Image is of FEEST Students Walking towards the State Capitol Building
February 4 Began in the Dark ☀️🚌✨
Joy and Youth Power isn’t always loud. Sometimes it looks like confidence is growing in real time. Sometimes it looks like a student walking into a meeting a little nervous and walking out standing taller.
That’s what we witnessed on February 4. That morning, alarms started ringing across South King County bright and early at 5:30 AM. For many of our Student Organizers, the day began before the sun even came up.
Backpacks and outfits had been packed the night before in preparation for this big day. By 6:30, students were gathering at meeting spots, still shaking off sleep, holding breakfast sandwiches, and mentally preparing for the long day ahead.
The bus ride to Olympia is long when you’re tired. It’s shorter when you’re practicing your testimony with your friends. That morning, FEEST students traveled to the State Capitol to join more than 300 young people from across Washington for Youth Day of Action in collaboration with WA Youth Alliance.
For many of our students, this was their first time inside the Capitol building. For some, it wasn’t. Either way, they showed up ready.
Training Before the Meetings 📚
Before walking into legislative offices, students participated in a morning training alongside youth from across the state. They reviewed the legislative agenda, practiced introductions, and got clear on their talking points.
This year’s focus areas were:
- 🧠 Youth Mental Health
- 🔒 Gun Violence Prevention
- 🗳️ Civic Engagement
Students prepared to speak on several key bills, including:
- 💚 SB 2429, strengthening Washington’s behavioral health system for children and youth
- 🤖 SB 5870, creating accountability for AI systems that contribute to youth suicide
- 🔫 HB 2320, strengthening laws around 3D-printed firearms
- 🛑 HB 5098, expanding restrictions on weapons in youth-focused public spaces
- 🏙️ HB 2195, expanding local initiative power in smaller cities
There was also a clear budget message woven throughout the day: youth mental health funding cannot be cut.
Students practiced how to introduce themselves by name, school, and legislative district. They rehearsed how to thank lawmakers for their time and practiced making a direct ask.
And then it was time.
Walking Into the Rooms 🏛️
Groups of five to eight students moved through the Capitol halls, checking room numbers and keeping an eye on the clock. Each group had one to three 15-minute meetings scheduled with legislators or their staff.
Some students volunteered to open the meeting. Others shared personal testimony about navigating school without enough mental health support. Others took notes so nothing would get lost in the shuffle.
Like any real day during legislative session in Olympia, not everything ran perfectly on schedule.
A few meetings were shortened. Some were postponed or canceled because legislators were pulled into other commitments. That’s part of the legislative session, and it’s part of learning how advocacy works in real time.
What mattered most was how students handled it. When time was tight, they got straight to the heart of their message. When a meeting didn’t happen, they used the extra minutes to regroup, laugh, grab snacks, and reflect on what it means when youth voices are limited by time constraints.
There’s something powerful about a young person asking an elected official directly where they stand and what they plan to support, and waiting for a real answer.
Between meetings, they debriefed. What did we learn? Who seemed supportive? What follow-up is needed? Even when plans shifted, the energy stayed steady.
Swipe through to see some images of our students in Olympia for Youth Day of Action!
The Ride Home 🚌
Advocacy days are long. Emotions run high. Some students feel nervous. Some feel energized. Some feel both at the same time. By the time buses started loading between 3:00 and 3:30 PM, students were tired.
Jackets came off. Sneakers were kicked loose under seats. Phones came out. Group chats were buzzing. There’s a specific kind of tired that comes from using your voice all day.
On the ride back to South King County, students replayed moments: the legislator who nodded seriously, the staffer who asked follow-up questions, the new friends from other schools they made that day, the meeting that got cut short but still felt impactful.
There were jokes. There were snack trades. There were quiet moments staring out the window.
Youth Day of Action exists so young people can step directly into the legislative process and see themselves in it. Our students didn’t just visit the Capitol. They participated fully in our democratic process.
They asked hard questions. They made direct asks. They represented their schools and their communities with clarity and care. They reminded everyone in those rooms that youth are stakeholders in the decisions shaping their lives.
And they did it on very little sleep. We are deeply proud of our Student Organizers!
A Note from the Organizer:
Images are of FEEST’s Lead Organizer in the Highline School Distrcit, Jude!
Last year, I started on this project to bring young people from the South Sound to the capital to share from their experience. I hit many roadblocks and was not able to bring young people. Little did I know that all of the roadblocks would help me bring this yearlong vision to life. I started this project, this time around, in October 2025. I worked with the poli sci and civics classes at Tyee + Evergreen High Schools, along with all of the FEEST Coordinators.
I would like to shoutout:
- Hannah – creating a delicious and nutritious menu and coordinating all of the details
- Hanan- Safety + Permission slip Coordination for all schools
- Erandy – Safety + Permission slips Coordination for the Highline school District
- Ammara – Supporting me in creating the detailed agenda for the day
- Noah – Bringing the delicious and nutritious food to the capital for young people to eat
- Codi from WYA – for paying for the buses to transport young people
Most importantly, YOUNG PEOPLE: Thank you for writing papers about bills that affect you and being prepared to meet with representatives and speak from your experience! Thank you to the young people who learned that grassroots organizing is more their style! Thank you to all of the young people who shared with me and others what bills or issues are affecting them most right now! Thank you for taking a chance! Thank you to young people for talking to your peers and building relationships! Thank you for young people who spoke and did not think they would! Thank you all for showing up!
We were able to bring 200 young people from the South Sound to the capital to talk to representatives about issues that they care about.
Some of the topics of bills young people were most interested in were:
- Gun violence
- Mental Health
- Taxing Millionaires in the State to fund public education and other necessary underfunded programs
- Immigrant protections
It was really important to me that young people who are often most affected by budget cuts and lack of resources were able to speak to what is happening on the ground to people with decision-making power on the state level. Young people from the South Sound deserve to be able see the scales of power and engage with them, because the scales of power affect them directly. The work we do at the school level is preparing young people to organize at different scales, my hope is that our young people will continue to share their stories and build power wherever they go.
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Youth are in the lead at FEEST because we know that change is not effective unless those most impacted by health inequities are the decision makers. Support youth leadership by donating today, OR sign up for our newsletter to get the latest from FEEST!