Updates - Communities for Our Colleges

How Rural Small Businesses Are Rallying Behind Free College

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.

Strengthening Statewide Power: C4C Builds Community and Student Leadership in Spokane

As part of our commitment to building a truly statewide movement for educational justice, Communities for Our Colleges (C4C) continues to organize actively in Spokane and across Eastern Washington. During the first week of December, we deepened ongoing relationships, expanded our base, and supported the leadership of students and families throughout the region. Our work in Spokane reaffirms that the fight for accessible and equitable colleges belongs to all of us — and that communities across the state are ready to shape Washington’s higher education future.

Leading from the Ground Up: How Students Are Transforming Washington’s Colleges

Across Washington State, students are stepping up to lead—not just in their classrooms, but in shaping the policies that define higher education.

“Leading from the Ground Up” follows student leaders in the Communities for Our Colleges (C4C) movement as they organize, advocate, and inspire change across campuses. From rallying for equitable funding and free college to sharing their personal stories of perseverance, these young leaders are proving that the future of our colleges lies in the power of collective action.

Beyond the Ballot Box: Centering Parenting Students in Higher Education Policy

“Democracy in Practice: Supporting Parenting Students in Washington” captures how democracy lives beyond the ballot box. For Communities for Our Colleges, democratic practice means shaping the policies and priorities that impact students’ lives — not just through elections, but through active participation in the institutions that govern our shared future.

Growing Student Power: High School and College Leaders Organize for Educational Equity

This fall, Communities for Our Colleges has continued deepening its organizing and leadership development work in Western Washington—this time with a powerful new addition: high school students. Through our fall fellowship program, student organizers from Bothell High School, Everett Community College (EvCC), and South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) have been working together to strengthen outreach, build leadership, and engage their peers in shaping the future of higher education in our state.

Making College More Accessible: Building Student & Community Power in Central Washington

On Saturday, October 25, at Yakima Valley College, Communities for Our Colleges (C4C) brought together more than 80 students, families, and community members for a day of learning, dialogue, and collective action. The gathering—Making College More Accessible—was designed not only to provide information on college admissions, scholarships, and professional licensing but also to cultivate community leadership, strengthen grassroots organizing, and empower our communities to transform the policies that shape their lives.

Advancing Postsecondary Success for Parenting Students in Washington

Last Friday, Communities for Our Colleges (C4C) co-hosted an engaging strategy session focused on the experiences and needs of parenting students pursuing higher education in Washington State. The event, titled “Advancing Postsecondary Success for Parenting Students in Washington,” brought together students, advocates, and institutional leaders to identify solutions that can make college more accessible and equitable for student parents.

Student Power Building Conference 2025

In August 2025, Communities for Our Colleges (C4C) convened ninety-six students and community members from across Washington State in Spokane for the annual Student Power Building Conference. Over three days, participants engaged in trainings, storytelling, policy development, and cultural activities aimed at building a stronger statewide student network and advancing a collective vision for higher education justice. The conference was intentionally bilingual and intergenerational, creating space for students of color, first-generation, immigrant, undocumented, parenting, and low-income students to lead conversations about the future of Washington’s community & technical colleges.

The purpose of this gathering was clear: to transform fear and disempowerment into collective action. In a political moment where immigrant families face threats of deportation and austerity policies threaten public education, the conference served as both a strategy session and an act of defense. Students reaffirmed their commitment to community-led solutions rooted in solidarity, courage, and care.

Communities for Our Colleges: Advancing Democracy and Equity Across Washington

Across Washington State, Communities for Our Colleges is transforming the lives of community college students while strengthening the fabric of our democracy. This video captures the voices of students whose paths have been opened through equitable access to education, and it highlights how community colleges are vital spaces for racial and economic justice.

In a time when democracy requires us to engage beyond traditional halls of power, Communities for Our Colleges embodies deliberative democracy by centering those often excluded from mainstream political spaces. From advocating for tuition equity to ensuring resources for basic needs, this movement is proving that community colleges are not just educational institutions—they are pillars of a just and participatory society.

Students Lead the Way: C4C’s Granger Regional Gathering Builds Power for Free College and Racial Equity

On May 31, 2025, Communities for Our Colleges (C4C) brought together over 40 student leaders from across central and eastern Washington for a powerful Regional Gathering in Granger. Students from Spokane Falls Community College, Spokane Community College, Columbia Basin College, Yakima Valley College, and YVC–Grandview met at the Radio KDNA building to deepen relationships, reflect on the past legislative session, and chart the next phase of their organizing for free college and racial equity.