Projects History
Spokane Service Team - The Youth Commission served as the lead planning agent for creation of this project, which is reminiscent of the conservation corps of the 1930's. Called the Spokane Service Team, the program engages out-of-work and out-of-school young adults (ages 19-23) in a full-time work and education regimen. Young people work in small teams on community projects throughout Spokane, primarily building and rehabbing low-income housing. Students receive a stipend and educational training in return. The SST also runs a summer corps program for youth 15-18. Educational Service District 101 serves as the operating agent for the Spokane Service Team, which is now a model AmeriCorps program.

Our Generation - The Spokesman-Review "teen page" entitled Our Generation, evolved as a direct result of a proposal by the Youth Commission, its Teen Advisory Council and with help from The Spokesman-Review staff. This special section of the newspaper offers teens a chance to explore their journalistic abilities as well as provide a very important communication link between teens and adults.

Self-Esteem Month - An annual community awareness campaign to promote understanding about youth self-esteem, schools and agencies participated by conducting self-esteem building activities and events that included youth and their families.  The Commission provided coordination and publicity for the month by producing community resource materials, videos, and televised messages highlighting the importance of self-esteem and ways to enhance self-esteem in children.  With a broader understanding of the role self-esteem plays and the factors that influence a child’s self-confidence, many schools continue to stage family-oriented events throughout the year.

CareerFest - This one-day event targets 500, 8th and 9th grade students who are at-risk of dropping out of school.  The Spokane Area Private Industry Council co-sponsors with the participation of the Spokane City/County Employment and Training Consortium.  Fifty local businesses host small groups of young people in work sites throughout the County, where they provide hands-on exposure to a variety of jobs and career opportunities.  In addition, teachers and employers are spending time in each other’s environment to better understand the other’s the challenges and needs.  Most of the coordination for the event is now handled by ESD101.

Student Leadership and Involvement (SLI) - A program initiated by Chase Youth Commission, Spokane County WSU/4-H, and the Washington Leadership Institute, SLI provided training and support for young people to engage in community problem solving and decision-making.  A core feature of the teens’ activities was a newsletter produced by and for teens.  Called “SLIVER,” the newsletter promoted opportunities for young people to volunteer in community projects and provided a way for adults to advertise when help was needed.  United Way became a partner in supporting this SLI activity.  However, without sufficient funding support, the program was discontinued.  Many of the key elements of the program are being reconstructed through a new collaboration called the Partnership for Youth Involvement.

Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coalition - The Coalition's purpose is to explore the issues of teenage pregnancy and create a course of action which would address these issues. The group has published a local study entitled, "Adolescent Pregnancy ChildWatch," conducted conferences on teenage pregnancy prevention, and maintains a speakers bureau to create greater community awareness regarding teenage pregnancy in Spokane.  The Coalition is broad-based, representing various philosophies on teenage pregnancy prevention and is now under the umbrella of Spokane County Health District.

Hoopfest Summer 3-on-3 Basketball - A special grant from Hoopfest allowed the Commission to provide a summer 3-on-3 basketball program through Spokane Parks & Recreation.   The summer program gives youth in grades 4-8 an opportunity to learn basketball skills, develop teamwork, and meet youth from other neighborhoods.  The program concluded each summer with an inter-neighborhood “Play Day” and barbecue.  Spokane  Parks and Recreation  continues this program with support from Hoopfest.

Greater Spokane Alliance for Youth - Evolving from the Youth 2000 Initiative and the concern for education and workplace readiness of youth, The Alliance promoted the collaborative involvement of business in addressing youth issues.  The Alliance for Youth educated local employers about the relationships between family issues, education, and work force quality.  Projects of the Alliance included: "Making the Grade: A Report Card on Spokane Area Youth;" "Family First," a campaign to assist employers in making the workplace more supportive of families; and "Street Kids: Finding the Connections," a study on the causes related to kids living on the streets.  The Alliance has evolved and merged its involvement with the “Communities That Care”  Prevention Board to further engage the business community  in youth development. 

Communities that Care/Spokane Prevention Team - The Commission was instrumental in the formation of a Community Prevention Team, whose purpose has been to promote a healthier community and improve the well-being of families and youth by reducing conditions that place youth at risk of developing problem behaviors and strengthening the factors that build resilience. With special training in evaluating community risk factors and promising prevention approaches, the Prevention Team has engaged the community in decreasing risks such as academic failure, lack of family management, and low neighborhood attachment while increasing protective factors such as a sense of belonging, clear community standards, and a strong system of youth opportunities, skill building, and recognition.  The Prevention Team has now committed its energy to the new America’s Promise initiative, locally called “ Spokane’s Promise/Bridging the GAP”.

Kidsweek - A nine-day celebration honoring youth and teens in mid-August, KidsWeek provided free or low-cost activities and entertainment for kids of all ages.  Over 40,000 individuals participated in KidsWeek events annually.  Special events for teens were organized by the teens themselves.  KidsDay in the Park, teen cruises on Lake  Coeur d’Alene, and a battle of the bands competition called BOBfest  became KidsWeek traditions.  Although the Youth Commission no longer sponsors and coordinates KidsWeek, KidsDay in the Park remains as a one-day event in August and is now coordinated by Events Marketing Northwest.  BOBfest continues as an early summer event in Riverfront  Park, organized by members of the Chase Youth Commission’s Teen Advisory Council.

Libby Teen Center - Over a period of several years, the Commission assisted in the establishment of the Libby  Teen  Center, a facility which houses a variety of community programs for and with teens.  The Center provides a citywide program with teen involvement that includes safe, positive opportunities for socialization, education, recreation, health and wellness.  It was meant to be a prototype for the development of other teen centers throughout the community.  The Youth Commission is now focused on designing a plan to replicate teen centers in other locations of the greater Spokane community.

Project "Get Real!" - With a grant from the State of Washington through Spokane Community Mobilization Against Substance Abuse (CMASA), the Youth Commission was able to fund a variety of recreational, educational, and leisure activities for youth in three low-income areas of Spokane.  Working together, the Spokane Parks and Recreation Department; East Central, Northeast, and West Central Community Centers; and WSU/Spokane County Cooperative Extension were able provide a summer full of field trips, leadership training, and recreational activities for youth living in those neighborhoods.  The Youth Department facilitated the collaboration, planning, and budgeting for activities.  Although the project was successful in providing youth with positive alternatives to substance abuse, funding through CMASA did not continue.

Community and Youth Partnership Project - An early attempt to expand volunteer opportunities for youth as a way to build a sense of belonging and social responsibility among at-risk youth, this program matched the interests of individual students with community service work.  In addition, all participants were encouraged to attend group problem-solving and planning meetings to develop group community service projects.  The students began to form social bonds and elected to plan outside activities together such as bowling and roller skating.  Preliminary data collected during the project pointed towards an increase over time in the self-esteem of  participants.  Long-term results of the projects could not be measured, as the program was discontinued when funding disappeared.

Public Forums - The Commission has sponsored numerous community forums to discuss concerns relating to children and youth.  This has been helpful in determining needs and understanding the issues affecting our young people and their families.  Examples of topics featured in previous public forums are: cultural diversity, youth with special needs, pregnant and parenting teens, youth sports, recreational opportunities, volunteerism, drugs and alcohol, suicide prevention, education, and legislative issues.

Youth Empowerment Project - With funding from the WA State Office of Juvenile Justice, high school students in low-income neighborhoods were invited to engage with the Youth Department in researching the needs of youth in their area as well as the resources available to meet those needs.  The data were analyzed by the students who then generated a set of recommendations and presented them to a variety of community leaders.  As a result, their voices were heard, and some of their recommendations have already been implemented.  Others are still a work in progress.  In addition, middle school students were invited to create service projects in their neighborhoods after school that would improve one or more of the conditions described in the research.  As a result, these students made a difference on issues such as poverty, animal abuse, and lack of school pride.