On May 3, 2025, seven students from the NextGen Civic Leader Corps — representing the University of Washington’s Bothell, Tacoma and Seattle campuses — played a key role in a community conversation focused on homelessness in downtown Tacoma. The event was convened by Tacoma City Council Member Sarah Rumbaugh in collaboration with the William D. Ruckelshaus Center, as part of its ongoing Pathways to Housing Security in Washington initiative.
Serving as table hosts, the students facilitated small-group discussions with a diverse range of community stakeholders, including residents, service providers, business owners and city staff. Their responsibilities included promoting inclusive dialogue, documenting recurring themes and capturing potential policy solutions. The insights gathered were synthesized and shared with the Tacoma City Council to support informed and collaborative policymaking.
This event provided the NextGen students with a meaningful, hands-on opportunity to apply civic leadership skills in a real-world policy context—underscoring the importance and impact of youth engagement in addressing complex societal challenges.
“We’re deeply grateful to the NextGen students who took the time to serve as neutral facilitators,” said Julia Carboni, the Director of Ruckelshaus Center. “Their thoughtful presence helped create space for honest dialogue and reminded us that the next generation is not only willing to lead — but ready to listen.”
The Ruckelshaus Center’s Pathways to Housing Security Initiative
The May 3rd event was one of many community conversations being held across the state as part of the Ruckelshaus Center’s Pathways to Housing Security in Washington initiative. Launched in 2021 at the direction of the Washington State Legislature, this multi-year effort aims to build a long-term, community-informed strategy for addressing homelessness and housing instability. Through inclusive dialogue and stakeholder engagement, the initiative helps ensure that policy recommendations are grounded in lived experience and cross-sector collaboration.
NextGen Civic Leader Corps and Civic Health
The participation of NextGen students in this event reflects the mission of the NextGen Civic Leader Corps — to cultivate civic leadership among undergraduate students across the University of Washington system. By connecting students to opportunities like this, the program builds students’ skills in facilitation, public policy, and community engagement, while also contributing to the broader goal of strengthening civic health in Washington State.