, homelessness, and pollution in early August. They raised fists and posters and their voices. They sang, and chanted, and shared speeches with one another about their Freedom Dreams and the changes they want to see in their community.  

In the fierce spirit of our Freedom Schools scholars and Black August, a dedicated month to commemorate Black resistance, freedom struggles, and political prisoners, we offer you our current reflections and Freedom Dreams from this past month and the people, actions, and joy worth fighting for. In this newsletter you’ll find:

• The Fight for Student Mental Health Supports

• Seattle Times Feature

• Freedom Schools Wrapped!

• National Association for Restorative Justice (NARCJ) Conference Reflections

• Joy Manual: Digital Booklet of Community Building Games and Circle Outlines for Schools and Educators

• Community Resources and Events

Y’all the reviews are in and this summer’s iteration of Freedom Schools was everything! We could not have had such a successful run without the brilliant educators, support staff, financial and material donors, bus drivers, families, and scholars that make up our community. Thank you to every single person who helped us put together another year of programming for Rainier Beach youth.

We are keeping this newsletter short and sweet because it’s summer and that means Freedom Schools for our team :) We are having a blast so far and excited to share some fun updates with you. We hope you are staying safe and staying cool. Grab some soft serve from @thepastryproject and catch up with us! In this newsletter you’ll find:

• Freedom Schools - Our first two weeks recap

• Special Projects Sneak Peak!

• Community and Educational Resources

Here are some highlights and learnings we’ve curated for this month’s newsletter:

• Nothing and everything matters

• Freedom Schools Campaign Updates and Gratitudes

• Estelita’s Library X WA-BLOC book drive partnership

• Blog Feature: What Madrona elementary students have taught me about circle

• WA-BLOC in Chicago: Staff Retreat!

• Community and Educational Resources

Meet our incredible team of Summer Educators who will lead K-5th grade classrooms at Emerson Elementary this summer. We are ecstatic to have such an amazing group of young adults who are passionate about transformative education and revolutionary grassroots social action supporting our Freedom Schools program this year! We can’t wait to see all the ways they grow as individuals and nurture the leadership of our Freedom Schools scholars!

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at WA-BLOC? What bits and pieces go into creating a Freedom Schools Summer? What makes our program strong, joyful, and all-around dope? Well you’re in luck–we’ve put together a Buzzfeed-inspired list-icle to lay out some of the most important components of our preparation. Read on!

Here are some highlights and learnings we’ve curated for this month’s newsletter:

• Nothing and everything matters

• Freedom Schools Campaign Updates and Gratitudes

• Estelita’s Library X WA-BLOC book drive partnership

• Blog Feature: What Madrona elementary students have taught me about circle

• WA-BLOC in Chicago: Staff Retreat!

• Community and Educational Resources

In a moment of frustration and overwhelm the other day, I was strangely comforted by something my colleague said: Nothing and everything matters. "Nothing and everything matters" to me encapsulates the paradoxical nature of this moment where significance seems both amplified and diminished simultaneously. While our individual actions may feel inconsequential or overwhelming in isolation, I trust we are collectively contributing to a larger reality that supports and loves children.

Last month, thanks to a capacity building grant from Inatai Foundation, our entire staff had the opportunity to travel to Chicago for our Spring Staff retreat. Since we provide year-round, school-based programming, it’s not often we have a chance to rest, reflect, play, and learn together. Why Chicago? Not only does one of our beloved staff have deep roots in Chicago, but we also wanted to learn from several incredible organizations that are doing transformative, systems change work in their communities outside of Seattle. During our trip, we visited two organizations: Alternatives, Inc and Chicago Freedom Schools, both of whom are values aligned and supporting youth and school communities through Restorative Justice programming and youth organizing.

Yesterday I sat in my last student circle of the school year. Me and a group of fifth graders I’ve been holding circles with all year sat in my tiny office, around a centerpiece of various snacks and trinkets. We all laughed as they made a concoction of pickle slices wrapped in fruit roll-ups, drenched in fresh lemon juice, and topped with Tajin (apparently it’s a TikTok trend? And apparently it's pretty good!?). Between giggles and crunchy bites of pickles, we passed around the talking piece one last time to share reflections on our circles this year.

WA-BLOC Celebrates 8 Years of Transformative Education

And just like that, WA-BLOC turns 8 years old! :) Happy Birthday, WA-BLOC!

Our beginnings were small but mighty. We were born of youth activists: a collective of students and young adults in Rainier Beach advocating for free public transportation for students to get to school and hustling to save our Freedom Schools. In 2016, this beloved summer program was nearly discontinued after its original funder abruptly withdrew support; the community quickly raised $30,000 to ensure that this source of joyful learning and conduit for student organizing could live on. We believed then, as we do now, that schools and youth are powerful agents of social change.

Ramadan Mubarak to all of our colleagues, friends, families and students who are observing! We wish you a peaceful and blessed Ramadan. 

March is here - and with it - the hopeful signs of Spring. On hard days - and good days too- we turn to our natural world around us, budding with life and wonder and allow ourselves to be gently reminded to trust the process and yield to the seasons of this work. Read ahead for some exciting announcements and beautiful reflection by our staff of digging in and helping restorative practices take deep root in our schools.

In the tapestry of our natural world, sunflowers, mustard greens, and willow trees emerge as alchemists, possessing a shared superpower—the ability to transform toxic soil through a process called phytoremediation.

As we embark on the journey of implementing Restorative Practices to transform school-wide cultures and systems, we find parallels in the magic of phytoremediation. On our quest, we face a similar limitation akin to the roots of restorative plant species; the width and depth to which they can penetrate the contaminated soil.

There can be so much pressure to make big, quick changes at the start of a new year.

White supremacy and capitalism tell us that we have to learn and produce very quickly, and this can feel especially true during the new year season. We believe it is critical- as an organization supporting our school communities in often crisis/urgent situations - to remind ourselves and each other that we get to slow down, build in reflection, and support each other well.