WA-BLOC

We are WA-BLOC, a community-based organization rooted in south Seattle. Our mission is to build and nurture intergenerational leaders through transformative education and revolutionary social action. This year, we are raising funds to support our Freedom Schools summer learning program!

Freedom Schools 

Each summer, WA-BLOC facilitates our Freedom Schools summer program free-of-cost for more than 60 K-5th grade scholars and families in southeast Seattle.  Our program is inspired by the original Freedom Schools of 1964 as well as the Children’s Defense Fund’s models for youth learning and social action. 

Freedom Schools centers joy, culturally reflective curriculum and instruction, social action, and positive identity formation. 

Over the course of 5 weeks, we provide 150 hours of high-impact literacy instruction and engagement through culturally inclusive and anti-racist books and instruction by young adult leaders who reflect the community!

This is WA-BLOC’s 9th consecutive summer of Freedom Schools! Since our inception, Freedom Schools have reached over 90 college age educators and over 1,000 students.  

📖 IMPACT through LITERACY: 

• Annually, 90% + of scholars maintain reading levels and 75%+ increase by at least one grade level.
• 85% + of scholars feel more prepared for the upcoming school year demonstrate self-empowerment, conflict resolution skills, and become more engaged in academic activities. 

📢 IMPACT through YOUTH-LED SOCIAL ACTION: Throughout the program, students research and inquire about issues impacting our community, resulting in student-led social action projects such as: 

• building a community garden to address neighborhood food insecurity
• “Keep it Clean” campaign addressing climate justice and neighborhood litter
• Transit justice campaign resulting in free ORCA cards for more than 22,000 youth in King County + more

🚸 IMPACT through LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT: 90+ Black and brown college-aged youth leaders hired, trained, and mentored since our inception, furthering their career pathways in teaching, community leadership, and more! 

Creating this nurturing, restorative, and literature-rich environment for two generations—the children served and the young adult educators who teach and serve them looks like: 

✨ Providing scholars culturally relevant and anti-racist books that they keep at the end of the program to build their home libraries! 

✨ offering equitable wages for our college-aged educators and 

✨removing access barriers by arranging daily bus transportation to and from home for scholars

Help us reach our goal to raise 10k in support of Summer 2024 Freedom Schools.

Thanks to the Seattle Rotary Service Foundation donations up to $5,000 will be matched!

Sign up to be a monthly donor, your initial donation will still be matched! 

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