On March 10th and 11th over a dozen CEOs of local Boys & Girls Clubs gathered in Olympia, WA for the annual advocacy days. This event provides civic education for Club teens, who participate in the Clubhouse in Columbia event and join local Club leaders in engaging their elected officials for advocacy for Clubs’ legislative priorities.
Clubhouse in Columbia event transforms a large meeting space on the ground floor of the Capitol building into a Boys & Girls Clubhouse, complete with bright signage, games like Connect Four, Jenga and tabletop billiards. Staff and teens from local Clubs engage with visiting legislators by sharing about great programs and youth engagement events back home.
This year’s legislative priorities for participating Club organizations included new capital budget investments in Club facilities and continuation of the Mental Health Promotion Pilot in partnership with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Additionally, the State Alliance facilitated a town hall for Club CEOs to engage with policy staff at the Governor’s Office as well as with the WA State Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer.
