Youth Engagement

At the Lopez Island Family Resource Center (LIFRC), we are dedicated to empowering our youth through a variety of engaging programs designed to foster growth, leadership, and community connection. Our programs are tailored to meet the diverse needs of Lopez Island youth, providing them with opportunities to learn, explore, and thrive.

Youth Led

Our mission is to cultivate a nurturing environment where the youth of Lopez Island can discover their potential, and become active, responsible citizens through youth-led leadership. We strive to empower our young community members through mentorship, leadership development, and experiential learning opportunities. By fostering inclusivity, creativity, and connection, we aim to build a supportive network that encourages each individual to grow, lead, and make a positive impact on their world.

Bilingual Youth Leadership

Orgullo Latino

Bilingual Youth Leadership imparts leadership and life skills to Latinx youth by Latinx leaders. The bilingual, bicultural environment helps Latinx students develop leadership skills to better serve their schools and communities.

Youth Outdoor Learning

YOLO: SalishSea

LIFRC’s Mentoring is honored to have been one of seventeen programs chosen by the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) for its inaugural Outdoor Learning Grants. LIFRC’s project, Youth Outdoor Learning Opportunities: Salish Sea (YOLO: Salish Sea) is a dynamic collaboration between Coast Salish tribal partners, WA State Parks, LISD and LIFRC. Incorporating experiential learning that aligns with classroom instruction and indigenous ecological knowledge, the program provides environmental education, land stewardship activities and outdoor leadership skills for LISD students grades 6-12.

CharacterStong

Supporting Youth Mental Health

CharacterStrong is a comprehensive, evidence-based model which follows the Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction (OSPI) Social-Emotional Learn (SEL) standards. Using mindfully developed, adaptable curriculum, CharacterStrong has been shown to have significant positive outcomes shaping the holistic development of students.

By creating a routine within a structured environment, each session includes a welcome activity, a reflective quote, and an engaging exercise that gets the youth moving and thinking about life and their overall well-being from a perspective of what is important to them.

Peer to Peer

Peer Education

Your lived experience holds wisdom and knowledge!

Open to Grades 6th and 10th, Peer to Peer Mentoring pairs youth within the school to act as guides for each other. In doing so, students cultivate both leadership skills and lasting friendships between middle schoolers and high schoolers that will follow them on their educational journey through.

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Susannah Dunlap

Youth Engagement Programs Director

Karina E. Cerda Aguirre

Bilingual Youth Leadership & Prevention Coordinator (habla español)

Mariana Robles

Bilingual Youth Leadership & Prevention Coordinator (habla español)

Cynthia Updegrave

NCLI Indigenous Learning Coordinator

Aurora Martinez Sqwemey7ileshewó:t

Indigenous Learning Liaison

Satya Ray McWhinney

Youth Leadership & Prevention Manager

Valentina Rendon

Youth Leadership & Prevention Programs Coordinator (habla español)

Michelle Gill

Bilingual Youth Leadership & Prevention – Youth Liaison (habla español)

Ulises Velazquez

Bilingual Youth Leadership & Prevention – Youth Liaison (habla español)

Sheila Woodington

ALIGN Youth Disabilities Program Manager

Laura Danforth

ALIGN Adult Disabilities Program Manager