Student Advisory Group FAQ

WCSAG officially starts on Friday, October 9th, 2026, with orientation at the WA Charters Policy and Advocacy Conference in SeaTac, WA. Conference registration, transportation to and from the conference, and accommodation (based on proximity to SeaTac) will be provided by WA Charters. WCSAG officially ends on Friday, May 7th, 2026, with WCSAG presentations and a celebration at the WA Charters offices in Seattle, WA. Transportation to and from the end of term presentations and celebration will be provided by WA Charters. WCSAG members will not work on holidays or during school breaks. Selected students should plan to spend 2-4 hours per week on WCSAG work. For sector-wide Days of Learning and Advocacy Days, both hosted in-person in Olympia, WA, at the Capitol campus, WCSAG members should expect to work the entire event (~8 hours), including setup and take down.

All interested students must submit the application, two letters of recommendation, and a parent permission form to WA Charters by 11:59pm on Friday, September 13th. Based on the strength of their applications and letters of recommendation, a number of students will be invited to one-hour interviews during the week of September 21st to 24th. Students selected to join WCSAG will be notified on Friday, September 25th.

The WCSAG application opens Monday, May 18. Interested students can access the application and all materials at WACharters.org, by emailing Barbara@WACharters.org, or at their school office. The application closes at 11:59pm on Friday, September 13th. All materials must be submitted by then, as late applications will not be considered

All interested students must submit the application, two letters of recommendation, and a parent permission form to WA Charters by 11:59pm on Friday, September 13th. Based on the strength of their applications and letters of recommendation, a number of students will be invited to one-hour interviews during the week of September 21st to 24th. Students selected to join WCSAG will be notified on Friday, September 25th.

WCSAG is mostly remote! WCSAG participants are expected to be in-person for about 7 events: orientation and the WA Charters conference, 3 session events, certain job shadowing opportunities, and the final internship presentation. For in-person events, transportation and food will be provided.

WCSAG members will learn about the Washington State Legislature, write a bi-weekly column in the WA Charters newsletters, help plan and coordinate the WA Charters Day of Learning and Day of Advocacy in Olympia, track bills through the legislative process, build teams of school-based student advocates, write legislative updates, interview lobbyists and other WA Charters partners, and present an end-of-term report on their work and learnings.

Yes! All WCSAG members will receive a stipend of $500.

No! Nametags and vests for legislative activities will be provided by WA Charters.

1. Gain a deeper understanding of the Washington state government and the legislative process.
2. Gain understanding of how policy, advocacy, and communication work together to impact and inform the legislative process.
3. Learn how to build an advocacy campaign about a specific policy issue.
4. Build a school-based student committee of
at least three charter public school advocates.
5. Be able to teach others how to effectively advocate and organize around a common goal. 6. Explore job opportunities around policy, advocacy, and communications.
7. Be confident in their ability to speak about
a policy issue and communicate their position
to legislators and other decision makers.
8. Have fun!