Advocacy and Policy Cohorts

Advancing Equity in Education

As SESEC’s flagship program for building an effective education advocacy program, Advocacy and Policy Cohorts (APC) focuses on developing stronger, more effective voices in the Southeast Seattle community to champion equity in education for their children.

Using a cohort approach, APC engages emerging community leaders and parents/guardians in a series of trainings consisting of:

• Starting with Relationships and Racial Equity 
• Understanding the basics of school budgets
• Family Engagement and Why it is Needed for School Based Advocacy
• What is Advocacy and Policy
• What is an SPS Building Leadership Team (BLT) and why they are important for school advocacy
• Advocating to Decision Makers
• How to Give Effective Public Testimony
• How to work with print media
• Understanding School Budgets and Why it is Important.
• Tying it all Together and Using What you Learned

This program is designed for:

The program is open to all but will be most useful to those living and/or working in Seattle who are involved in or connected to public education in some way. Many of our partners are nonprofit leaders serving families and students in Seattle Public Schools. That said, many of the tools, connections, and knowledge can be adapted to other contexts and spaces.

Priority will be given to SESEC partners and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color). If you have any questions or concerns before applying, feel free to reach out to [email protected] to discuss whether the program is a fit for you.

Currently scheduled program

In Fall 2024, APC will be hosted IN-PERSON at SESEC’s office at El Centro de la Raza (2524 16th Ave S, Suite #306, Seattle, WA 98144) on the following Tuesdays from 10.00 a.m.- 12 p.m. (Noon): 

•   October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
•   November 5, 12, 19
•   December 3, 10

Application

The 2024 Application Form will open in the late summer. Once open, it will be available here. If you’d like to be the first to know, please email [email protected]. You can also sign up for our newsletter to get updates and information about coalition meetings, APC, and our other programs. You can use the newsletter sign-up at the very bottom of our webpage to do that or reach out via the form below if you have any questions. If you don’t hear back within a week, please ping [email protected] again so she can look into it!