Positivity for the Youth

Greater South Seattle-Tacoma

Positivity for the Youth

Our Mission

Empowering Inner-City Youth

Positivity for the Youth has been serving communities from South Seattle to Tacoma since 1988. We are dedicated to providing after school programs for inner-city children.

Unfortunately, crime rates in the area have only trended in a worse direction after improvement for some time, especially in neighborhoods such as Tukwila, Rainier Beach, and Hilltop. Also, kids are getting involved with gangs, theft, and truancy at younger ages. Our goal is to engage the youth in positive activities, such as sports and arts & crafts, and empower them through these functional pastimes. Join us in making a difference in the lives of these young individuals.

Programs

What We Offer

Our services include a variety of programs designed to promote community and empowerment among our children. From organized sports tournaments to arcade visits, we hope to teach the next generation valuable life skills and create a supportive community for these young individuals.

Basketball

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Our basketball program offers a fun and interactive way for kids to develop both physically and mentally, bringing a sense of camaraderie and healthy competition. Many of our kids have gone to play at a high level in high school, college, and even professionally

Arts & Crafts

Through our arts & crafts program, kids learn the importance of cooperation, creativity, and perseverance. In the future, we are hoping to create a studio for kids interested in making music.

Volunteering

The goal of our volunteering program is to include the children in acts of service, where they are giving back good energy into our greater community. We are actively looking for new volunteers- adults included!

Key Past Members (c/o 2017-2023)

These are just a few of our club members who have gone on to do do great things at their young age

Kevin Porter Jr. (Rainier Beach High School '18)

From being a 4-year varsity basketball player at the legendary Rainier Beach high school, to a 1 and done at USC, to a first round NBA draft pick, Kevin Porter Jr is a walking superstar. He has been shooting the lights out since playing basketball at our recreation center. Kevin credits Jamal Crawford and Nate Robinson (both Rainier Beach alumni too!) for serving as father figures for him. This was especially important because Kevin's father was shot and killed in an altercation when he was only 4 years old. He continues to visit the South End whenever he can and give back to his hometown.

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Emanuel Tesfaye (Evergreen High School '18)

Emanuel Tesfaye graduated from Evergreen High School in the White Center neighborhood of South Seattle. As the child of two Ethiopian immigrant parents and being an immigrant himself, he always strived to achieve equality of education access for all students in America. In high school, he was a strong advocate for civil rights, refugee support, and varsity soccer athlete. He is currently at Tacoma Community College pursuing a degree in Sociology.

Adrianna Rodriguez (Western Washington '20,

Foster High School '17)

Adrianna Rodriguez graduated from Foster High School in Tukwila, Washington. Growing up, college was something she nor her family never considered for herself. Then she became involved with Positivity for the Youth during her freshman year of high school, where she started to understand the value that service could do for the heavily impoverished community she was surrounded by. She gained a full ride scholarship to Western Washington University. She has graduated and how works as a Registered Nurse!

Gabarri Johnson (Lincoln High School '23)

Gabarri Johnson is every football coach's dream. Strong, athletic, coachable, the kid can do it all on the gridiron, and has been doing that since his childhood days at Positivity for the Youth. Gabarri graduated from Lincoln High School in Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood. He was ranked a top-5 dual threat quarterback in the country during his high school reign and led Lincoln to a 11-1 record as a senior, where they reached the 3A State Quarterfinals. Gabarri talks about the effect football has had on his life, especially in giving him a positive outlet for his energy and helping him stay off the streets, where much of his family was. He now plays football at Oregon State University.

Hadiyah Hassan (Central Washington '25,

Rainier Beach High School '20)

Hadiya Hassan graduated from Rainier Beach High School. Her parents and her 2 older siblings fled from Somalia during the civil war and stayed in refugee camps in Kenya before moving to Seattle. As a child, she moved a lot around the metro- from Seattle South End to East Tacoma to Federal Way. She found a very supportive community in Positivity for the Youth and is very grateful for the vibrant East African community that is part of it. Throughout high school, she volunteered at the East African Community Center, Somali Community Services of Seattle, and took care of her 5 younger siblings. She is currently pursuing a degree in Information Services at the Central Washington University.

Fahmid Rahman (Yale '25)

Fahmid Rahman graduated from Renton High School, right outside of Tukwila where he has lived for the past 11 years. At a young age, Fahmid did not believe he would pursue college, because of heavy financial barriers and attending college was very uncommon in the Muslim community where he grew up. He credits his high school biology teacher Ms. Cori for seeing something in him that no one else (including himself) did. She guided him towards many opportunities in academics, some even offered at different school districts in Washington. Fahmid is very grateful for her support and is pursuing an Economics degree at Yale University on a full financial aid scholarship. He was also a 3-year varsity track athlete at Renton, as a sprinter, and is thinking of walking on Yale's Track and Field team.

Greater South Seattle-Tacoma