November 2023 Newsletter
Greetings community,
This past month, our team has been reflecting on “small acts that quietly become power” and building our capacity and endurance to hold one another and our school communities with care. In midst of feeling overwhelmed by the continued and horrific genocide and humanitarian crisis on Palestinian, Congolese, and Sudanese peoples while calls for ceasefire are muted by our political leaders, we continue to claim our collective humanity and belief that all people deserve to live lives free from violence and oppression.
“We don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can quietly become a power no government can suppress, a power that can transform the world…And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory."
-Howard Zinn, A Power of Governments Cannot Suppress, 1922
For us, small acts currently include things like sharing educational and restorative learning materials for students to learn about Native American Heritage Month and Palestinian life and resistance, encouraging opportunities for student leadership in community building circles, holding spaces for staff and students to process traumatic events, checking in with questions like, "How are you doing, really?" and "What type of rest do you need?" and embracing moments of joy and connection where we find them.
This school year marks a significant moment for WA-BLOC: after five years of creating and supporting the implementation of whole-school Restorative Practices at Emerson Elementary School, (and previously Rainier Beach High School) we have expanded to provide site-based support for five additional elementary schools in our Southeast/central Seattle neighborhood this year to become restorative school communities!
What does this mean?
For WA-BLOC, this means much more than providing one-off trainings for principals or educators. And it is much more complex than facilitating a turn-key program curriculum with all the educational buzzwords. Whole-school implementation of Restorative Practices is a gradual process of working to shift school culture and climate on the continuum from retributive to restorative. It is a multi-year effort that requires working collectively with building leaders, staff, students, and families to build an environment in which everyone feels significant, safe, and like they belong. (hint hint, it takes time and is unique to each school community!)
(left) 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.
(right) WA-BLOC RJ Practitioner, Lena, leading a professional development training at John Muir Elementary School in October - one of our new school partners!
If you follow us on socials, you may have already noticed that we launched a new website! Our goal was to create a joyful and resourceful space that showcases the work we are doing, honors our community, and helps YOU stay in the know about all things WA-BLOC.
Take a peek around and let us know what you think!
Have you heard the news?! We're hiring for a Part-Time Development Manager to join our highly collaborative and innovative team to support education equity for Black and brown scholars in Seattle Public Schools. This position will be primarily focused on stewarding relationships with existing and future individual donors, identifying and establishing corporate sponsorships, and developing our young major gift program.
This is an hourly, part-time position (up to 24 hours/week @ $33.65-38.48/hour). For the right candidate, it can become a full-time Development and Communications position within 3-6 months. Benefits included.
As we approach Giving Tuesday, we reflect on the incredible journey we've shared with you all in building community-empowered change in our schools and community. Our collective efforts have achieved remarkable milestones, but our work is just beginning! This giving season our goal is to raise $500 in new monthly donations to help us sustain our new school partnerships for whole-school restorative practices. Contributions directly support professional development/training and materials for leaders, educators, youth, and families and increase WA-BLOC staff capacity to provide restorative supports, coaching, and conflict mediation, and advocate for systems change across Seattle Public Schools.
Your contribution, no matter the size, makes a significant impact and helps us sustain critical programming!
