Local nonprofit seeks to provide solace for youth amid rising rates of violence, substance abuse, mental health challenges

In summer 2022, two teens died following a drive-by shooting at Spruce Park, only a day and a half after two other teenagers were injured in another Lynnwood drive-by shooting. Later that year, a 70-year-old man was shot and killed in another drive-by incident while sitting in his vehicle at Daleway Park. 

Wally Webster, a longtime Lynnwood resident and founder and president of the ACCESS project, was among many who were devastated by these losses. 

His grief and frustration caused him to look for answers within, Webster said. 

“What should I be doing to help our community be safer?” he asked himself. 

Within days in late 2022, Webster gathered a number of community leaders: A municipal court judge, multiple mayors, city council members, faith leaders, and others who shared the vision. 

This was the birth of the ACCESS Project, a nonprofit dedicated to “providing South Snohomish County’s youth with the tools, resources and support they need to overcome adversity and reach their full potential,” per the organization’s website. 

More than two years later, the spirit of community healing was still palpable as people gathered in the Community Life Center in Lynnwood Monday for a forum hosted by the ACCESS Project. 

The two-part event began with a panel of mental health professionals from Compass Health and the Center for Human Services. Panelists answered audience questions about how to support youth through challenges related to mental health, bullying, substance abuse and more. 

Following the panel was a grief and loss circle where attendees had open and honest conversations about the heavy feelings surrounding  loss. 

Stephanie Sorantos, co-director of Well Being Youth and Family Resource Center, facilitated the grief exercise. 

Emily Lord, a therapist at the Center for Human Services, facilitated the panel. She gave those attending a look into the lives of Snohomish County teenagers.

“Data taken from 2021 and then again in 2023 shows local 10th graders in Snohomish County are reporting increased experiences of being bullied, feeling unsafe in their schools, and an increase in their alcohol, marijuana and other drug use – or know close friends who have used alcohol or other drugs,” Lord said. 

According to Washington State’s Healthy Youth Survey, students in the county reported a decrease in parental discussions around alcohol and drugs, a decrease in perceived risk around substance use and a decrease in perception of academic success and commitment to education. 

“Our youth face many challenges other generations did not grapple with.” Lord continued. “Before social media, being bullied generally stayed at home. Now, bullying happens in their pockets 24/7, and if it is not in their pockets on their phones, it is on their friends’ phones.” 

Bullying had been on a “steady decline”  in Snohomish County since 2012, Lord said, but had a “sharp rise” in 2021. 

Following recent gun-related deaths locally and nationally, students are carrying weapons with them at higher rates, Lord said. 

“Kids are having to grapple with the fragility of their lives every time they enter a school building or hang out at a mall in our community, so it’s no wonder they’re less likely to want to hang out with their friends or go somewhere outside of their homes when everything feels dangerous,” she said. “All of it can feel overwhelming for youth and overwhelming for the adults who care about them,” she said. 

But what can be done? 

The statistics, coupled with the lack of resources and difficulty accessing mental health care, can be overwhelming, Lord said. 

“We also want to empower you all to be the mental health support in the community too, because the number that matters most is one,” she said. 

Research shows that when it comes to changing the course of a child’s life, the difference can come down to just one person supporting that child, said Alex Cummings, one of the panelists and a mental health professional at the Center for Human Services. 

“I’d like you all to take a moment to think about the people who helped get you to where you are today,” he said. “Those people, much like you, probably didn’t know much about what they were doing, but they were committed… That’s something you can be to the youth of the community when nothing else is available. If nothing else, they showed up for you.” 

This isn’t the first time the ACCESS Project provided a space for people in times of grief and healing. 

The nonprofit, in partnership with the Edmonds School District, hosted a grief and grievance session following the death of 13-year-old Jayda Woods-Johnson who was shot and killed by another teen at Alderwood Mall in July. 

At the end of the day, Webster wants to stop youth violence at its core. The goal is to help youth before they feel the need to use weapons or resort to violence.

He reflected on an incident from September, when a 16-year-old student at Lynnwood High School was detained after a road rage incident involving a firearm. 

“The way I look at that situation is: It’s a student who had a weapon on her way to school,” Webster said. “Why does she need a weapon in her car?… Is it insecurity? Is she being bullied? Is she being threatened? How do we get to the root cause of why she had this weapon?” 

Those at the ACCESS Project plan on continuing to provide healing spaces for youth and the community as a whole. Another community healing panel is scheduled at the Community Life Center on Nov. 18. Webster said there are also plans for art, sports and other youth programs in the near future. 

The nonprofit is in need of adults who are interested in volunteering as youth mentors, Webster said. 

Those who want to get involved with the ACCESS Project, whether through participation or volunteer work, can find the organization’s contact information on its website: theaccessprojectwa.org. 

— Story and photo by Ashley Nash