OUR ROLE
Here at the Y, our mission is to create positive community change through relationships by empowering the mind, body, and spirit for ALL. Our Y will continue our journey toward creating a more inclusive and equitable Skagit through education and the amplification of Black, brown, and other underrepresented voices within our community.
Each and every member of our Y Family has the opportunity to be a steward of the Y’s mission for inclusion and equity for ALL. We invite you to join us in our journey as we continue to partner with other nonprofits and our Skagit community to be a socially responsible organization that creates positive change.
Our team has compiled a series of resources for anyone looking to learn more about equity as we all work together to create a stronger community that is welcoming to all.

COVID-19 Vaccine Information
As the COVID-19 vaccines begin reaching the broader population, the Y is working to ensure that everyone has equitable access to accurate information about the vaccines and to the vaccines themselves, especially Black and Brown communities, which have been disproportionately affected by the health and economic impacts of the virus.
Visit the vaccine resources link below for links to expert, science-backed information about the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines.

MV HOPE
MV HOPE (Mount Vernon: Healthy Outcomes through Prevention Efforts) Coalition is a community collaboration working to implement opioid and other drug prevention through a community-based approach. The Coalition funds direct service programs and environmental strategies that are proven to reduce substance use in youth. The Coalition serves the geographical reach of the Mount Vernon School District.
RESOURCES
FOR YOUTH
- Greater Seattle Y Parent Resource Page
- Free Read-a-Loud: “Something Happened in Our Town”
- Article: Becoming Upended: Teaching and Learning about Race and Racism with Young Children and Their Families
- 15 Classroom Resources for Discussing Racism, Policing, and Protest
- Middle Eastern and Muslim Stereotypes in Media (TEDxYouth)
- The Roots of Negative Stereotypes (Twin Cities PBS)
- The Trevor Project – Saving LGBTQ Lives
- “What Do You Say to ‘That’s So Gay’ & Other Anti-LGBTQ Comments?”
- “15 LGBTQ Affirming Picture Books for Kids” by Rebekah Gienapp
- “Invisible Disabilities: Seeing Others With Compassion” TEDxYouth Talk by Valerie Kosson
FOR ADULTS – Beginning Your Journey:
- Learning Together Free Community Trainings – acknowledging indigenous land and treaties, sustainability and resiliency, intergenerational dialog, equitable teams, social learning leadership, and more!
- A Conversation on Race by NYTimes
- “The danger of a single story” TED Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- The difference between being “not racist” and antiracist TED Talk Ibram X. Kendi
- Award-Winning New York Times Magazine “1619 Project”- Interactive Gallery
- “Anti-Asian Racism Exposes the Model Minority Myth” by Michael W. Kraus & Eunice Eun
- Project 562 “Changing the Way We See Native America”
- PFLAG Online Academy
- “4 Ways To Make Your Workplace Equitable For Trans People” by Tuck Woodstock
- “I’m not your inspiration, thank you very much” TED Talk by Stella Young
- What is Cerebral Palsy?
- Free Bystander Training to End Asian American Harassment
- Help Track Hate – Reporting System for Hate Crimes & Acts of Discrimination
FOR ADULTS – A Deeper Dive:
- YMCA Anti-Racism Resources
- Audre Lorde – poetry & more
- Unlearning Systemic Racism Y National Townhall Feb. 24th
- Teaching Tolerance
- Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America
- “The Case for Reparations,” by Ta-Nehisi Coates (The Atlantic)
- Ain’t No Makin’ It: Aspirations and Attainment in a Low-Income Neighborhood
- The Real Rosa Parks Story is Better Than the Fairy Tale
- Mental Health Issues Facing the Black Community (Sunshine Behavioral Health)