The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) connects classroom, campus and community to promote a more just and humane world. The CCE is the hub for the Seattle University Youth Initiative (SUYI). Launched in 2011, this signature initiative unites campus and nearby neighborhoods to support youth and families. Our "cradle-to-career" network prepares local youth for success.
All gifts to SUYI during SU Gives will fund educational kits for neighborhood families to strengthen the home-to-school connection. Educational supplies, family activities and translated information provide connection between classrooms, virtual SUYI programs and at-home learning.
Since last April 2020, in response to the COVID shelter-in-place mandates, we have distributed over 600 family educational kits to support at-home learning. Our goal is to increase our reach to local families with youth in Kindergarten to 8th grade by bridging physical materials and virtual learning.
These kits are developed with family feedback and input from teachers. We prioritize purchasing materials from businesses owned by local Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) community members. A typical educational kit costs $60 depending on the number of family members in a household.
SUYI Education Kit Highlights
- Emphasis on activities for the whole family
- Local scholars enrolled in SUYI virtual programming receive enrichment supplies that enhance SUYI virtual after-school programming for K-8th graders.
- Siblings who are not enrolled in SUYI programs also receive age-appropriate books, art supplies, and toys so that everyone is included.
- Translated materials in eight family home languages to connect with the Youth Initiative and access community resources
- SUYI Family Engagement hosts online family activities using materials in the kits such as a reading by local children's book author
