Reflecting on a Successful Year of Engaging and Supporting Community

As we wrap up 2024, we want to reflect on the past year and the many accomplishments of our areas of service. Supporting, engaging, and empowering community are always our number one focus, and over the last 12 months Seattle Department of Neighborhoods (DON) staff has worked diligently to build and deepen partnerships, amplify community voices, empower civic engagement, harness youth leadership, and strengthen the One Seattle Vision.

Collaboration Across City Departments

*Sokha Danh talking with other City staff at the DON open house*

This year we partnered with other departments to create citywide impact by coordinating efforts to serve Seattle communities more effectively. Our Equity Engagement Advisors (EEA) supported projects for the Seattle Department of Transportation and Seattle Public Utilities to make sure that residents who are impacted by these projects are aware of what is happening and have a voice in the decision-making process. In June, we held a citywide open house to connect with our colleagues and discover more ways we can work together to better support communities across the city. We look forward to expanding our strategic partnerships next year with Seattle City Light, Seattle Parks and Recreation, Seattle Human Services Department, and Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE).

Civic Engagement

*DON staff at the All-American City presentation*

Seattle’s innovative civic engagement programs were nationally recognized this summer, earning the prestigious 2024 All-America City Award. Three DON programs were highlighted in earning this award including:

The Community Liaisons (CL), who act as a bridge between historically underrepresented communities and City government,
The People’s Academy for Community Engagement (PACE), a culturally-relevant civic leadership program that supports and trains community members on how to be effective civic activists and community leaders, and
The Indigenous Advisory Council (IAC), a group of nine members representing Indigenous communities who advises the Mayor, City Council, and City departments on government issues affecting American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian people residing in Seattle.

Community Wealth and Equity

*Generational Wealth Initiative community celebration*

DON advanced community wealth and equity through the Generational Wealth Initiative (GWI) which focuses on community wealth building by working with organizations and communities of color to better understand the racial wealth gap in Seattle and pilot solutions to address to the racial wealth gap. We are also strengthening trust and capacity of the Chinatown International District (CID) Visioning Advisory Group advancing the CID community-led visioning and coordinating efforts for a CID Interdepartmental Team in 2025.

Elevating Community Voices

*An illustration created for DON Disability Activism storytelling project*

We’ve continued amplifying community voices through storytelling projects by partnering with organizations to host events like the Griot Party Experience and the Disability Activism History Panel, collaborating with community members to tell their own stories, digging into the untold stories and histories of our city, and highlighting the work of projects supported through our community grant programs.

Supporting Community-Led Projects

*DON staff with community at the Beacon Food Forest Open House & Concert*

Last year, DON continued our investment in projects for community, by community. The Seattle P-Patch Gardening program helped the 90 community gardens grow and thrive by evaluating and coordinating garden maintenance activities, providing learning opportunities for organic gardening, delivering materials and supplies to gardens, fostering environmental ethics and food safety, and prioritizing equity and inclusion. Our community grants program invested more than $3 million in community-led projects through our Neighborhood Matching Fund and Food Equity Fund.

This support will enable us to create BIPOC community-owned spaces in North Seattle to share nutritious food and build community. We are committed to advancing food equity and amplifying the voices of BIPOC communities and people with lived experiences who are often left out of food justice conversations. This grant will be instrumental in helping us achieve our goals.
— Srijan Chakraborty, Co-Executive Director of Hunger Intervention Program.

In partnership with the Office of Sustainability and Environment, DON will create and lead a new grant program aimed to activate publicly owned greenspaces for new community-led urban agricultural sites. This $4 million investment is made possible by the City’s Participatory Budgeting process.

Amplifying Youth Leadership

After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, DON re-activated the Seattle Youth Commission (SYC), a partnership with the Mayor’s Office and City Council that engages youth between the ages of 13-19. SYC members connect with elected officials to advise on City policies and discuss issues impacting youth in Seattle. We also collaborated with FIUTS and the University of Washington to host civic engagement events and hosted Seattle Prep students at City Hall to create opportunities for students to explore their role in civic leadership.

Thank you to all of the people who make our work possible! We look forward to continued partnership in supporting communities throughout Seattle in 2025!

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