the Service Board

Mission

As a youth-led organization, the Service Board (tSB) builds community through the power of youth. For the last 27 years, tSB has developed and implemented culturally-relevant programming for high school-aged youth from historically marginalized communities. tSB provides youth with an inclusive space that uplifts their voices and fosters a more equitable future. Through increasing access to high-barrier activities like snowboarding, we are committed to increasing diversity in the outdoors and building confidence in youth.

Description

tSB builds community around strengthening youth capacity and amplifying youth voice by providing access to opportunities for leadership and personal development. We work to provide a safe and supportive space where the voices of high school young adults from marginalized communities across King County are heard and valued. In combination with community service projects, adult mentoring, social and environmental justice education, tSB creates courageous communities of young change-makers, athletes, and future environmentalists.

Youth from historically marginalized backgrounds are less likely to participate in extracurriculars across the board – cost and access are two important factors for that. But this participation is vital. The communities and families we serve face significant social barriers due to race or ethnic background, family income and resource level, social and educational support systems, and access to community physical and mental health resources. tSB bridges some of the many access and opportunity gaps faced by BIPOC and low-income communities by providing community enrichment with peers and mentors, engagement with community service, and low- and no-cost opportunities for play and outdoor recreation centered around snowboarding. We work with youth to develop positive risk-taking behaviors, growth mindsets, hope and optimism for their future, and a sense of belonging, empowerment, and positive identity using our core values of social justice, community, service, and outdoor activities

Recognition

Our community partners are as passionate about fostering young development as we are! First and foremost, tSB is supported by a dedicated community network of individuals, businesses and organizations, without whom we would not be able to serve youth. Working in collaboration with organizations such Washington Trails Association, Mountain to Sound Greenway, Urban Artworks, Nurturing Roots Garden, Youth Speaks, Amplifier, Powerful Voices, King County Parks and the White Center Food Bank, youth engage in knowledge-building workshops and exploration of pathways to engage with the natural world. These partners also support our youth-led service projects, which range from creating murals, reforestation, preparing community gardens, trail building, invasive species removal, to river and beach cleanups. We also maintain close partnerships with local businesses like the Summit at Snoqualmie, Stevens Pass, evo, Patagonia and LOGE Camps to provide opportunities to engage in fun and challenging outdoor activities like snowboarding and hiking. For example, our longtime partnership with Seattle outdoor retailer, evo, has enabled us to appropriately outfit our participants for all activities to keep them safe and ensure they return again and again to explore the outdoors. We've also received significant financial support from the Satterberg Foundation, the Charlotte Martin Foundation, the National Winter Sports Education Foundation, the Premera Foundation, the Comcast Foundation, Vail Resorts, and many generous, dedicated individual donors. As an organization, we recognize the power that is found in strong partnerships and are continuing to leverage our growing network to support the greater need of the population we serve.