2026 Bridge Conference

Exposure to weight stigma, especially during the delicate time of adolescence, can have lifelong consequences. Youth today navigate relentless messages that their bodies are not “good enough”. This workshop helps youth-serving professionals to create safer, more inclusive spaces that better align with their organizational values and where all young people can thrive. Beginning with the history of weight stigma and its roots in anti-Black racism, participants will learn to identify the ways that youth encounter weight stigma day to day, from casual comments between peers to social media influences, and from health care to the locker room.

As our communities and education system are more stressed, BELONG Partners
supports the critical need for us to come together and connect in ways that build resilience and
center young peoples’ (and all peoples’) needs. Our time will be spent not only learning about the
impact of trauma on our developing brains and bodies but will also focus on restorative, and
antiracist strategies that create environments for young people to truly thrive.

In 2025, Allen Family Philanthropies awarded grants to 10 organizations across Washington that are working to mobilize young leaders across Washington to support their work to strengthen youth leadership, civic engagement, and youth organizing in communities from Thurston County, to Seattle, to Spokane. In this session, you'll hear directly from a few of them about their different approaches, shaped by the communities they serve and the issues their young people care about. Together, they're answering the same core questions through their work: what does youth power actually look like in practice, and what does it take to build it with young people?
Come hear what's worked, what hasn't, and what these organizations have learned along the way.

Gain an in-depth understanding of what advocating in Olympia looks like and how to build up your advocacy toolkit through empowerment, storytelling, and ideas for accessible action. Through this workshop, participants can apply what they learn for advocating on issues such as and outside of youth development.