FEEST

FEEST trains youth of color and working-class youth to build collective power and organize for transformative and systemic change in their schools! Our power comes from building a strong base, developing youth leaders, and running dynamic, radically joyful campaigns for systemic material change. Our work is both youth-led and multigenerational. We are currently running a campaign to secure mental health resources in both Highline and Seattle Public Schools. 

FEEST Mental Health Campaign Goals:

• Access to Therapists with Similar Lived Experiences to the Students they Serve - Students now more than ever are feeling the pressure. With the state of Student Mental Health being declared a crisis by many experts in the field, it is extremely important that students are able to access Mental Health care, specifically from therapists who have similar lived experiences, because students need someone they can relate to and count on.
  
• Wellness Rooms in All Schools - Wellness Rooms are an opportunity for schools to create a safe space that prioritizes student wellness. Wellness rooms can have space for students to rest, pray, seek professional and adult support, and so much more! Students need a dedicated space to recharge and take care of themselves.
  
• Culturally Affirming Social Emotional Learning (SEL) - It’s important for students to learn ways to better comprehend their emotions, and learn coping skills for the challenges of life. Culturally Affirming SEL takes into account the intersections of young people of color’s unique experience with oppression and how that impacts their ability to develop and learn in school. FEEST Students are organizing for teachers and staff to be trained Culturally Affirming SEL practices while incorporating these learnings into their classrooms. 
• Goals we have Won: New Wellness Rooms in 11 schools in HSD!  Thanks to the intentional dialog and organizing FEEST Students have had with the Highline School District and their decision makers, the district test-ran one wellness room last year, and that pilot project was successful! This year they have expanded Wellness Rooms to 11 total schools in HSD! This is a major win for FEEST Students who have been actively and intentionally pushing for the district to fund more Mental Health solutions for students. 

How Do We Do It? 

Our Vision for the Society We Want: 

We envision a society where working-class youth and families of color are thriving in vibrant, politically powerful communities. We see this society built on values that include, but are not limited to:

• Transformative Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice:
  • Eliminating oppression at its roots, prioritizing equity, and ensuring that everyone can live a healthy life on a sustainable planet
• Interdependence and Collective Liberation:
  • Recognizing that our struggles are linked and that we need to build trust with each other and work together to achieve liberation for all people 
• Self-Determination:
  • Those most impacted by injustice should be the primary decision-makers on how to address it
• Creativity and Radical Joy
  • We embrace our natural impulses for happiness and creativity to connect with each other, build community, and energize our movements

Our Vision for the Schools We Want: 

We envision a today where youth of color and working-class youth exercise their power to change systems that serve them so that they can thrive physically, mentally, and emotionally. In our vision, schools are vibrant learning centers that reflect the students they serve and support the long-term growth and holistic wellness of students and our communities.

FEEST works toward a liberated world where young people, people of color, immigrants, low-income, and other marginalized folks can determine their own lives and futures.

Youth are in the lead at FEEST because change is not effective unless those most impacted by health inequities are the decision-makers. When young people lead the way with creative solutions, the whole community benefits. Fierce youth who speak truth to power are essential in a time when our communities are constantly under threat by a political system that directly threatens our survival.

Want to learn more about what we did last year? Check out our 2022-2023 Annual Report!

2022-2023 Annual Report