South County youth were one in four communities in the nation that were singled out for national recognition and a cash award of $100,000 from the Northwest Area Foundation. The award recognizes the youth leadership and entrepreneurship in addressing the poverty and economic transition in Quilcene and Brinnon.
“Its really the youth that are our key asset and strength and its the youth that will build a better future, said J Baisch. This started with the Gates Foundation grant and we appreciate how Gates helped us realize that instead of telling the same old story we needed to look at the assets in our community and build on what works and in our community its our caring and honoring of our youth and the natural resources that bless this area”.
The Northwest Area Foundation selected Brinnon/Quilcene for its 2007 “Great Strides Award.” A team of consultants from the Foundation visited the community in early January to meet with youth and community leaders. The cash award is given nationally to up to four communities each year in recognition of the innovative strides they take to reduce poverty in their communities.
Brinnon/Quilcene won the 2007 Award in recognition of how the community came together to connect the passions and skills of local youth with community mentors and developed a wide variety of community service learning experiences—including a shellfish youth involved business- in ways that can result in future employment and careers for local youth. By capitalizing on the assets of local youth the community and young people developed a new 4-H shellfish business, Big Quil Enterprises, that works to reverse economic and wage decline in the south county area.
Brinnon and Quilcene have struggled with economic transition from a forest based economy. They have a poverty rate of 11-percent and many residents are concerned that their children will not be able to stay in the community . This award of $100,000 is not a grant but an award for past efforts and an investment from the NW Area Foundation to continue the work with a youth-involved business and the shellfish industry such as Coast Oyster and Taylor United Seafood.
The South County project started in the late 1980s with John Pitts working with Charlie Baker at Quilcene High School to teach science by engaging students in local water quality monitoring and shellfish enhancement. The program continued for a couple of years but the school district was unable to continue the program and the shellfish lease became inactive.
In l998 the local WSU Extension office received funding for a new after school program and was asked by the County Law and Justice committee to focus on the youth in Quilcene and Brinnon. After one year of county funding the program has continued with U.S. Forest Service Secure Rural Schools Funding . The WSU 4-H Afterschool Forestry Program now works with approximately 200 first through twelfth graders in Quilcene and Brinnon. The after school program focuses on forestry and natural resource education and gets students involved in a broad variety of educational programs that encourage forestry and natural resource careers. In 2006 the 4-H youth tracked the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree from being cut in the Quilcene Forest, dedicated by the Governor, and traveling all the way to its site at the White House grounds.
In l998 the Quilcene School District was awarded a Gates Foundation Small Schools Grant to encourage flexible course scheduling and community service learning. In l999, Lorna Ward and the Quilcene School Board asked WSU to assist the district again and to take the lead on the development and administration of a new Connecting Schools and Communities grant funded again through the Gates Foundation. This program has worked with youth, funded and provided teacher training programs, and provided technology and equipment to school programs for the past three years. The grant has funded three years of community service learning and educational programming in Quilcene and Brinnon. In addition it always ensured youth were in leadership roles in the project including having youths interview and recommend selection of Joe and Joy Baisch to coordinate the local program. Over 70% of the youth in Quilcene and Brinnon are enrolled and engaged in WSU 4-H programs. Connecting Schools and Communities operates out of an office provided in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and works throughout the community wherever youth want to work and learn.
In 2006 Quilcene and Brinnon hosted the first annual economic summit in Brinnon. Guests included Luther Snow from the Asset Based Community Development program at Northwestern University and Maury Forman from the Washington Community Trade and Development Office. Over sixty community members prioritized working with youth and developing local natural resource programs as top priorities. A real asset of the community was the number of highly skilled retired residents who are willing to share their expertise and skills with young entrepreneurs in the area.
Today, Brinnon and Quilcene have their hard work rewarded as they join other 2007 Great Strides winners Independence, Oregon; White Earth Reservation, Minnesota; and the city of Westhope, North Dakota.
“In our work, we’ve observed that many communities have a hard time acknowledging the poverty suffered by its own citizens,” said Karl Stauber, president and CEO of the Northwest Area Foundation. “But our work has also shown us that there are communities that can, and are, working to reduce poverty long term, and that they have powerful lessons to share. The Great Strides awards are meant to applaud the bold and innovative steps these communities are taking to reduce poverty and to invest in those efforts to continue and share their success with other communities while making lasting change that will lead to opportunities for everyone in the community.”
Members of this community have successfully demonstrated that they are not willing to cede opportunity of future prosperity. Development of a new business, the aquaculture industry, has provided over 400 jobs paying up to $25/hour, which has contributed to a wage growth of 16-percent over the past ten years. Taylor Shellfish is the primary aquaculture business in what has grown to be a $73 million-per-year industry for the state of Washington. Taylor Shellfish has taken an innovative step and is providing corporate mentorship for the youth-involved 4-H Big Quil Enterprises aquaculture business. Big Quil is an example of a school/community partnership that is preparing young people for living wage jobs that will enable them the opportunity to remain in their communities, earn a living wage, and contribute to future success.
“We are so thankful for being recognized by the Northwest Area Foundation with the Great Strides Award. There are many in the community who contributed to this success. The award money will allow us to continue our work building a youth-involved economic engine in South Jefferson County, Washington,” said Joe Baisch, co-community coordinator, Brinnon/Quilcene, Washington.
Northwest Area Foundation created the Great Strides Awards to reward communities for the significant progress they have made to reduce poverty long term. The four winning communities each receive $100,000, which will go to community organizations which will decide how the funds will be used for community benefit. Northwest Area Foundation has asked each winner to work with the Foundation to share key lessons about their efforts and programs so that other communities can learn from their experiences and possibly replicate the success.
Great Strides Award recipients were selected using the following criteria:
· Inclusiveness: involvement of community members from diverse sectors and groups.
· Regional Impact: interaction with, and awareness of, other communities facing similar issues in their geographic area.
· Assets-Based Perspective: recognition of the community’s existing strengths.
· Economic Engines: involvement with businesses and other organizations that fuel the local economy.
· Leadership: efforts to nurture leaders from different public and private sectors, ages and genders.
The Northwest Area Foundation, headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., is committed to helping communities reduce poverty in its eight-state region of Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. The Great Northern Railway, founded by James J. Hill, served this region from 1889-1970. Hill’s son, Louis W. Hill, established the foundation in 1934. Today, the Foundation brings technical assistance and financial resources that help identify, share and advocate community-focused strategies for long-term impact.
