The holiday season is now upon us, and in this month’s newsletter, we are excited to introduce our newest team member! And in case you missed it, you should check out the video of our live AMA we had with our Executive Director, Vu Le.
Also, make sure to read on to find out about the great work that our partner organizations are doing. And stay up to date by checking out our latest blogs to see the cool stuff that’s been happening at RVC!
A Green Pathways update!
On Nov. 7, RVC hosted a gathering at Element 79 in Seattle. This gathering brought together community members with RVC staff so that everyone could get an update from Green Pathways Program Manager Florence Sum about the outcomes and lessons learned from this new pilot program so far!
Meet RVC’s new team member!
Say hi to Sandra Amolo!
Sandra (she/her) is our new Capacity Building Lead!
Sandra was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya and immigrated to the U.S. when she was a teenager. She has spent over 10 years working in nonprofits, serving in communications, farming, youth advocacy and education, human rights observation, community organizing, and nonprofit management. Sandra received her BA in Business Administration from Seattle University in 2011. She is motivated to work in spaces that focus on intergenerational healing to address the trauma of racism, displacement, and the military industrial complex.
Sandra loves videos of babies, cats, and other cute living things. She spends her free time hiking and reading or listening to audiobooks on the bus. She is a hip hop nerd and knows all the lyrics to Tribe Called Quest’s “People’s Instinctive Travels Through the Paths of Funk and Rhythm.”
One last AMA with our Executive Director, Vu Le
On Oct. 22, we hosted a live AMA with our Executive Director, Vu Le, on Facebook! Participants and viewers were able to submit questions through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. In the video, posted on Facebook, Vu talked about RVC’s latest work and updates. Questions and topics discussed ranged anywhere from RVC’s leadership model, programmatic work, and strategies for securing grants, to Vu’s possible future endeavors, to Vu’s veganism.
Click here to check out the video of the AMA session!
Save the Date!
On the evening of Feb. 22, we’re going to send off our founding ED in style. Join us for Vu’s Vegan Roast, a fundraising dinner full of laughter, friends, and — of course — the savage roasting of Vu by some of his closest friends and colleagues.
This event will be emceed by Julie Pham, Vice President, Community Engagement and Marketing at Washington Technology Industry Association, and James Lovell, Director of Development and Advancement at Neighborhood House. Proceeds benefit RVC.
What: Vu’s Vegan Roast
Where: Seattle Aquarium
When: Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Cost: $1200 for a table of 10 people, $125/person (early bird, prices will increase after Jan. 22.)
Program: Includes cocktail hour, dinner, dessert dash, and raffle prizes.
And psst! If you are interested in volunteering for our event, we’d love that! Please fill out this form.
RVC Partner Updates
RVC strengthens the power of communities of color in order to create a more equitable society through capacity-building, leadership development, and operations support. We accomplish this through our core programs and services as well as through leading partnerships with community members and organizations of color. These members and organizations provide support services tailored to the strengths and needs of the communities they serve.
Here are this month’s highlights of some of our partners’ amazing work!
Powerful Voices ED transition
Powerful Voices, a grassroots partner organization of RVC that creates brave spaces with girls (people who identify as girls or are socialized as girls) of color to take charge of their own power as leaders, build community, and act against injustices affecting their lives, recently announced that its Executive Director, Kate Tibone, is transitioning from her role at Powerful Voices by the end of January 2020.
In her farewell letter, Kate states, “I am grateful in more ways than I can count to have served in this role…I leave Powerful Voices assured that the board and staff are committed to building a sustainable organization that supports youth leadership, seeking to transform the way we relate to each other, and actively living out their commitment to anti-racism at all levels of the organization.” The board of directors will be announcing the hiring of an Interim Executive Director in the near future. We are excited to hear what’s next to come for Kate! Check out the full letter here!
Somali Family Safety Task Force celebrates graduates of its Digital Literacy program
Somali Family Safety Task Force, RVC’s partner organization that empowers immigrant and refugee women and their families by providing culturally appropriate services that embody the community’s core values, recently held their graduation ceremony for their Digital Literacy program. The program, in partnership with Seattle Public Libraries, provides 10-week courses that covers everything from computer basics, to social media, to using Windows applications.
According to its Facebook post, “We have a huge, huge digital literacy gap in the community. Our digital literacy program helped Somali mothers getting the skills they need to apply for jobs, find information for their families, help their kids with school, and live in our 21st-century America, where technology know-how is very important.” Learn more about the Digital Literacy program here!
WA-BLOC secures funding for Freedom Schools
WA-BLOC, a partner organization of RVC that empowers youth of color through academic, creative, and place-based leadership, announced that it has secured funding for their Freedom Schools program. The program is designed to build strong, literate, and empowered youth prepared to make a difference, not only for themselves and their families, but in their communities. The program is propelled by a curriculum that celebrates Black and brown heroes and instruction centered on student voice and fostering collective social action.
WA-BLOC’s Facebook page states, “WE DID IT!! We secured funding for FREEDOM SCHOOLS! BIG THANK YOU to everyone for signing and sharing the petition and giving such thoughtful responses about why our community needs Freedom Schools!! Amazing work, y’all! Your support is EVERYTHING!!!”
WA-BLOC also posted on their Facebook page recent Freedom Schools stats from 2019, which showed that there was an average increase of 8 months in instructional reading levels, and 84% maintained or gained instructional reading levels and did not experience summer learning loss.
RBAC promotes public safety through Rainier Beach “Light” Walk
Rainier Beach Action Coalition (RBAC), RVC’s partner organization that builds community capacity to address critical issues and enhance the quality of life in the Rainier Beach neighborhood, held a Rainier Beach “Light” Walk. In the past year, the Rainier Beach Corner Greeters surveyed over 350 people about safety in Rainier Beach. Of those, 75% of people felt that Rainier Beach did not have enough lights during the evening.
In response, RBAC planned a “Light” walk to take inventory of the lighting in the Rainier Beach neighborhood. The walk took place on Nov. 12, starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Rainier Beach Community Center plaza, and spanned out in different directions of the neighborhood. RBAC seeks to strengthen its neighborhood through beautification and an increase in public activity and safety.
ECS holds Mental Health First Aid training
Ethiopian Community in Seattle (ECS), an RVC partner organization that provides support services to Ethiopian immigrants in the greater Seattle area, recently hosted a Mental Health First Aid training at their office. Around 30 people participated, as they learned about how to assess the symptoms of mental health and how to listen without judgment, and how to provide resources to people in getting help.
Furthermore, on Nov. 23, ECS organized culturally relevant training in Amharic to assess the symptoms of mental health. ECS describes the training session as “an interactive session that will gather input from members and end with a road map on how to better support its community on mental health.”
Be a Changemaker
RVC Changemakers are folks who believe that leadership development and capacity building in communities of color should be spearheaded by the individuals working within these communities. By committing to giving $80 or more a month, you will be making a pivotal impact in communities of color in the Greater Seattle area.
Changemakers will get a shoutout in our annual report, be invited to our special events, be invited to further engage in other ways, such as through volunteering, lunch and learns, or maybe even mentoring. Our Changemakers will also just be lavished with so much appreciation for their commitment to social justice at the grassroots level!
Job Opportunities In Our Network
RVC is hiring a Capacity Building Lead and Operations Manager and Grant Strategist.
Families of Color Seattle is hiring an Executive Director.
Bike Works is hiring for multiple positions.
Communities Rise is hiring for part-time and full-time positions on their Capacity Building Team. They are also looking for a part-time Accountant.
The Mockingbird Society is hiring for multiple positions.
Literacy Source is hiring for multiple positions.
Stolte Family Foundation is hiring an Education Program Officer.
United Way of King County is hiring for multiple positions.
Ethiopian Community in Seattle is hiring an Executive Director.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Puget Sound is hiring for multiple positions.
Voices of Tomorrow is hiring for multiple positions.
Rainier Beach Action Coalition is hiring for multiple positions.
Solid Ground is hiring for multiple positions.
Somali Health Board is hiring an Administrative and Program Assistant.
WA BLOC is hiring for a Restorative Justice Coordinator.
Wasat is hiring an Operations Manager/Assistant to Executive Director.
Washington Bus is hiring for Co-Executive Directors.
Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence is hiring for multiple positions.
Washington State Opportunity Scholarship is hiring a Marketing and Communications Manager.
Community Events & Important Dates
Dec. 7: WA is Expecting!
Dec. 14: Institutional Racism and Implicit Bias, Part II
Dec. 20: A Taste of East Africa Heritage Festival
Feb. 22: Vu’s Vegan Roast
RVC Stuff To Read
Mujer al Volante encourages women to get behind the wheel and be the driver of their lives. Written by RVC
RVC’s Community Impact Fellows look to shake up the nonprofit sector after completing CI Leadership Institute. Written by RVC
Annual health fair addresses Somali community’s concerns through culturally competent preventative care. Written by RVC
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!f you have job postings or events that you would like mentioned in our newsletter, please email the details to Stacy. We do our best to fit everything in, but we may not always be able to.
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