Over the course of eight weeks leading up to the 15th Annual Festival in 2024, young leaders from across the city engaged in grassroots research, dialogue, and reflection to imagine and advocate for the changes they want to see in their local community. Anchored in the theme “Seattle as Our Homeplace,” last year’s program asked participants to explore what makes Seattle feel like home and what needs to change to make it a welcoming place for all young people.  

As leaders completed Stage 1 of their project, they presented to hundreds of festival visitors to share their initial findings. See some quick stats about their progress below!  

Interested in amplifying youth voices and empowering the next generation of community leaders? Stay tuned for updates regarding Stage 2 soon! 

Quick Statistics

At the 15th Annual International Children’s Friendship Festival, Youth Voices…  

• Received 71 submissions for the “Seattle as Our Homeplace” research project! 

• Participants responded to two questions:  

• What makes Seattle a strong community/homeplace for you?  

• What could we do to make Seattle a better community/homeplace for ALL young people? 

• Participants ranged in age from 5 to 18, and brainstormed so many creative ideas to build stronger networks of safety, power, belonging, and possibility in Seattle in the next 5-10 years.  

• Collected over 250 pins on our Global Map and Washington Map! 

• Visitors recorded where they feel most at home! This ranged from various cities and countries, to specific playgrounds, libraries, and ice cream shops 🙂. 

• By the end of the 2-day Festival, Youth Voices created a “Power Map” of all the spots within our city that young people feel connected, powerful, and safe!  

• Pledged interest from 56 youth who are committed to taking action on building a stronger youth community in Seattle!  

• Discussed with City of Seattle and King County representatives our project and vision! 

• Played Jeopardy with over 25 teams, in order to share deeper knowledge of Seattle’s Indigenous history and diverse immigrant communities!