SOAR's FOCUS - School-Age Children & Youth

SOAR challenges our community to make children and youth our highest priority.  SOAR connects, convenes and catalyzes communities in King County in order to create a welcoming, safe and empowering environment to give young people ages 6-18 the opportunity to reach their full potential.

King County Action Agenda for School-Age Children and Youth Executive Summary Four Goals

Action Teams – School-Age Children & Youth

SOAR Action Teams help carry out the goals of the King County Action Agenda for School-Age Children and Youth.  Check out what the Action Teams are doing!


Mini Grant Recipients

Click here for a list of community groups and organizations using mini-grant funds to carry out strategies of the King County Action Agenda.


Special Projects

Youth Worker Connections is an upcoming website devoted to helping youth workers in King County connect and find resources.  More information coming soon!


Four Goals – School-Age Children & Youth

Goal 1.  Access to Quality Out-of-School Programs: Children and youth have full and safe access to local, quality, engaging and relevant programs that help them succeed in school and in life.
Goal 2.  Meaningful Roles: Children and youth have culturally relevant and age-appropriate opportunities to be leaders, decision makers, and engaged members of a community that values them.
Goal 3.  Meaningful Relationships: Children and youth have positive, healthy, and nurturing relationships with caregivers, family, peers, mentors, program staff, and their community; these relationships guide and inspire them toward success.
Goal 4.  Resiliency & Valued Identities: Children and youth build resiliency and participate safely, without experiencing or expressing bias, as valued members of diverse, conscientious communities.

Cultural Relevancy

Cultural Relevancy, also known as cultural competency, is a shared value that shapes the Action Agendas and is central to all goals and strategies.  Cultural relevancy is rooted in the belief that respect, understanding, and awareness of cultures in one’s community is of paramount importance.  It seeks to expand our minds and hearts in shaping all aspects of community resources to reflect the needs, goals, values, languages beliefs, communication styles and strengths of children, youth and families.  Cultural relevancy helps ensure resources are accessible, meaningful, and tailored to meet community needs. 

SOAR values work that challenges bias, recognizing that barriers children, youth and families face are often rooted in the cycle of poverty, discrimination, bias and oppression, a well as limited cultural relevancy in the provision of services.  The shared values of cultural relevancy and challenging bias are essential in order to support the development, learning and well-being of all children.



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