Updates - Communities for Our Colleges

From Student Stories to Collective Action: Building Power in the Yakima Valley

On October 24, 70 students, parents, and community members gathered at Yakima Valley College for Making Colleges More Accessible, an event organized by Communities for Our Colleges (C4C) to strengthen student leadership, identify shared challenges, and build collective power for a more accessible and equitable higher education system.

As part of our ongoing organizing in Central Washington, the gathering brought students and families together to discuss three critical issues: college affordability, barriers facing immigrant students, and the needs of parenting students.

From Classrooms to Communities: Young Leaders Building Power Across Western Washington

Across Western Washington, Communities for Our Colleges (C4C) is bringing high school and college students together to strengthen civic participation, develop leadership, and build a movement for accessible, affordable, and equitable higher education.

From knocking on doors in Everett to engaging elected officials and organizing voter registration drives on college campuses, our student leaders are putting grassroots organizing into practice. These activities are part of our broader statewide electoral organizing program, connecting young people with opportunities to shape decisions affecting their education, families, and communities.

From Belonging to Action: 116 Leaders Build Statewide Student Power

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.

From Washington to a National Fight for College for All

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.

Building Electoral Power Across Washington: Lessons from Our Spring Organizing

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.

From Central Washington to Every Corner of the State: Organizing for Education and Democracy

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.

From Seattle to Tacoma to Spokane: Building Power Across Washington’s Colleges

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.

No Student Should Have to Choose Between Safety and Education

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.

No Cuts to Our Future: Students and Educators Take Action on Presidents’ Day

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.

Our Futures, Our Voices: Students Leading at the Capitol

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.