A Letter from the Executive Director

Our work is rooted in a simple truth: Our care creates continuity.

Everything from the way we interact with young people, build our internal systems, train our staff, and engage our partners comes from a commitment to creating sustainable opportunities that move us closer to our North Star.

That North Star is an interconnected system of youth development. One that challenges our institutional partners to move beyond historically siloed approaches and work with us, and with each other, to create meaningful change.

Over the past several months, Build 2 Lead has focused heavily on building the infrastructure to make this collective work possible.

We redesigned our youth intake processes, shifting from enrolling young people into individual programs toward connecting them with pathways that respond to their goals, strengths, and wellness needs. We continued leveraging data, community relationships, and years of persistence to secure major funding investments that will strengthen our work.

We also deepened our institutional partnerships, including our work with the University of Washington and UW Medicine, to expand healthcare career exposure, community-centered research, and behavioral health pathways for young people who have historically been underserved and underrepresented.

Perhaps one of our most meaningful milestones is the release of our first Youth Executive Committee: Civic-Justice Listening Session Report. Young people from South King and Pierce counties shared their experiences with housing instability, gun violence, mental health, substance use, and barriers to economic mobility. Their perspectives are now helping shape our advocacy strategies and conversations with public decision-makers.

This is the kind of work that takes time. It requires us to build trust, learn from what is not working, and hold ourselves accountable to the communities we serve.

As we approach the halfway point of our fifth year, we are already planning for year fifteen. We recognize that sustainable change requires more than successful programs. It requires strong institutions, reciprocal partnerships, and a willingness to rethink how systems support young people.

Over the last several months, our work has reminded me that change isn't simply something we do. It is something we feel through the relationships we build, the opportunities we create, and the progress we see in our communities.

Greatness takes a village. It takes the good and the difficult parts of servant leadership. Most importantly, it takes people willing to build something that lasts beyond themselves.

Thank you for continuing this journey with us.

Jimmy Brown

Executive Director & Founder