More than 100 students and community leaders from across Washington came together at Seattle University for Communities for Our Colleges’ third Student Power Building Conference—a weekend focused on building relationships, developing campaign strategy, and putting organizing skills into action.

Participants represented communities across the state, including Spokane, Deer Park, Wenatchee, Yakima, Selah, Tieton, Granger, Toppenish, Sunnyside, Grandview, Ellensburg, Pasco, Kennewick, Auburn, Kent, Federal Way, Tacoma, Lakewood, University Place, Bremerton, Bothell, Lynnwood, Everett, Marysville, Maple Falls, and Seattle.

Continue reading “From Belonging to Action: 116 Leaders Build Statewide Student Power”

At a moment when public education is under attack and the cost of college continues to put higher education out of reach for too many families, Communities for Our Colleges believes we need to do more than defend what we have. We need to organize for the higher education system our communities deserve.

On July 28, Communities for Our Colleges partnered with New Voters for a national College for All Strategy Session, bringing together students, educators, organizers, and community members from Washington and states across the country. We were joined by Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, lead House sponsor of the College for All Act, for a conversation about the future of public higher education and the organizing needed to make college accessible to everyone.

Continue reading “From Washington to a National Fight for College for All”

At Communities for Our Colleges (C4C), we believe that transforming higher education requires more than good policy ideas. It requires organized people, strong relationships, and communities prepared to exercise their collective power.

This spring, we launched the first phase of our electoral organizing work. During April and May, our teams conducted 1,214 voter outreach attempts and held 418 one-on-one conversations with students and community members across Washington State. Those conversations led to 123 new voter registrations and helped us build the foundation for a much larger voter engagement effort this summer and fall.

More than numbers, these conversations helped us identify emerging leaders, strengthen relationships, and better understand how students and communities want to engage in the democratic process.

Continue reading “Building Electoral Power Across Washington: Lessons from Our Spring Organizing”

In the week leading up to May Day, Communities for Our Colleges (C4C) mobilized across Central Washington — connecting with students, building civic participation, and helping bring communities together to defend democracy, higher education, and our local economies.

In just one week, we connected directly with 635 students and community members across Yakima, Grandview, and Pasco, while helping support the mobilization of approximately 150 people for May Day marches in Yakima and Sunnyside. This work marks the beginning of our broader electoral power-building campaign — grounded in student leadership and community engagement.

Continue reading “From Central Washington to Every Corner of the State: Organizing for Education and Democracy”

Across Washington State, Communities for Our Colleges (C4C) continues to organize alongside students, families, and communities to protect access to education and advance equity. Over the past several weeks, that work has taken shape across multiple regions — from mobilizing families in Seattle, to organizing students in Tacoma, to building relationships and leadership in Spokane.

While each effort looks different, they are all connected by a shared goal: ensuring our colleges serve the communities who rely on them most.

Continue reading “From Seattle to Tacoma to Spokane: Building Power Across Washington’s Colleges”

Recently, leaders from Communities for Our Colleges (C4C) were featured in a KING 5 segment highlighting the experiences of undocumented students in Washington. The story lifts up a reality that many of our students know all too well: for some, going to school is not just about learning — it’s about safety.

Continue reading “No Student Should Have to Choose Between Safety and Education”

On February 16, Communities for Our Colleges (C4C) brought 133 students, educators, and community members from across Washington State to Olympia for our Presidents’ Day Lobby Day of Action — a powerful demonstration of statewide organizing and collective leadership.

Participants traveled from Spokane, Yakima Valley, the Tri-Cities, Everett, Kitsap County, Tacoma, Olympia, Bothell, Bellevue, Seattle, and South King County, representing community and technical colleges, high schools, unions, and community organizations. Together, we came with a clear purpose: to reject harmful cuts to higher education and demand bold investment in students, families, and our shared future.

Continue reading “No Cuts to Our Future: Students and Educators Take Action on Presidents’ Day”

Our Futures, Our Voices: Students Leading at the Capitol captures student leaders from across Washington State putting their training into practice during Communities for Our Colleges’ recent MLK Action Day at the state legislature. After months of organizing, preparation, and leadership development, students stepped into the halls of power to advocate directly with lawmakers on the policies shaping their futures — from free college and basic needs support to equitable funding for community and technical colleges.

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Yesterday, Communities for Our Colleges (C4C) brought 107 students, educators, and community members from across Washington State to Olympia for our annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Action — not just to honor Dr. King’s legacy, but to push back against proposed budget cuts to higher education. Participants traveled from Yakima, Grandview, the Tri-Cities, Spokane, Seattle, Bothell, Bellevue, Everett, Olympia, and Tacoma to send a clear message: cutting higher education weakens our economy, narrows opportunity, and undermines democratic participation. On a day rooted in the fight for racial and economic justice, we came together to demand bold public investment in students, communities, and our shared future.

Dr. King reminded us that “the time is always right to do what is right.” On MLK Day, we honored that legacy not with words alone, but through collective action: elevating student voices, advancing our policy agenda, and demanding bold investments in higher education rather than harmful cuts.

Continue reading “No Cuts to Our Future: Students Across Washington Take Action on MLK Day”

Across rural Washington, small business owners are speaking up about an issue that is often framed as a student concern—but is just as much an economic one. The video “Rural Small Businesses Rallying Behind Free College” highlights a growing recognition among local entrepreneurs: tuition-free community and technical college is not a luxury, but a necessary investment in the future of rural communities.

For these business owners, free college is about more than affordability. It’s about ensuring that rural towns have the skilled workforce they need to survive and grow, and that young people don’t have to leave their communities behind in order to build stable, meaningful careers.

Continue reading “How Rural Small Businesses Are Rallying Behind Free College”