ICL student Paola De La Cruz discusses civic engagement and her leadership
Institute for Community Leadership Kent Meridian student Paola De La Cruz discusses the role of civic engagement with ICL in the development of her voice and her…
Changing Ourselves Through Being a Part of the Solution,
the Institute for Community Leadership’s new, short document on its pedagogy
View our interactive cookbook From a Kitchen in the World House.
ICL students produced From a Kitchen in the World House cultural recipe exchange book entirely during COVID. The book project was organized by 30 students, representing 23 languages and 19 countries. They exchanged a cultural recipe from a grandparent or parent with another ICL student of a different race or nationality, cooked their partner’s recipe in their home, and served it to their family. They reflected on their experience in the writings enclosed. From a Kitchen highlights Dr. King’s World House concept that through science and technology our world has been brought together into a worldwide neighborhood; Dr. King calls us to turn this worldwide neighborhood into a brotherhood and sisterhood. Students share From a Kitchen in regular book readings and public events. From a Kitchen in a World House is available for purchase for $20. Please contact us to arrange a book reading or to purchase a book.
Our Work
Professional Development
ICL produces professional development classes for educators, paraprofessionals, administrators, public servants, elected leadership and others through various classes, seminars, and guest lectures.
Youth Otherness
ICL’s youth programming dynamically engages youth in their society and empowers them towards academic, social, and professional achievement. Our culturally relevant and research-based curriculum directly addresses academic disparities and prepares youth for meaningful lives.
Community Leadership
ICL hosts vibrant community leadership events and seminars throughout the west coast region we serve. All community members—from youth to educator to administrator—are welcome to these relevant conversations. A strong community is at the core of the world’s development.
WE’RE HIRING!
Community Organizer
Join a personally-transforming effort to strengthen democracy. The Institute for Community Leadership brings best practices from our nation’s civil rights and organized labor movements to the forefront in community education, training, and practice. Learn from distinguished elected officials, civil rights luminaries, and local and national leaders. Create cultural exchanges to cities, towns, and Tribal Nations throughout the West Coast and the nation. Organize diverse leaders, educators, families and students.
Click here, Seeking a Community Organizer to view the job description and apply.
Latest Blogs
Connecting with each other and the land
We are connected to each other and to the land and to history. We are and the stewards of today and the ancestors of tomorrow. We are…
Kent City Hall with Councilmember Brenda Fincher
Gathering information and educating ourselves and others are the first steps to nonviolent social change. We are grateful to City of Kent Councilmember Brenda Fincher for hosting…
Rivers of Change
We practice getting out of our comfort zones in order to transform ourselves in service to changing our communities for the common good. This week, while visiting…
Meaningful Work Creates Unity.
Working with our hands together unifies the group and brings the deep satisfaction of accomplishment. We’ve been picking raspberries and blueberries, doing laundry and cooking together and…
The Power of Cultural Work, Gees Bend Alabama
Sitting at the sides of quilters of Gees Bend Collective in rural Alabama, we return home with lessons for our daily lives. Together, the Collective members and…
Practicing Other-Interestedness and Sacrificing for Change
We spent the day discussing the first two obstacles to self-transformation in service of making social change: self-expression and the inability to sacrifice. Prioritizing the needs of…
Meeting in Tuskegee, Alabama
“Keep going, keep pushing, keep the record straight, do it in a non-violent manner and do it until justice goes down like water and righteousness like a…
Turning on a Dime
One of our purposes for the To Us You Matter Civic Engagement Tour is to have our students practice turning on a dime. That means being able…
Visiting with Civil Rights Activist Dr. Jane Power
ICL students Branton, Margarita and Mabel and Dr. Nyla Rosen visit with elder and civil rights activist Dr. Jane Power, former editor of the NEA’s national newsletter.…
Fourth of July Naturalization Ceremony
ICL students and staff joined King County Elections and the Washington Secretary of State to register newly naturalized citizens at the USCIS annual Fourth of July Naturalization…
Honoring one man’s contributions to nonviolence that have shaped the world’s understanding.
Selma, Alabama--- This past week, the Institute for Community Leadership’s board member, David Gaines, was in Selma, Alabama, where we collaborate with a dynamic cohort of youth…
Institute For Community Leadership Receives Gold Star Award From Tacoma Public Schools
Tacoma Public Schools recently honored the Institute for Community Leadership (ICL) with their Gold Star Community Partner Award for the work they do with youth teaching them…
GOLD STAR PARTNER – Institute for Community Leadership
Tacoma Public Schools Partnership office works to galvanize the power of community to assist young people in creating the future they choose, plan, and prepare for. We…
ICL Student Ashaia Bennett Joins Civil Rights Pilgrimage
Lincoln High School sophomore and youth leader Ashaia Bennett joined the Civil Rights Pilgrimage in Alabama. Read the article in the Tacoma Weekly! Ashaia Bennett and Congresswoman Marilyn…
Institute For Community Leadership Receives Gold Star Award 
The Institute for Community Leadership is honored to be the recipient of the Tacoma Public Schools Board of Director's Gold Star Community Partner Award. Click here for…
Visiting with Vice President Kamala Harris
"Many of the Civil Rights fighters were really young when they started. So, it is your future, and you are taking charge of it!" Vice President Kamala…
With the Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage crossing the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge
With the Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage crossing the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge. Ashaia Bennett, representing Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA10), and Dr. Karen Bohlke with our students and…
2022 Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage in Alabama
Our delegation to the 2022 Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage in Alabama is honored to have been included in a visit to the generations-old culture keepers of the…
2022 Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage
Our delegation continues its journey as part of the 2022 Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage in Alabama
2022 Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage in Alabama
Our first day of the 2022 Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage in Alabama included sessions with members of Congress, a stop at 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham.…
2022 Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage
Ashaia Bennett, representing Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA10), and Dr. Karen Bohlke have joined our students and staff on their way today to the Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage…
2022 Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage
The Institute for Community Leadership is grateful to join Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland representing Washington's 10th Congressional District and Tacoma on the historic 2022 Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage!
MLK March and Rally Student Speeches 01.17.22
Two of our students joined civil rights leaders, dignitaries and guests speaking online this morning at the 30th annual Dr. King Multicultural March and Rally. In addition…
Days of Gratitude
Forty of our youth leaders and staff came together last weekend to dig deep into understanding the myth of the Thanksgiving story and learn the truth about…
Upcoming Days of Gratitude
Students and staff are getting ready to attend our annual "Days of Gratitude"--held during the Thanksgiving weekend--youth leaders, staff and guests will explore the deep connections of…
To Be of Use
by Fynn Manohchompoo Common good or I feel good? You don’t put a band-aid on a broken leg. Hand you an ice pack when you’re bleeding out.…
Leadership Poetry Workshop
We were honored to be invited to teach a leadership poetry workshop at LAMP Summer Program in Selma, where we met with high schoolers between the ages…
A day spent a day at the Equal Justice Initiative The National Memorial for Peace and Justice and The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration
“The chapter does not end with us. Why? Because we hold the pen.” We spent a day at the Equal Justice Initiative The National Memorial for Peace…
Today we spent the day speaking with leaders in Montgomery, Alabama, during our “Nonviolence in the 21st Century” bootcamp
These are the days the echoes of the past can be heard. Their voices are loud and proud….Each life touched continues the story. But even a shout…
Congressman Ro Khanna met with our youth leaders and staff during our “To Us, You Matter Civic Engagement Tour”
Justice that Instills a sense of love with accountability. “You can’t get to justice just through reason, you can’t get to justice just by thinking that something…
Mayor Gillmor and Neil Datar 07 12 21
What Leadership Qualities Do We Need to Cultivate to Engage People? Our youth leaders and staff asked this and other questions of Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor…
Leadership Seminar Assemblymember Alex Lee 07 13 21
“If you realize you have more power than you are taught in school or taught in society, that’s how we achieve real democracy.” Assemblymember Alex Lee dialoged…
Leadership Seminar with Santa Clara County DA Jeff Rosen
"The arc of the moral universe is long, and it bends towards justice. Here's why that's so important in the DA's office: just because you're not going…
Visiting Bloomhouse in East Palo Alto
Thanks Emerson Collective for inviting us to visit Bloomhouse to learn about innovative, community-led initiatives that engage EPA residents. Emerson Collective is committed to supporting communities through…
Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren: Finding Common Ground
"Being respectful doesn't make policy divisions any worse, sometimes it makes it better and sometimes you can find common ground. "We are grateful to Congresswoman Representative Zoe…
Congressman Khanna had a deep dialog with us about the importance of democracy in our pluralistic society
Justice that Instills a sense of love with accountability.“You can’t get to justice just through reason, you can’t get to justice just by thinking that something is…
Thank you Marena Brown and Glenda Roberts of Contra Costa Youth Service Bureau
“We’re going to do this together. Educate yourselves, educate your family members. Once your family members are educated, they’ll educate other people. That’s really huge! ”Thank you…
On the To Us You Matter Civic Engagement Tour, we visited Port Chicago Naval Magazine
The ground where our forebears walked is where we understand the humanity of our history. On the To Us You Matter Civic Engagement Tour, we visited Port…
Leadership Seminar with Supervisor Federal D. Glover
“Now is the time for change. Now is the time to be activated.” We joined Contra Costa County Supervisor Federal D. Glover at his office in Pittsburg,…
To Us, You Matter Summer Civic Engagement Tour – Labor Unions
Labor unions are at the forefront of protecting democracy. We are grateful to Joshua Anijar, Executive Director of the Contra Costa Central Labor Council, and Tim Jefferies,…
Youth Leaders Sermon at Grace Episcopal
We must heal the racism, inequities and violence that affect each of us and to do so, we must tell the truth. We kick off our six-week,…
Leadership Seminar with Brenda Fincher
We are grateful to Kent City Councilmember Brenda Fincher for dialoging with our youth leaders and staff in an online leadership seminar. Her dedication to public service,…
Leadership Seminar Lakeisha Bryant
We are grateful to Lakeisha Bryant for joining our youth leaders and staff for an online leadership seminar. We had a lively and inspiring dialog about getting…
Leadership Seminar with Superintendent Garth Lewis
We are grateful to Garth Lewis for joining our youth leaders and staff for an online leadership seminar. We appreciate his experience and perspectives on the importance…
Leadership Seminar Monica Wilson
Heartfelt gratitude to Vice Mayor Monica Wilson for joining our youth leaders and staff for an online leadership seminar. We discussed many issues including growing up with…
Leadership Seminar with Glenn Jenkins and Michael Pena
We are grateful to Glenn Jenkins and Michael Peña of the Washington Education Association Board of Directors for joining our youth leaders and staff for an online…
Online Leadership Seminar Dr David Johnson
Sometimes we lead from ahead, sometimes beside and often from behind others, supporting them to be their best. We are grateful to Dr. David Johnson, President of…
Returning from the 2021 To Us, You Matter Spring Civic Engagement Bootcamp
We must use our time wisely to create nonviolent social change. Returning from the 2021 To Us, You Matter Spring Civic Engagement Bootcamp, our youth leaders share…
Part of our Spring 2021 To Us, You Matter Civic Engagement Bootcamp
"We've got work to do!"Meeting with Bobby Seale, Co-founder of the Black Panther Party. We discussed the importance of civic engagement and continuing the legacy of organizing…
To Us, You Matter Spring Civic Engagement Tour
We're on the road meeting with elected officials, community leaders, organizers, public servants and the public. We're discussing the importance of leadership, civic engagement and the need…
Takeaways from our 2021 To Us, You Matter Spring Bootcamp
Some of our youth leaders share takeaways from the beginning of our 2021 To Us, You Matter spring bootcamp.We discuss why we travel, the importance of regular…
To Us, You Matter Spring Bootcamp
Our youth leaders and staff began our To Us, You Matter spring bootcamp in the forest contemplating and writing about our connections to nature and to each…
Selected student writings, drafted during our Leadership Class ten minute writing session is shared – Jenovic
Jenovic Nsambu11th grade The morality of materialism kills many nations .we become poor morally and spiritually by the power of materialism,we die when we can see the…
Kent City Councilmember Satwinder Kaur joined our youth and staff for an online leadership seminar
A Calling and a Path to Public ServiceWe are grateful to Kent City Councilmember Satwinder Kaur for joining our youth and staff for an online leadership seminar.Councilmember…
Excerpts from hearing on HB 1267
See excerpts here from the hearing on HB 1267 in Senate Law & Justice Committee, March 15th, where ICL students speak on behalf of the bill. https://youtu.be/9i8RBUdQNh4
Juliia Bowden shares her experience and insights with our youth and staff in an online leadership seminar
Transforming “I” into “We” and Putting the Work of Social Change Before Ego. We are grateful to Juliia Bowden for sharing her experience and insights with our…
Treva Reid joins ICL Students and Staff for an online Leadership Seminar
We are grateful to Oakland City Council member Treva Reid for joining our youth leaders and staff for an online leadership seminar. Councilmember Reid shared her wealth…
Listening to Hear Others and Being Ok with What We Don’t Know
We are grateful to educator Frank Pisi for an online leadership seminar in which we discussed the importance of listening to hear others and not listening for…
Online Leadership Seminar with Marvin Deon
Separating Emotional Reaction from Reasoned Response to Create Meaningful Communication We are honored and grateful that Marvin Deon met online with our youth leaders and staff. Our…
Sharing a few selected student writings, drafted during a Saturday Leadership Class, fifteen minute writing session – Fynn Manohchompoo
Fynn Manohchompoo 11th grade If you don’t know what is happening And I don’t know what is happening Then we have failed Failed to stay awake Our…
Sharing a few selected student writings, drafted during a Saturday Leadership Class, fifteen minute writing session – Alphia Sheriff
Alphia Sheriff 10th grade If you do not know our youth are struggling and I do not know our children are struggling They will perish from our…
Sharing a few selected student writings, drafted during a Saturday Leadership Class, fifteen minute writing session – Fatima RJA Chaudhary
Fatima RJA Chaudhary 12th grade If you don't know what's going on at the intersection Before the little boys and girls preschool And I don't know what's…
Washington State House of Representatives’ Dr. King Day Address
Institute for Community Leadership students address the Washington State House of Representatives as it convenes a floor session to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the…
Balancing Our Inner and Outer Realms
This week youth leaders and staff connect for our annual Life and Legacy of Dr. King bootcamp. We study Dr. King’s continuing relevance and enduringly effective concepts…
Congresswoman Deb Haaland
President-Elect Joe Biden has announced the historic selection of Congresswoman Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior. Haaland will bring generations of First Nations experience, ethics and…
Dr. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail
We were honored to be part of this online International Human Rights Day panel discussion about the timeless relevance of Dr. King's Letter from Birmingham Jail. The…
Annual Days of Gratitude – Drum Making
Our good friend and ICL family member Titus Capoeman of the Quinault Nation in Washington State brought us together online from many locations to teach us traditional…
Days of Gratitude with Yvette McGimpsey: Culture Connects Generations of Tradition
We are thankful to have spent time during our Days of Gratitude observance with Yvette McGimpsey of the Makah Tribe in northwestern Washington State, who spoke with…
Days of Gratitude
During our annual "Days of Gratitude"--held during the Thanksgiving weekend--youth leaders, staff and guests explored the deep connections of gratitude, self transformation and the creation of what…
To Us, You Matter: Where Do We Go From Here after the Elections?
Many of our youth leaders and staff convened in person and online shortly after the polls closed Tuesday night to discuss the elections and their significance. Instead…
Institute students ask to “Shoulder the Vote!”
Feruza (17 yrs old) -- “It is really important to know that what we are doing is historic and we are making history with our own hands…
Shoulder the Vote!
Sohani (15 years old) -- "Getting out the vote is VITAL in order to change and improve the future of the society we live in and America…
Recently discovered short Dr. King video clip on voting
Warm greetings accompany this profound and timely video of Dr. King and the importance of elections. The video was found after intense research on the part of…
Our youth leaders and staff are proud to participate in a national program with the NAACP to get out the vote
Our youth leaders and staff are proud to participate in a national program with the NAACP to get out the vote. Last Friday, the NAACP launched the…
Councilmember Ben Bartlett joined us for an online Leadership Seminar
“If you don’t like fires, and earthquakes and mayhem, you must stop fires and earthquakes and mayhem. You have the power to make change.” --Ben Bartlett We…
Commitment March Reflections
Institute Board Member and team members David Gaines, George Conzuelo, and Malando Redeemer represented the Institute for Community Leadership today in Washington D.C. at the "Commitment March:…
“Commitment March: Get Your Knee Off Our Necks”
Institute Board Member and team members David Gaines, George Conzuelo, and Malando Redeemer represented the Institute for Community Leadership today in Washington D.C. at the "Commitment March:…
Representing in D.C. in the Commitment March
Institute Board Member and team members David Gaines, George Conzuelo, and Malando Redeemer represented the Institute for Community Leadership today in Washington D.C. at the "Commitment March:…
Mark your calendar and join us for A Celebration of the Life of John Lewis – Friday, August 28, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. PST
Mark your calendar and join us for A Celebration of the Life of John Lewis Friday, August 28, at 7 pm PDT The Anniversary of the Historic…
Thank you Councilmember Upthegrove!
The Institute for Community Leadership thanks King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove (District 5) for his generous support of ICL youth and family programming. Councilmember Upthegrove’s office and…
Our youth leaders and staff are studying Dr. King’s Six Steps of Nonviolent Social Change during the To Us, You Matter Civic Engagement Summer
Our youth leaders and staff are studying Dr. King’s Six Steps of Nonviolent Social Change during the To Us, You Matter Civic Engagement Summer. They share some…
The Life and Legacy of John Lewis: To Us, You Matter
The death of Congressman John Lewis has deeply affected us during our To Us, You Matter Civic Engagement Summer. We find ourselves navigating a most profound moment…
2020 To Us, You Matter Civic Engagement Summer – Studying anger through poetry
Our youth leaders are studying anger, which can be both a powerful motivator to make social change and a powerfully destructive force. Anger is a force to…
2020 To Us, You Matter Civic Engagement Summer
Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” –Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As we begin our To Us, You Matter Civic Engagement Summer, our youth leaders are…
Assemblymember Kevin McCarty joined students and staff for an online Leadership Seminar
“In leadership, sometimes it’s hard, you don’t always get the win right away. You need to put your marker down and keep trying on these issues.” –Representative…
Washington State Representative Debra Entenman joined our youth and staff for an online leadership seminar
“Don’t underestimate your abilities. All of the things we are learning will come to fruition in time, and it will be important for you to know the…
Jonathan Cunningham for joining our youth and staff for an online leadership seminar
“While it’s important for young people to be able to drive, you don’t have to be able to to re-invent the wheel. There are many generations of…
District Attorney Diana Becton joined our youth and staff for an online leadership seminar
“So much of what has to drive us going forward is taking a look at our history and what our ancestors and our people have come through,…
Washington State Representative Jesse Johnson joined students and staff for an online leadership seminar
“I challenge you, as young people, to think about who in your own lives—whether it’s family, community or at school—is the most marginalized? What can you do,…
Andrew Kehoe brought a wealth of experience, insight and youthful energy to our online leadership seminar with youth and staff
“The leadership of YOU—to listen and be empathetic and continually put yourself in other peoples’ shoes—grows with importance as coalitions and issues get bigger.” --Andrew Kehoe Andrew…
WA State Senator Mona Das joins ICL students and staff for an online leadership seminar
“You have to tell people your dreams. One of the things about American society is that people are helpful. If you tell someone your dreams, people and…
Vanessa Davis, Human Resources Community Relations Supervisor with UPS joins ICL students and staff for an online leadership seminar
●Use your talents to the best of your ability. ●Persevere and learn from your mistakes. ●See people and accept them as they are and build relationships. These…
Secretary Treasurer of the Pierce County Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, Patty Rose, joined ICL staff and students for an online leadership seminar
“The important thing is not to focus on differences but focus on the areas that you have in common. You don’t get anything done it you can’t…
Rev. Malando Redeemer joined ICL staff and students for an online leadership seminar
When speaking out, “remember you’re not going up there alone. Bring your ancestors, bring the spirits of all your coaches. It’s not just you, it’s you and…
Representative Mia Gregerson joined our youth and staff for an online leadership seminar
“We need to know each other by name, we need to know what motivates each other, what we care about. We can’t knock on someone’s door and…
Senior Director Miguel Bustos joined our youth and staff for an online seminar
“Sometimes you’re going to lead by standing up and saying something righteous. Sometimes you’re going to lead by just sitting next to someone and encouraging them while…
Sharon Cornu spent time with our youth and staff in an online seminar
“What do you think makes a leader?” Sharon Cornu spent time with our youth and staff in an online seminar discussing the qualities that make leaders and…
Educator Shukri Olow joined our youth and staff in an online leadership seminar
“Leadership is sacred. Leadership is about service and leaders must lead with love.” Educator Shukri Olow discussed the spiritual and cultural contexts of leadership with our youth…
Educator Marlon McWilson shared his journey our youth and staff in an online leadership seminar
“Encourage yourself. It’s important when you have an understanding about where you want to go, sometimes you have to dig into what is already inside you when…
Life and Legacy of Dr. King Academy
Contribute today to a young person’s self-transformation.
This December 26 through January 1, the Institute for Community Leadership commences its 27th year of the dynamic Life and Legacy of Dr. King Academy. Young people and adults carry out an intensive, week-long study of the contributions of Dr. King and their relationship to how we live our lives today.
We hope that we can count on you to support our individual and collective efforts.
The Life and Legacy of Dr. King Academy engages young people in the study and practice of Dr. King’s nonviolence as a way-of-life — including the development of self-control, a dedication to life-long learning, and the constant pursuit of truth and justice.
In our intensive residential and daytime academies, students participate in leadership seminars with civil rights luminaries, study rare historical footage, read, write, and dialogue in interactive workshops. They prepare speeches and discussions on Dr. King’s legacy to present throughout the year.
The Life and Legacy of Dr. King Academy is student-centric and interactive. Washington State students work hand-in-hand in a cultural exchange format with young people from California and Alabama.
For those who are able to contribute $100 or more, we would like to send a hard copy thank you gift of our most recent publication, From a Kitchen in the World House. In addition to sharing cultural and heritage recipes of our students and their families, the book features beautiful photos and writings of the democracy-saving work of our young people.
The Institute for Community Leadership’s mission is to promote democracy and increase social and economic justice by teaching and equipping young people to be lifelong, active participants in a dynamic, fair and equitable democratic process.
THANK YOU for considering making a contribution to this life-saving effort.
“Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for civil rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.” — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
For more information or to donate, please visit our “DONATE” page
Register to Vote Here!
Frequently asked questions
01.
Who do you work with?
Home based programming serves young people ages 14-24 of Washington State, with a focus on South Puget Sound.
04.
Can my child get involved?
Contact: The ICL classes and programs for students help our young people become part of this dialogue– and help them become part of the solution. Please contact: Dr. Nyla Rosen at 253 508 3250 or Nyla@icleadership.org
02.
Do you work with educators?
Yes we do! The Institute provides classes and professional development for educators in schools and districts across the United States. Professional development includes: The Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, Lessons from the Civil Rights Movement, Teaching Democracy, Engaging individuals from diverse races, cultures, and economic stations, Personal transformation through social participation, Community-based intrinsic motivation: inspiring interconnection, self-confidence, and caring for others. We also coordinate with educators in school districts throughout Washington and California to nominates students for our classes and initiatives.
03.
How can I get involved?
Well, thanks for asking. You can call us at (253) 872-3612, join our email list by filling out the form at the bottom of the page, to keep up with events!
contact information
Education Center
24833 180th Ave SE Kent, WA 98042
Office Numbers
Phone: (253) 872-3612 | Fax: (425) 671-0998
Hours of Operation
8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. daily