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.

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.

It is a new year, and we find ourselves greeting it the way many others are: holding both heaviness and hope.

We grieve and rage at the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people (a siege that has now surpassed 100 days) and we ground ourselves in the acts of solidarity that have been building across the world.

Journalist Bisan Owda has called for a global strike January 21-28, so our regular newsletter will make its appearance next month.

Read the latest updates from our December 2023 newsletter. School Partner Spotlight: Restorative Justice at John Muir Elementary School, Giving Tuesday Thank You & Update, WA-BLOC Holiday Pause!

Meet Yobachinia Frazier. Yobach first participated in WA-BLOC programming as a freshman at Rainier Beach High School in 2015 through our Freedom Schools Summer Program and has continued to be involved ever since, from a youth participant to a young adult leader within WA-BLOC.

WA-BLOC has expanded to provide site-based support for five additional elementary schools in our Southeast/central Seattle neighborhood this year to become restorative school communities!

This month, we are excited to feature one of these amazing new school partners: John Muir Elementary School!

Read the latest updates from our November 2023 newsletter. Building restorative school communities in Seattle Public Schools, check out our new site, we’re hiring a part-time Development Manager!, and Giving Tuesday!

In early November we joined the Seattle Public Schools’ Restorative Justice (RJ) team, Huayruro, and additional community practitioners to hold circles for 100 principals! You can read more and check out the pix on our Instagram post. We also held professional development trainings and circles for staff at John Muir Elementary, Madrona Elementary, Lowell Elementary and Licton Springs K-8, supported teachers with community building circles in their classrooms and conversations about Native American Heritage month and the history of Palestinian life and resistance, and much more. 

Boosting this beautiful conversation we recently had with @rvcorg @creativejusticenw, and @restorative_community_pathways about the Restorative Justice movement here in Seattle and the special ways our organizations are helping to create alternatives to harmful systems of punishment and incarceration, and building lasting change and healing with our communities.

The International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) Solidarity School and Washington Building Leaders of Change (WA-BLOC) Freedom Schools are redefining the learning experience offered by academic institutions. Organized by a collaboration of passionate educators, grassroots organizations, and community effort, these two programs extend the educational journey beyond the standardized curriculum, drawing inspiration from the historic Freedom Schools of the Civil Rights Movement.