Update: Check out our photo petition on the National Day of Action to Pull the Pentagon Pork here!

By Lucy Vazquez

On Tuesday February 19th PJALS members met with John Culton, the Eastern Washington Director for Senator Patty Murray as our second mobilization, following up on our December action, where we delivered over 1,100 signatures of individuals and 18 different organizations that have signed on as part of PJALS’ Bring Our Billions Home Campaign. As the fight over the budget continues and more cuts to social programs are on the chopping block, PJALS decided to make a stance and urge Senator Murray to protect our communities and fight to reduce wasteful Pentagon spending.

Sitting in Senator Murray’s Eastern Washington Director John Culton’s office with seven PJALS members–veterans, students, farmers, mothers and fathers, and other everyday people–and listening to their stories made me realize this is not about numbers, it’s about impacting real people and communities. Read more »

 By Michelle Little, Young Activist Leader and PJALS Intern

Being a single mother of three young children, I depend on many programs to care for my family while I am attending college, including Medicaid, food stamps, child care assistance and the Washington State Need Grant for higher education. Continuing cuts to these programs will devastate families such as my own, and many other families who are struggling to stay afloat.

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day I had the privilege of speaking at the rally on the capitol steps with 300 people at Washington Community Action Network’s Racial Justice Rally in Olympia. I went with a delegation from the Peace and Justice Action League including my fellow intern Justin Filla. This was the first time I had ever spoken in front of a crowd, and although it was very scary it was also very empowering to be able to tell my story and have the support of so many people who feel the same way I do.

Read more »

by Alex Golikov, Lewis and Clark High School, Northwest Alliance for Responsible Media

If I were a male of my age, I would just punch a wall and forget the issues that make me an activist. Well, I tried, and it didn’t work- so I joined YALP. There is a large difference between being aware, and being aware with the knowledge of how to act. YALP has not only provided me with a broader awareness of local, national, and global affairs through the diverse knowledge pool of our members, but an idea of how to make change that becomes clearer with every meeting. Read more »

Michelle Little, Young Activist Leader and PJALS intern, with her kids

Michelle Little grew up in Omak, WA, and is the mother of three children, ages 7, 4, and 2. Michelle decided to get a degree in social work so she can change people’s views on social workers, due to her own previous negative experiences with social workers.

At first, she was interested in working in corrections or chemical dependency. After learning about macro-level social work in one of her classes, Michelle realized that she wanted to make a bigger difference and work on a larger scale. The major turning point for her was when she went to Olympia to lobby for healthcare. Read more »

Josh Neil, Young Activist Leader and PJALS intern

Josh Neil, from Whidbey Island, WA, is very active on EWU’s campus, where he helps the Pride Center Coordinator with various presentations about the LGBT community and how to become an ally.

Josh got very interested in learning more about PJALS after talking with one of the interns from last year. He then saw the organization’s work as something that he saw himself doing in the future. He states, “I’m looking forward to becoming more involved in the political process,” so he can become a more informed citizen.

He describes his most memorable moment at PJALS thus far, as doing phone banking for Referendum 74. Read more »

Lucy Vazquez, Young Activist Leader and PJALS intern

Lucy Vazquez, from Wenatchee, WA, became interested in social work because she liked the case management work she saw her mother doing in the community. Lucy is also working on a minor in Chicano/Latino studies.

Lucy has been active in MEChA, NASA (Native American Student Association), One America and other social justice groups and she’s learned leadership and communication skills. She has a passion for social change, is open-minded, and wants to help other people. Read more »

Justin Filla, Young Activist Leader and PJALS intern

Justin Filla is from Cowiche, a small rural community outside of Yakima, WA. He was originally majoring in Criminal Justice, but after learning more about systemic issues that contributed to the delinquency of minors, he realized that he would rather be on the other side of the problem. Rather than putting people in jail he wanted to help them in other ways. He then decided the Social Work program would be a good fit. He is still considering finishing his degree in Criminal Justice, but would like to focus on his current program. For the last three years, Justin has been involved with ASEWU, the Associated Students of Eastern Washington University, and is currently the elected Student Services Representative. Read more »

“Not only did this program give me numerous, explicitly useful tools for my activism, it refueled my spirit every month and encouraged me immensely to stay involved and active. I was treated like my work really mattered.”

“This program has been incredibly helpful and enjoyable. It helps young activists realize and utilize their own power and promotes their autonomy as leaders and organizers.”

“The Young Activist Leaders program is an amazing experience for all levels of personal experience. It is a wonderful opportunity for current leaders to share their knowledge with those who seek it and to ensure there are future leaders to push boundaries, ask questions, and seek justice.”

Your support helps us provide skill-building workshops, binders and materials,  dedicated staff time, healthy food, and stipends for those who complete the commitment. Thank you! It’s easy at www.pjals.org/contribute.

Check out our coverage on KYRS:

By Liz Moore

Our Young Activist Leaders program has graduated its first class! This, as you know, is PJALS’ re-launched youth leadership development program, which introduced me to social justice work when I was a high school student. Because of passionate support from members like you, we re-launched this program last fall to build the skills and support the leadership of wonderful young people. Read more »

by Amanda Hunt, BSW

Since September, I have had the pleasure of working with the Peace and Economic Justice Committee. In this committee, we set our 2012 legislative priorities which included fighting to raise revenue in the state by closing corporate tax loopholes and rejecting cuts that will disproportionately affect low-income children, families, and people of color. Read more »