The new Behavior Supports in Schools Collaborative is a multidisciplinary network for Washington’s educational ecosystem. Registration for the first quarterly meeting is now OPEN! Join us virtually this September to build connections with colleagues statewide.

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, offering an ideal opportunity to speak out and raise awareness on this vital topic — an awareness that is urgently required, with suicide the tenth leading cause of death among adults in the U.S. — and the second leading cause of death among children and young people aged 10–24. Unfortunately, these rates are increasing, and those who are young, LGBTQ, or BIPOC are especially vulnerable. LGBTQ youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide, while transgender adults, meanwhile, are almost 12 times more likely than the general population to attempt suicide.

Celebrated every August 26, Women’s Equality Day provides an essential and poignant remembrance of the passage of women’s suffrage in the U.S. It is also a reminder of the heroic women who suffered violence, torture, death and discrimination as they fought for equal rights for women, including the right to vote.

Created by UNESCO to memorialize the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade, Slavery Remembrance Day, also known as International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, is observed on August 23 worldwide. Upon this day, it's important that we remember that this observance is not only a reminder of the horrors of slavery as we honor its victims—it's also about our dedication across the globe to ensure that slavery, and the racism that caused it, is abolished once and for all.

Celebrated each August 14, Navajo Code Talkers Day honors the courageous achievements of the over 400 Navajo men who were recruited to the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II.

Unfortunately today, K-12 Education is a declining state priority: Immediately following the McCleary “Solution,” more than half of Washington's general fund budget was dedicated to K-12 education. Since then, K-12 spending in the state’s general fund budget has continued to grow but K-12 education is no longer the funding priority.

Commemorating the historic meeting of the first United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations in 1982, International Day of the World’s Indigenous People (August 9) provides us with the chance to promote the rights of Indigenous People worldwide, while also amplifying their voices, cultures, and accomplishments. In these days of increased concern over climate change, the knowledge and commitment of many indigenous peoples to sustainability and biodiversity may in fact prove crucial to protecting the earth for future generations.

As a haunting reminder of the destructive power of the atomic bomb, August 6 is Hiroshima Day, when the city of Hiroshima holds the Peace Memorial Ceremony to mourn and commemorate the victims of the detonation of the atomic bomb in that city by the United States on August 6, 1945.

Far too often, the history books seem to focus on the men who made the impacts, the men who made the achievements—and then men who looked to the stars. Yet throughout history, the eyes of women have focused on the stars as intensively as men, and to them belong many great achievements and discoveries as they played essential roles in a variety of scientific and astronomical breakthroughs.

Which is why, every August 1, we celebrate Women Astronomers Day.

Each year on July 30, National Public Education Day reinforces the commitment to children as the future of our country while raising awareness of the necessity for free and quality public education as the basic right of all human beings.

Commemorating the formation of the first Army regiments to include African American Soldiers, Buffalo Soldiers' Day is celebrated annually on July 28.

Did you know that there's a second Independence Day in July? Celebrated annually on July 26, National Disability Independence Day is an important and federally recognized celebration of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush.

July is South Asian Heritage Month, a month-long celebration taking place annually from July 18 through August 17 to honor those with heritage from such South Asian countries as India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and the Maldives.

Too often, it sometimes seems that the one constant across the globe is conflict and strife, not peace. Yet there is always opportunity for resolution and alliance, and for justice. This is the reason for the founding of the World Day for International Justice — also known as International Justice Day — on July 17.

July 14 is International Non-Binary People’s Day, which was created to raise awareness of the issues faced by non-binary people around the globe while also celebrating their courage and commitment to identity and self-knowledge.

Now celebrated as Malala Day, July 12 marks the birthday of one of the world’s most important young activists, Malala Yousafzai, who is the youngest-ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Originally founded as National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, BIPOC Mental Health Month is observed every July, and it shines an essential spotlight on the unique mental health challenges and needs of those racial and ethnic groups that are historically disenfranchised or oppressed in the United States.

Taking place from August 5-9, King County Public Health Camp is for youth 16+ from all backgrounds who want to understand and see the work that goes into public health. Through this camp, participants will engage with hands-on learning from public health professionals.

Deafblind Awareness Week is marked each year during the last week of June in honor of Helen Keller’s birthday on June 27, and first commemorated by President Ronald Reagan. Helen overcame the loss of her sight and hearing in early infancy to become a celebrated representative of the deafblind community and its potential during her lifetime. This year, Deafblind Awareness Week will be observed from June 23 to June 30.

World Refugee Day takes place each year on June 20, and it celebrates the bravery and strength of displaced persons and those forced to flee their home countries to escape persecution or conflict — and their right to do so.