2024 was a year of highs and lows for ABSPY—ending on a high note! This year the Youth and Neighborhood Engagement Team expanded our team, activated new pearl locations, and connected with some new community members in the neighborhood. 

Some highlights from this past year include:

  • Hiring new Engagement Workers (EWs), who are some dynamic young people!
  • EWs going to farms like Horseneck, Ayeko, and Mara Farm (shout out to Cly and Beatrice, aka Mama Alfa!)
  • YNE Team doing activations at Seward Park Avenue
  • EW’s supporting Farm Stand during the summer (shout out to the Farm Stand Team!)
  • EW’s participating in a variety of fun and interactive spaces like Black Unity with Isaac, Sisters Circle with Safiyat & Tamia, and exercise/health spaces with Hibo.
  • Waste Management and Basic Life Support Training (shout out Carmen!)
  • Piloting the Youth Expression Project
  • EW’s supporting RBAC events like Youth Led Food Justice Town Hall, Back 2 School Bash, Harvest Fest, and Walk the Block Party
  • Special shout out to YNE Lead Fatima, who traveled internationally this summer; we are so proud of her!
  • Having a very fun end-of-year celebration, honoring Engagement Workers and Farm Fellows
  • Meeting our end-of-year goals for FreedomNet posts, Neighborhood Activations, and CPTED activations

These are just a few “pluses” from a year full of highlights. Now, there were some deltas along the way, but we have been intentional with addressing them and making action plans to improve. Big shoutout to the Youth and Neighborhood Engagement Lead Team and all the other branches at RBAC that have supported the work and activities of the YNE Team. 

Here are some numbers gathered by Stew to display our impact using data. In 2024, RBAC’s community safety team:

  • Employed 41 YATTAs to provide engagement to Rainier Beach, 29 of which are local high school students. 
  • Activated neighborhood Pearls 51 times
  • Deployed 52 times to clean litter
  • Held 23 restorative circles
  • Hosted 10 large-scale community cleanup events 
  • Conducted community surveys with 308 residents

    With Love,

    Jerrell Davis

Related Posts