My Letter to Teens: The Census Matters More Than Ever (Volunteer Spotlight)

by | Apr 9, 2020 | Uncategorized

In the current state of global pandemonium, news of the 2020 Census has been buried underneath blaring headlines about the coronavirus. The Census deadline has been pushed back to mid-August, and the stay-at-home orders have left Census workers biting their nails, apprehensive about the accuracy of this year’s Census.

This setback, however, does not change the fact that the Census matters more than ever for teenagers. As teenagers, it is easy to sit in the sanctity of our homes, letting any shred of thought regarding the Census fly over our heads. After all, we are still kids, sheltered from the realities of an adult life. However, the Census occurs once a decade—in other words, the Census data from 2020 will directly affect federal program spending deep into our 20’s. 

Hundreds of federal programs use the Census data to make decisions on where and how the 675-billion dollars-worth of funding will be distributed every year. A large portion of this money directly affects high schoolers and college students. In fact, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Commerce, three within the top ten largest programs that use the Census Bureau Data are from the Department of Education. The largest of the three, is the Federal Pell Grant Program. 

Federal Pell Grant Program, as the name implies, offers grants from the US Department of Education to help undergraduate college students pay for tuition. According to estimates from a Federal Pell Grant Report, 31% of undergraduate students received Pell Grants, or about 6.8 million students, during the 2018-2019 school year. The program’s 28 billion dollars of expenditures were directly affected by the 2010 Census data. 

As a high schooler, I am frankly blown away by these numbers. The realization that a third of my peers in college will be dependent on federal programs that use Census data, hits me with a sense of urgency. Unfortunately, college debt is an inescapable reality for most students and mitigating the crisis of college debt will require appropriate distribution of funding. Knowing that the financial support that we will receive during our time in college is contingent on the accuracy of this year’s Census sheds light on the fact that the 2020 Census is vital to our long-term livelihoods. 

Other than the Federal Pell Grants, medical assistance, construction, and Title 1 Grants, among many other programs will depend on the data from the 2020 Census. As one teenager to another, I want to call out to you reading at this very moment, to help with the Census. The Washington Bus has organized multiple virtual ‘Get Out The Count’ text/phone banks via Zoom, giving young people like us to contribute to the Census, especially during this extraordinary time when Census workers will need all the help and support they can get. Ultimately, the Census is not just a head count. It is a projection of our lives ten years into the future, and this opportunity to shape our future is, in my fair opinion, pretty darn important. 

                                                                                                                                             -Miki

 

To fill out the census, go to 2020census.gov right now and respond. Be sure to include everyone you currently live with! 

Want to volunteer with us? Help us contact people all over Washington State to Get Out The Count! We’re hosting weekly remote volunteer events as we work together to spread the word on Census!  Sign up here.

COVID-19 and our democracy

COVID-19 and our democracy

by | Mar 31, 2020 | General Updates/Newsletter, Uncategorized

Friends,

With two new Co-Executive Directors starting earlier this month, we here at the Bus were feeling ready to take on the world! Or at least, ready to continue building our statewide movement to increase political access and participation for all young people #youthquake. Enter COVID-19, the virus that is having an unprecedented impact on the lives of each of us, and that of our loved ones and our communities.

We care about our community, especially those who are likely to be disproportionately affected by this pandemic and the narrative surrounding it– people of color, immigrants, people with a low-income, and those that are incarcerated. We’re here to do our part. 

Like you, the Bus values inclusion, empowerment and justice, and it is out of these values that we are continuing to do our work. With an eye to the health and safety of the community, we’ve made some adjustments, because we know democracy must go on:

  • Our staff has been working remotely since March 16 and will continue to do so through at least April 8 (per Governor Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order), if not longer. The health and safety of our staff and the community is number one.

  • We have shifted our current programming away from face-to-face field work and towards digital organizing and other remote strategies. Last week we kicked off our remote Census 2020 outreach and have held two “Get Out the Count” remote text banking sessions, yielding over 25,000 texts! We will be holding a remote phone/text bank every week to ensure our communities know to complete the census.

  • We have cancelled the in-person Bus Bash fundraiser and instead will be sharing virtual opportunities so you can continue  to support our work and the 2020 Fellows when they begin the program this June. Stay tuned for updates.

We are fortunate to have the ability and privilege to practice the above-mentioned physical distancing.

We are in this together. We’d like to invite you to join us in whatever way you are able. Here’s how you can be with the Bus as we ride out this COVID storm:

  • Take care of yourself. We care about you and we need you. There are loads of resources available from our state here: https://www.coronavirus.wa.gov/

  • Complete the Census! Let’s help our community get the vital resources for its greatest moments of need (like right now).

  • Join a GOTC phone/text bank! Sign up here for the remarkably de-stressing activity of contacting strangers about democracy.

  • If you were planning to attend Bus Bash and your financial situation is stable, you can still support our work with a 100% tax-deductible gift in honor of Bus Bash.

  • Fight racism, xenophobia and ableism. This pandemic is feeding the long history of how immigrant groups and people of color have been labeled with “disease” imagery. We encourage each other to address the jokes and do their part to support people of color during this time.  

Together, let us rise to this new challenge. Let us continue to demand that local and state governments adopt policies that protect historically disenfranchised communities and meet the needs of all people, not just some. And let us get innovative and creative with how we do this now, in the time of the Coronavirus, and for the long-term beyond.

In solidarity,

The Bus Team

WA Bus staff during a virtual team meeting.

Washington Bus Fellowship 2020

Washington Bus Fellowship 2020

by | Feb 19, 2020 | Uncategorized

The Washington Bus Fellowship Application for 2020 is now open.

Apply here.

The Bus Fellowship is an intensive, intentional, and transformative experience for young folks age 18-25 who are ready to inspire change alongside their communities.

2017 Fellows in the fieldOver the course of ten weeks, Fellows learn from progressive experts from across the state, run the most innovative, effective, and fun civic programs in Washington State, and collaborate with community organizations and issue campaigns for hands-on organizing experience. Fellows are paid a stipend of $1000/ month over the course of the Fellowship.

For information regarding the Fellowship or questions about the application process please contact our Fellowship Coordinator, Mo Pannier. Mo can be reached at mo@washingtonbus.org or (303) 588-904.

 

 

The priority deadline for applications is  April 1st, 2020 at 11:59 PST. Applications will be accepted until April 22nd, 11:59 PST. We encourage applicants to apply as early as possible as the application process becomes increasingly competitive with each deadline.

See our Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

Exciting News from The Washington Bus

by | Mar 8, 2019 | Uncategorized

A Personal Message from the Board of Directors

 

Dear Bus Family and Friends,

The Board of Directors is excited to announce Amy Wasser as the Interim Executive Director of The Washington Bus. Amy joins the Bus as a seasoned nonprofit leader and a skilled organizational strategist. She most recently served as the Interim Executive Director at University Beyond Bars. We are confident that Amy’s energy and collaborative approach will be great assets to the Bus.

Over the course of the year, Amy will lead our board, staff, and stakeholders through a strategic planning process and the search for our next Executive Director. We’re so grateful to the Bus community for your steadfast support and look forward to announcing opportunities to meet Amy and the team. Please join us in welcoming Amy to the Bus and read a message from Amy below.

In gratitude,

Seferiana Day, Michael Hill, and Aaron Robertson
Executive Committee, Board of Directors

 

A Letter from the Interim Executive Director

 

To all,

I am honored to have been named the Interim Executive Director of The Washington Bus, an organization that has a direct impact on the issues important to young people  today and for the future. I have been a nonprofit professional for over 20 years and have spent the majority of my career assisting organizations with success/strategic planning, operations, and human resource development. I look forward to doing the same for the Bus and to meeting you at one of our events or programs soon. If you would like to meet with me one-on-one, please feel free to reach out to me via email at amy@washingtonbus.org.

If you haven’t yet, please click here to read about our work last year in our 2018 Impact Report.

Amy Wasser
Interim Executive Director

Interested in contributing to our work this year? Just click here.

GOTV Reflections

GOTV Reflections

by | Jan 18, 2019 | Uncategorized

Written by the 2018 Washington Bus Fall Interns: Octo, Avery and Maya

One of the best things about interning at the Bus is the sense of community we build and the way we empower people through our work. This fall, we worked tirelessly to register voters before the election, and Get Out The Vote (GOTV) after ballots were mailed. We focused on bringing voter registration to students instead of making them come to us. We organized with high schools and local community colleges, giving class presentations and canvassing on college campuses. We also had tables with information about voting and about the Bus at events at the Vera Project, a youth-based arts organization, as well as at events like the SEIU 775 conference. At the Bus, our mission is to combat misinformation about voting, let people know how easy it is to vote in Washington, and help youth and other marginalized groups better engage in politics. Our GOTV work consisted of phonebanks in our office and doorknocking events in King County and Pierce County. We could not have accomplished our GOTV goals without our amazing volunteers. We fostered  a sense of community at our phonebanks as we ate snacks, discussed interesting calls and watched fun movies together. For us, it’s important to remember that politics isn’t just about people in suits making decisions – it’s about people like us, being able to have fun while taking charge of our lives and working to improve the world around us. Our work this fall made a difference in local elections. All of our endorsed candidates won their elections. We registered 3,811 people to vote, made 16,503 phone calls and knocked on 1,397 doors. We had meaningful conversations with many young people about why they need to vote and, most importantly, we had fun doing it!

Octo

[Image description: Octo smiling at camera]

[Image description: Octo smiling at camera]

On GOTV weekends, we door knocked with Bus staff in the 30th and 47th legislative districts around Kent and Federal Way. Like phone banking, this activity required us to talk to strangers about their excitement for voting. The main difference is that we were meeting people in person in front of their house on a Saturday or Sunday morning. In addition to inquiring about people’s excitement to vote, we also asked people if they would be willing to endorse progressive candidates. Luckily, we had partners when we went door knocking around different neighborhoods, so there was always a good support system in case someone forgot a talking point or an unexpected conversation developed. The partnerships were perhaps the most engaging part because it meant closely working with someone you may not know.  My most memorable experience was with a volunteer from Nathan Hale.Working with this volunteer meant I got to share how I step outside of my comfort zone to engage in conversation. He was definitely nervous about talking to strangers, but throughout the day I provided opportunities for him to speak about ballot submission and the endorsed candidates. Through partnerships like this one, we could exchange our knowledge on how to engage voters, which helped everyone build on their experiences. We are proud of the community fostered in these personal and shared experiences because it contributed to greater voter turnout. Staff, volunteers, and interns alike grow into a community while working together to canvass. It was amazing to see people from various backgrounds feel united around political activism and we’re glad to tell you that it was a blast.

Avery

[Image description: Avery in front of Seattle Center Fountain]

[Image description: Avery in front of Seattle Center fountain]

For me, Avery, one of the best experiences of my internship was visiting a school that is a part of Seattle Interagency Academy. Seattle Interagency Academy is a network of small high schools that provide education for students who have been unable to continue their schooling in the mainstream Seattle Public Schools. We visited the school to host a voter registration drive and to do class presentations about civic engagement. During our presentation we all sat in a circle to talk about voting and what voting meant to us. When we asked who in the group was planning to vote, only two or three of the thirty-odd students raised their hands. We went around the circle asking people why they didn’t vote, their answers weren’t surprising: “I don’t think it matters,” “The government doesn’t care about people like me,” “It’s not worth my time.” These are all things we’ve heard from a lot of other students from marginalized backgrounds, as there isn’t a lot of evidence they can see about politicians caring about their needs. Will, the Bus staff lead, and I, shared stories about believing those same things when we were younger. A single vote may not feel like it matters, but as a group our votes count. We explained to the students that voting is a way they can take the future into their own hands and try to ensure it’s not just politicians who get to make decisions about their lives. By the end of our time there, almost every eligible student had registered to vote. A lot of students thanked us and said the presentation made them feel like they had a voice for the first time in a long time.  To see these students feel more confident and empowered to advocate for themselves was an incredible feeling.

Maya

[Image description: Maya smiling at camera]

[Image description: Maya smiling at camera]

People who work in the election cycle often talk about how draining GOTV season is – and with good reason. It’s hard to be face-to-face (or on the phone) with someone who simply doesn’t want to talk to you attempting to convince them that their vote really matters. And what do you say to really engage a classroom full of 17- and 18-year-olds who may not even realize there’s an election just around the corner? I think everyone who works for a campaign or volunteers at a GOTV event eventually figures out a message – or even just an opening line – that works for them, and that feels true and genuine.  There were a few conversations with voters that really stuck out to me. One voter I talked to while doorknocking in South King County thanked me and my canvassing partner profusely for the work we were doing and told us that his daughter – who was the person we’d been attempting to reach – had moved to Texas but was canvassing for Beto O’Rourke. Unsurprisingly, we left that house feeling energized! But it often still feels like a big challenge to educate and inform the public. However, the fact that it’s challenging is the very reason that our work through the Bus is so urgent – because so often it’s a sign that the people we’re talking to aren’t used to being reached out to. A new voter in South King County may not feel that voting is important to them because no one has ever bothered to ask for their vote – and that’s where the Bus steps in. Our message is simple: their vote matters.