Get Involved!
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Providers and others connected to afterschool and youth development in Washington State look to School's Out Washington and its advocacy action arm, the Washington Afterschool Network (WAN), to keep them informed about state and national issues and legislation that may impact children and youth ages 5-18.
Everyone who is concerned with the well-being and success of children and youth can become a powerful advocate and ally on their behalf. There are many ways you can be involved:
- Join the Children’s Action Network and receive emails alerting you when decisions are being made which affect Washington’s children and youth.
- Attend the Washington Afterschool Network quarterly Partnership Group meetings and participate in planning and implementing action statewide.
- Sign up to receive the Washington Afterschool Network’s e-news updates and keep current on issues and policies which impact Washington’s children and youth.
We approach our advocacy work in partnership with many other organizations by:
- Educating the community about the ways in which afterschool and youth development programs for young people offer a safe haven where children can learn, belong and have fun;
- Creating a variety of tools and strategies based on new research about the importance of afterschool programs;
- Participating with a diverse range of advocacy organizations and events to ensure that the voices of afterschool and youth development programs are represented;
- Highlighting a particular issues or concerns, such as summer learning loss, and then disseminating the most current research;
- Mobilizing community members to take action on related policies and legislation;
- Working with public administrators and elected officials to create policies that support school-age children and youth and the professionals who care for them;
- Coordinating briefings for key stakeholders to share new research or information;
- Testifying on behalf of afterschool and youth development programs in a variety of settings;
- Recruiting champions from among the state legislators and other influential citizens and working closely with them to ensure that our state’s families and children receive the resources they need to thrive and succeed.