The official count was 249, but people were still streaming in 20 minutes after the start time of Monday night’s Youth and Families Initiative meeting for North Seattle.
That surpasses the 220 who showed up at last week’s grand opening at the Rainier Community Center when Mayor Mike McGinn kicked off the yearlong project to bridge racial, economic and social inequalities among the city’s children.
“You’re probably in this room for the same reason I’m in this room,” McGinn told the standing-room only throng Monday night at Northgate Elementary School. “Which is to build a future.
“We’re going to ask you to identify what are the highest priority problems that we face,” McGinn said. “We don’t provide opportunities for our children equally.”
And he promised action. “We should feel unease, unrest, maybe even a bit of indignation that we haven’t done anything about it,” McGinn said before turning the podium over to former Mayor Norm Rice, who two decades ago led a similar education summit that created additional funding for education.
“Twenty years ago we said we want to make all our children safe, healthy and ready to learn,” said Rice, who is a co-chair of this year’s initiative. But he didn’t stay in front of the crowd for long. “It’s you we want to hear from – not just me,” Rice told the crowd.
The group split up into small groups to answer three questions:
- What do we want for our children?
- What are the most critical issues and problems?
- What are the solutions?
Some of the proposed answers Monday night:
- Safety at home and in school
- Lack of commitment – dollars, support, etc.
- Fund Seattle libraries adequately
- Drugs and alcohol
- Nutrition
One group, under the heading “Seattle in five years,” had:
- College rates up
- Excitement about going to school
- Kids feeling safe at school
- Success at values that match culture
Large group meetings like Monday night’s are being held throughout the city to collect input and advice. In addition, 75 smaller meetings will be held for neighborhood groups. Each of the meetings will elect delegates to a youth “congress” to be held June 5 at the Seattle Center.
Even if you didn’t make the meeting, you can participate here.
What are your thoughts about helping kids thrive?
I like the approach of 826 Seattle, the non-profit that offers free help to kids on homework, and especially helps them learn to write, because as their mission says: “great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention and … strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.”
I believe more focus on writing in the public schools would achieve what 826 is seeing with the students who use their services.