People's Academy for Community Engagement

People’s Academy for Community Engagement (PACE) partners with linguistically and culturally specific organizations to co-create civic education programming that explores:

• How City government works and the pathways to influence decision-making
• How to get involved 
• How to become a leader in your community
• How to organize people and resources to get things done

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Have you ever felt confused or frustrated when trying to engage with local government? PACE is here to support you! 

As a PACE graduate, you would join a growing network of civic leaders from diverse backgrounds who are working in their communities to make change. 

WHO SHOULD APPLY

• People who are invested in their communities and want to learn more about local government.  
• Any individuals who are interested in participating in the next PACE cohort with our community-based partner(s).

Application forms are posted here when they are they open. Participant stipends are available for some cohorts.

Organizations who are interested in co-hosting a PACE cohort may reach out by email at PACE@seattle.gov. We partner with community organizations that support underserved communities on a wide variety of topics, like affordable housing, grantmaking, and building meaningful relationships.

"There’s so much to learn... I like that we are already applying what we learned by writing a letter to City Council together; I think the model should be learn, apply, discover, and learn again. I would like to dive deeper into who our political reps are and what they’re passionate about and how we can align our needs with solutions to the problems that they’re trying to solve." - 2024 PACE cohort member

CURRICULUM

We partner with community organizations to create and deliver lessons that address the challenges and needs of Indigenous, Black, Latinx, Asian, and Pacific Islander communities.  Sessions are taught by community leaders, with support from City staff.

Examples of Past Topics:

• City Government 101
• City Budget 101
• Community Organizing
• Seattle City Council and City Hall Visit
• Generational Wealth Program
• One Seattle Comprehensive Plan
• Demographic Data Access and Tools

LEARN MORE

For more information and questions, please contact PACE@seattle.gov.