“I think access to knowledge is needed most. I came here from a poverty background, but I was able to go to school with a bunch of different kids who had a very different background than I did. Here in Seattle, it is possible to shoot for that high standard of education and access to knowledge, whereas somewhere else it may not be available. I just think it is important to support kids who are not coming from a very good background and let them know they can still get the same level of education as multi-millionaires.”
“They need places to go where there are no drugs or weapons and more prayer.”
“It is a two-fold answer: it can’t just be one thing. They need access to resources—not just knowing they exist, but actual access, like they can touch them. And they also need role models and mentors to teach them that they’re kings and queens, because they don’t really know it. We have internalized oppression going around here. So they need to see some folks transitioning from different lifestyles into a more successful lifestyle for them.”
“I think something that would greatly benefit kids here in Seattle and their childhood experience is being more focused on the arts. I think that space for creative expression is very essential for children.”
“I think that there should be more summer camps in place where they are taking high school students out on the weekend and teaching them things like fishing, how to build a flower bed, and just how to frame and build things. I think that could help with better education, too, when you are learning other skills outside of school.”
“We need resources, especially for youth sports. We need more community resources, activities, and all those things so that the kids can actually get together with their peers in their age group. They can grow up and develop together with different ethnicities. Nowadays, the youth get into cell phones, and they isolate themselves and their friends.”
