Since the turn of the millennium the Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation, or WWFOR, has nurtured a unique long-term training program for youth in the theory and skills of nonviolent activism.
In the year 2000, the Peace Activist Trainee, or PAT, program had two participants. In the 22 years following, more than 150 youth activists have received funding, training and support from WWFOR. In 2014, the PAT program merged into the Mike Yarrow Peace Fellowship, or MYPF, named in honor of PAT founder and WWFOR regional organizer Mike Yarrow, who died of cancer at age 74 that year. From 2014 to the present the MYPF program has been organized by three volunteer co-directors, assisted each year by youth leaders who have emerged from the program to help with the training and support work.
In 2022, co-directors Bruce and Janis Pruitt-Hamm and Mary Lou Finley have been joined by 2017 MYPF graduate and WWFOR Regional Council member Sarah Pham, now enrolled at the University of Washington. Sarah is leading monthly “Strategy/Support” meetings via Zoom and has set up digital spaces for the MYPF to communicate and support each other through the year-long program. This leadership team is working with ten young activists, ages 14 to 19, accepted as Peace Fellows for 2022-23.
Nirja Thaler, 17, Olympia. Co-founder of the Feminism Club at Olympia High School, Nirja is interested in criminal justice and racial justice issues. She hopes to lobby the legislature and organize public protest.
Nesiah Humphrey, 14, and Nnenaya Humphrey, 15, Montreal. Sisters Nesiah and Nnenaya are homeschooled and live in Montreal, Quebec. They plan to work together on the crisis of soil erosion.
Dwija Adamala, 17, Olympia. Having participated in protests regarding gun safety, human rights, Black Lives Matter, and environmental issues, Dwija intends to work as Peace Fellow on the increasing problem of economic inequality and hopes to “promote a more equitable future in Olympia.”
Leo Perry, 16, East Wenatchee. President of Eastmont High School’s Queer Straight Alliance Club and the Youth Representative for Wenatchee Pride, Leo’s goal as a MYPF activist is to “make LBGTQIA students and youth feel accepted and loved in my community and also educate non LGBTQIA people about the movement.” His activism is set in the context of “one of the most strongly Republican counties in the state in presidential elections.”
Jenna Willingham, 15, Olympia. Putting it simply, Jenna stated on her application, “I want to be a positive voice for change.” Currently a member of a Racial Equity group at Olympia High School, Jenna plans to work on systemic racism. She has a focus on unconscious bias.
Hannah Martin, 15, Olympia. Having already organized two school walkouts on gun violence and the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Hannah is already a seasoned activist, having attended many protests and engaged in organizing on a range of topics such as women’s rights, Black Lives Matter, and climate change. Her MYPF project is to implement a feminist curriculum at Olympia High School.
Angella Clarke, 15, Fargo. Based in North Dakota, Angela was a MYPF in 2021 and is repeating the program to continue her work on “Period Poverty” and access to feminine hygiene products at her school.
Christine Zhang, 16, Olympia. Christine was also a MYPF in 2021, working on gender equality and digital literacy. As a consequence of her project she was appointed to the Olympia School Board as one of two Student Representatives in June 2022. She is the founder of “By Her 4 Her” and has worked to get a digital literacy curriculum adopted by elementary schools in the Olympia area.Kimberly Il, 19, Olympia/Seattle. As a Cambodian-American with refugee parents who resettled in the United States after the Khmer took over Cambodia, Kim plans to work on helping Khmer refugees who face deportation back to Cambodia. A student at the University of Washington, she has experience organizing for release of detainees at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma.