NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP

Friends of the Children-Seattle acknowledges that we are on the unceded ancestral land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People, past and present. We are grateful for and honor the land itself, and the Duwamish Tribe, who continue to bring to light their ancient heritage. We also recognize that we carry out our mission on the traditional lands of the Snoqualmie, Snohomish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, Puyallup, and other tribes.

We also live and work in a society that was built on the backs of millions of enslaved peoples who were forcibly removed from their lands. Their stolen labor has fueled a nation that continues to thrive at the cost of environmental degradation and systemic injustices experienced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities.

To achieve our mission of impacting generational change by working with youth who are facing the greatest obstacles, we commit to working internally and with other decolonizing efforts to replace systems that inflict trauma with practices that restore and advance human dignity.

* * *

Friends of the Children–Seattle is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt nonprofit organization (91-2047030). We are one chapter of a nationwide organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of generational poverty through salaried, professional mentoring. The national organization was founded in 1993. Friends-Seattle was founded in Seattle, WA in 2000. Learn how our model works and about our chapter history below.

Friends of the Children complies with Federal Transparency in Coverage regulations by providing this link to machine readable files related to the health plans offered to our employees. The machine-readable files are formatted to allow researchers, regulators, and application developers to more easily access and analyze data including negotiated service rates, and out-of-network allowed amounts between health plans and healthcare providers.

www.kp.org

Our Mission

Impacting generational change by supporting youth who are facing the greatest obstacles through relationships with professional mentors – 12+ years, no matter what.

Values

Our values guide us to achieve our mission. Each value applies not only to our youth, mentors, and program teams, but also applies to all Friends of the Children employees, volunteers, and partners. We use our values to make informed decisions; to hire, coach, manage, and most importantly, we use our values to change the way the world treats and views the youth and families we serve.

Put Children First

Put Youth First

We intentionally serve youth who are facing the greatest obstacles. To help our youth discover their limitless potential, we foster their internal resiliency. We listen to our youth and base decisions on each youth’s needs and dreams. We prioritize self-care so that we bring our best selves to our work and focus on our youth.

Build Relationships on Love

Build Relationships on Love

We nurture long-term relationships from a foundation of love, acceptance, and culturally-informed practice. We don’t give up easily and take a no matter what approach to our work. We commit for the long term. We intentionally develop collaborative relationships over time with trust, empathy, and healthy communication. We believe that we build community through one-on-one connections that are authentic, respectful, and meaningful.

Empowerment

Commit to Empowerment

We leverage personal strengths to take ownership of our futures. We build relationships within the communities of our youth and families to strengthen social networks and provide bridges to new opportunities. We consistently inspire possibility through empathy, hard work and fun. We model all of this for our youth, families, and each other.

Pursue Goals Relentlessly

Pursue Goals Relentlessly

We celebrate all achievements, big and small. We are disciplined in our commitment to goals, while innovative in how we reach them. We believe that the definition of success requires intentional reflection and adjustment over time. We work together and hold ourselves accountable with data to achieve short and long-term outcomes.

Demand equity

Demand Equity

We acknowledge the historical and present injustices impacting marginalized communities. We demand equity from ourselves and from our community. We insist that all people have the necessary support to achieve all of their hopes and dreams. We amplify the voices of our youth, families, and communities. We bring together different experiences, skills, and backgrounds to provide opportunities to overcome personal, systemic, and institutional barriers.