May 2023 Newsletter

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View this email in your browser   FOCS Newsletter May 2023 FOCS Office Updates FOCS Staff is taking a break! FOCS staff are taking some much-needed rest and recovery time from May 1st through May 12th to be with our families. During this time, staff will not check emails or conduct any meetings or work activities. We thank you for your patience and understanding and invite you to learn more about our work and the tremendous growth we have accomplished as a small BIPOC-led staff and board. "Our worth does not reside in how much we produce, especially not for a system that exploits and dehumanizes us. Rest, in its simplest form, becomes an act of resistance and a reclaiming of power because it asserts our most basic humanity. We are enough. The systems cannot have us." Quote from: Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto, by Tricia Hersey In honoring our time for rest and repair, FOCS Staff and Board have decided to: Close our offices from May 1 - May 13. We will not be checking emails or conducting meetings or work activities during this time.  Postpone our 10th Anniversary Fundraiser until a later date. More details to come in next month’s Newsletter! We thank you for your patience and understanding and look forward to reconnecting with renewed energy upon our return May 15th! FOCS Office Updates Fundraising Updates While GiveBIG takes place May 2-3, you can help FOCS get a head start to reach our $5,000 goal this year! Donate Now More ways to support: Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and help build our momentum by sharing our posts and telling your friends and family why you support FOCS through #GiveBIG. Spread the word by forwarding this Newsletter to family and friends with a personal note about why you believe in our work and why they should support us on May 2 - 3.  We appreciate your support and can’t wait to celebrate the difference your generosity will make! FOCS was awarded the 2023 Adobe Employee Community Fund grant for $20,000! This is our 1st official grant as our own 501c3! FOCS Office Updates Advocacy Updates Senate passes bill expanding access to Highly Capable Programs The Senate passed a measure, sponsored by state Sen. T’wina Nobles (D-Fircrest) which establishes new requirements that identify students who may be eligible for highly capable programs. Senate Bill 5072 requires school districts to conduct universal screenings once in or before second grade, and again in or before sixth grade. Universal screening for all students ensures equitable access to the highly capable program and increases the likelihood that students from marginalized backgrounds get the supports they deserve. Districts that have implemented universal screenings have already seen major improvements for students of color and low-income students.  Learn more about this measure HERE FOCS Programs Updates Spring Parent Groups are in Progress! Summer Parent Groups are in the works! Did you know that FOCS offers over 15 different parent groups? Help us ensure that our groups continue to meet the needs of FOCS families by filling out our interest form so we can plan for future groups. Our interest form helps us determine which groups are most needed and helps us stay in contact with families to ensure we meet their needs in the future.    Fill out the Parent Group Interest Form FOCS Programs Updates FOCS Family Programming Summer Park Days are back! Park Days allow families to connect, play games, and get to know FOCS staff. We will be hosting family park days across Seattle (North, South, East, and West), so stay tuned for event locations and details coming soon! Park Days are an opportunity for FOCS families to provide valuable input to our Programs team so we can be sure to offer future programming that meets the needs of our community!    Stay connected through our Facebook Community Page to get notified of all FOCS family events! Join us for Samish Island Adventure Camp July 7th to July 10th Join us in making outdoor memories this Summer! FOCS, in collaboration with The Bronze Chapter is hosting a summer camp experience for the entire family. Registration is now open for the Samish Island Adventure Camp from July 7th to July 10th. This all-inclusive camp is taking place on beautiful Samish Island! Samish Island is on the traditional land of the Coast Salish people, who have stewarded this land since time immemorial. In honoring this special place, program themes for our gathering will center us around Community, Water, and Land. The Bronze Chapter will provide the space and outdoor know-how, while Families of Color Seattle will bring some of our programming and community! Register Here! FOCS Community Partner Spotlight Tania Hino, Tortuga Family Solutions FOCS supports BIPOC-owned businesses! As part of our programming, we regularly contract with BIPOC-owned businesses and community educators to invite them to share their skills and knowledge with our parents and families during our Peer-led Parent Groups and Family Programming activities. As a THANK YOU for showing up for our families, we want to highlight the work of these leaders and educators to encourage you to consider hiring them and continue supporting BIPOC-owned businesses and leaders in the Seattle area! This month we want to highlight one of our guest presenters, Tania Hino, of Tortuga Family Solutions. Tania is a counselor serving families.  I bring a wealth of experience working with diverse population (individual and group counseling) and assessments, with a focus on early childhood education and families. I received my Masters in Social Work from UW in 2002 and I am a Licensed Social Worker. I am also a certified Positive Discipline Trainer/Facilitator. My expertise includes - providing parent evaluations, parenting coaching/education, and chemical dependency evaluations for over 20 years. I am very passionate about leading teachers and parents to teach children to become responsible, respectful and a fulfilled member of their communities in a way that is respectful and encouraging for both children and adults. One of my favorite activities is performing Spanish story times at the Seattle Public Libraries, where I have been leading children and their caregivers through interactive stories and songs since 2008. I love what I do and I am aware that I do not know everything and I am always learning something new from everyone I meet on a daily basis. Learn more about her work at: ___________ Messages to FOCS Families A Reminder to Black Families We know many Black families are dealing with the overwhelming sadness, anger, and frustration hearing about yet ANOTHER shooting. This time, a young Black child, was shot for knocking on the wrong door while trying to pick up his younger siblings #ralphyarl We share in the collective grief and frustration and invite parents to come together to share their grief in community with one another. We are NOT alone. We will NOT be silenced. We will NOT raise our Black children to live in fear. Our children deserve better. Our communities deserve better. Thank you to our Donors! Your donation helps foster community amongst BIPOC Parents in the Seattle area and ensures that we can continue to offer parent groups and family programming free of charge to families of color.   Thank you for supporting BIPOC family connections and community building! Become a Monthly FOCS Donor A Message from FOCS' Communications Manager ! Hola FOCS friends and familias ! As the person behind the scenes bringing you FOCS news, messaging, and social media posts for the past year, I wanted to update the FOCS community that you won't be hearing from me for a few months because I'll be away on parental leave welcoming my 2nd child into the world! I feel so lucky to be aligned with and work for an organization that values family and community as much as I do. While I was a little worried about leaving my position for so long, I was overjoyed when we found a fellow enthusiastic-about-communications FOCS parent to fill the role during my leave. We found someone equally committed to bringing families of color together who knows what FOCS families need because they, like me, are FOCS! Welcome, and thank you, Diane! I do not doubt that our community will continue to thrive in my absence with Diane's expertise and compassion for the FOCS families we serve. I look forward to seeing and hearing about the community building and memories made this summer, and I look forward to helping create many more when I return in August! Until then, I'll focus on learning more about life with my two under 2. Wish me luck! In community and solidarity, Norma Resources & Events for FOCS Community Events  Follow FOCS Instagram stories to get information on free and BIPOC-centered family-friendly events! Cake Dance: An evening of Black Dance in the tradition of Cakewalking, Tuesday, April 4 · 6 - 8 pm, Washington Hall 153 14th Avenue Seattle, WA 98122. Wa Na Wari is proud to present Cake Dance, a 21st Century version of the Cakewalk. Cakewalks were born from the artistic ingenuity of formerly enslaved Africans during the mid-19th Century – it’s where the phrase “take the cake” came from, because a cake was awarded as prize in the dance contest. Y-WE Career Day, Saturday, April 8th from 11-4 pm, Best Buy Technology Development Center in SLU (1000 Denny Way 8th Floor, Seattle, Wa 98109). Career Day is a Y-WE tradition that centers on the career trajectories of diverse women and gender-expansive folks. Join us for a day of community building and connection as we learn skills for success in education and work.  Parents as Healers, Part 2: Healing Responses to Hard Behaviors, Wednesday, April 26 · 7 - 9 pm, Online. This workshop provides a brain-based approach for responding to children's challenging behaviors through a trauma-informed lens. Sistah Scifi Author Expo, Sunday, April 30 · 3 - 6 pm, Black Coffee Northwest 16743 Aurora Ave N Shoreline, WA 98133, To celebrate Indie Bookstore Day and Indie Bookstore Weekend, we are hosting our first Sistah Scifi Author Expo at Black Coffee Northwest. We will have 12 to 14 indie Black and Indigenous Speculative Fiction writers showcase their work with physical and digital copies available for purchase. In addition, we will bring Sistah Scifi Bookish Tea Party vibes with areas to play games, read, and, of course, color!! This event is appropriate for readers of all ages. Resources for Parents B.I.PoC. Provider Directory- developed and maintained by Deconstructing The Mental Health System (DMHS), a group for Mental Health Professionals who are actively increasing access to mental health & wellness services for the BIPOC community. Global Perinatal Services- Birth Doulas services are free to low-income, immigrant, and refugee families living in King County. Services are available in various languages including Somali, Arabic, Hindi, and more. 4 Tomorrow- Latino and Youth-focused organization offering support & coordination to households in King County. Services include Mental Health Services (Coordination, Referrals, Education, Events & Gap Therapy) as well as Life Services (resource navigation, Financial assistance, Goal Planning, Racism, hate and bias reporting, Systems navigation) and Basic Needs Services (housing stability, basic needs, education, public benefits, immigration, healthcare, life obstacles and more).  UTOPIA WA- basic needs, support groups, and advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community Y-WE (Young Women Empowered)- Mentorship-based empowerment programs serving diverse young women ages 13-26 Community Resources Alternatives to calling 911 Seattle Green Book- Seattle’s Black business directory. Free and open to Black-owned and co-owned businesses and people holding space for the Black community around Puget Sound. Northwest Vipassana Center- Free 10-day Meditation Retreats for individuals. Affinity courses including Black Heritage Course, and Bilingual/Thai and Spanish courses.  COVID & Monkeypox Resources Current COVID Guidance in King County Current Information about Monkeypox Resources for Families Impacted by COVID Eviction Assistance  City, County, State & Federal Resources Small Business Support Free Internet Access and Hotspots  Free and low cost internet access for low-income families More Ways to Stay Connected! Become a Monthly Donor! Host a Race Equity Workshop Join the Facebook Community Group Follow us on Facebook! Find us on Instagram! Stay connected on LinkedIn! Learn more on our Website! Copyright © 2022, Families of Color Seattle, All rights reserved. Our email address is: info@focseattle.org  Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.