Program Co-coordinators, Barbara and Dan

The sun has begun to shine and cherry blossoms are in full bloom all across Seattle, serving as an apt metaphor for the exploding momentum of our summer program! Last week marked the launch of our participant outreach campaign, including a new Facebook page and website (www.sosseattle.org) which are now up and running. Just two weeks ago we secured our first major donation: $10,000! These initial funds, from a family foundation, have provided a great jumping off point for our larger fundraising efforts. Local non-profit, Sustainable Seattle, is serving as our fiscal sponsor this summer, providing shared use of their 501c3 status, accounting support, and many great connections throughout the community.

Seattle Center

As we launch the first ever Summer of Solutions program in Seattle, we could not be happier about our home base: we will be operating from the heart of Seattle Center, home of the Space Needle and Monorail. We’re partnering with The Next Fifty (www.thenextfifty.org), a six-month, citywide celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the 1962 world’s fair, which brought those iconic structures to Seattle. This partnership gives our program unprecedented access to some of the most innovative and exciting workshops, performances, and exhibits ever to grace the Emerald City. Our presence at The Next Fifty offers us a unique opportunity to amplify and extend the stories of our local program onto the global stage, where we will harness the power of new media to interact with others doing similar projects worldwide.

One of the most exciting elements of our program is our DIY guidebook. Throughout the program, participants will document their experiences via journalism, photography, videography, and mixed media to create and share powerful stories of their work online with the world. We will combine these multimedia stories with step-by-step instructions for replicating the projects we’ve engaged in to create a digital DIY Guide to Solutionary Living, which will be made available to the public at a closing celebration event in early August. This guidebook will serve as a powerful, accessible, and incredibly practical tool for community engagement and action.

Summer of Solutions | Seattle is now accepting applications for program leaders, participants, and volunteers to join us for a deeply creative, connected, and energizing summer experience! Apply Now: www.sosseattle.org. We look forward to seeing you in Seattle!

Much love from the SOS | Seattle crew,

~Dan, Barbara, Mia