September 19, 2025 | Fall Kick-Off Network Meeting
Meeting summary for Sound Reengagement Collaborative | Monthly Network Meeting (09/19/2025)
Note Summary Provided by Zoom AI Companion
Overview
This meeting was the first Sound Reengagement Collaborative (SRC) meeting of the new academic year, focusing on reviewing regional disconnection data and setting collaborative goals. The SRC is a network of organizations working to reconnect youth and adult learners to education and employment opportunities in South King County (including Bellevue) and Pierce County. The meeting included presentations on data from the previous year, introduction of the Youth Research Fellowship program, and discussions about setting goals to address high rates of post-secondary disconnection in the region.
Key Concepts or Theories:
Opportunity Youth: Young people aged 16-24 who are neither in school nor working
Post-secondary disconnection: Young people with high school credentials but no post-secondary education who are not working or in school
Collective impact approach: Organizations working together to address complex social issues through shared goals and coordinated efforts
Street Data framework: An approach to data collection that centers lived experiences and qualitative information
Important Questions Raised:
How can the collaborative address the high rate of post-secondary disconnection in the region?
What barriers prevent young people with high school credentials from accessing post-secondary education or employment?
How should success be measured - by disconnection rates or by program supports and outreach?
How can organizations collaborate effectively with limited capacity and funding?
Key Takeaways and Summary of Learning Objectives
The SRC region has nearly 23,000 Opportunity Youth (11.1% disconnection rate), with the highest concentration in specific neighborhoods in Pierce County
Post-secondary disconnection is significantly higher in the SRC region compared to other similar collaboratives nationally
18 organizations submitted data for the first "data drop," representing over 16,000 youth and adult learners served
The Youth Research Fellowship program has launched with seven fellows who will conduct research with program participants
The collaborative is working to establish goals to address disconnection rates, particularly focusing on post-secondary disconnection
Topic 1: Regional Disconnection Data
The SRC region encompasses South King County (including Bellevue) and all of Pierce County, with approximately 22,805 Opportunity Youth (11.1% disconnection rate). The data revealed that post-secondary disconnection is particularly high in the region, with 67% of Opportunity Youth having a high school diploma or GED but no post-secondary credential. This represents about 15,000 young people who have completed high school but are not connected to further education or employment. Pierce County shows an even higher post-secondary disconnection rate at 41.3%, which has been increasing since 2019 while other regions have seen decreases. When comparing the SRC region to other cities like Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Philadelphia, the post-secondary disconnection rate stands out as significantly higher. The data also showed that 65% of Opportunity Youth are in the 20-24 age range, suggesting overlap with adult reengagement work.
Relevant Q&A
Alissa: Do you have a prediction about whether disconnection has decreased or increased since the 2023 data?
Angela: We'll show some trends over the years, but until we get newer data, we don't know for sure. We're trying to do both census data collection and our own data collection.
Rebecca: Do we know anything about how mobile these students are or more general about mobility of Opportunity Youth?
Danika: We don't have precise data that shows how or where young people are moving. We can make assumptions based on gentrification patterns and know that people travel across county boundaries, but we don't have concrete data on mobility.
Topic 2: Year One Data Collection Results
In the first year of data collection, 18 organizations submitted data representing over 16,000 youth and adult learners served in King and Pierce counties, with nearly 5,000 in the Opportunity Youth age range (16-24). The data showed that these organizations provided various services: 13 offered GED/high school completion programs, 11 provided post-secondary support, and 8 focused on job attainment. Key outcomes included 500+ high school/GED graduates, nearly 500 young people beginning post-secondary programs, 113 receiving post-secondary credentials, and over 1,600 gaining jobs or internships. Demographically, 85% of participants were people of color, and 55% were men and boys. The data collection process revealed inconsistencies in how organizations track various metrics, including school disconnection, work disconnection, sexual orientation, mental health support, housing support, and support for physical or cognitive disabilities.
Relevant Q&A
Connor: Are you tracking at all any kind of engagement with students who are self-studying for a GED?
Jeff: We would love to track that population, but it depends on our partners tracking that information. We weren't explicit with organizations about counting that group, which is something we could improve next year.
Topic 3: Youth Research Fellowship
The SRC has launched a Youth Research Fellowship program running from September 2025 to June 2026, aimed at intentionally engaging youth in the collaborative's mission through a youth-led research project. Seven fellows were introduced, representing diverse backgrounds and interests. The fellowship will use Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) methodology, with fellows designing and conducting research with program participants to uncover ways to improve services. The research will incorporate the Belonging, Meaning, Wellbeing, and Purpose framework discussed in previous SRC meetings. Fellows will share their findings and recommendations with the SRC in June, after which the collaborative will develop strategies to improve program services based on these insights.
Relevant Q&A
No specific Q&A was recorded for this topic.
Topic 4: Collaborative Goal Setting
Participants discussed potential goals for the collaborative, particularly focused on addressing the high post-secondary disconnection rate. The discussion highlighted several challenges, including organizational capacity constraints, funding limitations, and population growth outpacing service capacity. Some participants suggested framing goals positively around supports provided rather than focusing solely on disconnection rates. Others emphasized the importance of identifying barriers to post-secondary engagement and developing collaborative strategies to address them. The SRC team announced they would be conducting an internal research project using the Street Data framework to better understand post-secondary disconnection in the region, with opportunities for network members to contribute through interviews and focus groups.
Relevant Q&A
Participant: We're facing two things as organizations: capacity limitations and changes in funding. If we don't have capacity, we cannot reduce disconnection percentages. Also, King County's population increases by roughly 1% every year, which means the population increase is outpacing what we can do.
Alyssa: Instead of framing goals around disconnection rates, which has a deficit mindset, we should focus on what the collaborative has done to improve or decrease that rate. There are a lot of supports the collaborative is already providing, and focusing on that would be more positive.
Actionable Next Steps / Assignments
The SRC Advisory Committee will meet later in September to review feedback and begin crafting collaborative goals
The next SRC meeting will be held on October 17, 2025, at Tacoma Goodwill (with a hybrid option)
The November meeting will be at Green River College's Kent Campus on November 21, 2025
No meeting in December, but a social gathering is being planned
The SRC team will be developing a research action plan focused on post-secondary disconnection
Supplemental Resources and Readings
Measure of America website has a disconnection tool that allows users to explore data by PUMA (Public Use Microdata Area)
Discord channel for the SRC is available for announcements and communication between meetings
LEARN network was mentioned as a similar collaborative focused on adult learners across Washington state
Northwest Education Access is hiring a development manager
