ISSAQUAH CULTURAL CIRCLE

Over 2700 Individuals served in 2024. 1) Community Navigation: We connect individuals and families to existing and new services to help them navigate the experience of living in their communities. All our services are free of charge, and we have created a safe space for individuals and families to meet with us. We offer one-on-one meetings with a flexible schedule based on their availability. We also organize workshops focused on the specific information needs of this group, including topics related to employment, student resources, home ownership, and mental health resources. In 2024, we provided over 1429 hours of Community Navigation services. We added additional Community Navigators who speak Spanish, Mandarin, and Arabic. The most frequent navigation service we provided was helping people meet basic needs by applying for assistance with food, clothing, rent, or utilities. 2) Education: The Circle provides access to education to bridge the gap for individuals and families to acquire the necessary knowledge to become active participants in their community. Classes include English and other languages, computer and technology, leadership, arts/culture, and parenting. For adults, we offer English as a Second Language classes. At the end of each quarter, we help transfer students who already feel more comfortable to take ESL classes at the college; we also help all of them to understand the opportunities they have to study a technical degree. Oftentimes our educational offerings are multi-generational, such as music classes for toddlers, during which at the same time our Community Navigation team can meet with parents, grandparents, and/or other caregivers. In 2024, we provided over 500 hours of educational classes. 3) Cultural Circles: The Circle provides space and support for cultural groups to meet and develop personal connections. These include the Latino Circle, Chinese Circle, Indian Heritage Circle, Arabic Circle, Pakistani Circle, and Russian Circle. We also have a Teen Circle and the Inclusive Circle, which supports children and teens of all abilities. In addition, we support events that are open and free to all to come together as a community to learn, celebrate, and understand each other's diversity. Special events include Lunar New Year, Day of the Dead, Senior Celebration, Children's Day, Diwali, Colombian Kite Festival, Eid Mubarak Celebration, Tai Chi demonstration, and Ukrainian Pysanky Egg decorating. To avoid cultural appropriation and to recognize the invaluable gift that the diverse community members bring to our cities, events are community-led and designed, with support by The Circle staff. In 2024, The Circle supported over 116 hours of cultural meetings and events.