Seattle’s Coyote Central Empowers Youth Through Creative Learning

For 35 years, Coyote Central has been helping young people in Seattle confront inequality by fostering creativity and equipping them with the skills to shape their own futures. From welding to architecture, the organization offers hands-on learning experiences that help students develop not just artistic skills, but also confidence, responsibility, and resilience.

At the heart of Coyote Central’s mission is a belief in the power of creativity to break down barriers. By placing real tools in the hands of youth and allowing them to create, Coyote aims to spark innovation and promote equity.

“What we do is, our specific mission as it’s written and stated is, we foster creativity in youth and we do that in a number of different ways,” says Executive Director Marlette Buchanan. “We put tools in the hands of youth in artisan fashion. So, our mission is to spark creativity in young people putting tools in their hands to build skills and forge the futures.”

According to Buchanan, creativity is more than just artistic expression—it’s a critical way to challenge systems, generate new ideas, and create equitable pathways forward. Coyote Central integrates this philosophy into every facet of its programming, encouraging youth to think deeply, ask questions, and see multiple solutions to the challenges they face.

“We support and help them think, challenge, grow in so many different ways by exposing them to various facets of creativity,” says Buchanan. “Any challenges that we have in society require a multifaceted view of how to address it. So, if we are able to help develop that in our youth, then when they have to face the challenge, maybe they’ll take a step back and think about alternatives for how they can deal with situations.”

Rooted in the Central District, Coyote Central leads with a racial equity lens and is committed to dismantling barriers to creative opportunity for Black, Indigenous, people of color, immigrant, refugee, and underserved youth. That commitment goes beyond programming and into its organizational structure.

Some of its ongoing equity initiatives include a Youth Advisory Board, community talkbacks and surveys, reserved registration for underserved groups, and training for teaching artists on topics such as microaggressions, restorative justice, autism support strategies, and more. The organization also supports an Equity & Inclusion Task Force that brings together students, parents, staff, board members, and teaching artists to ensure diverse voices shape its future.

“Coyote Central strives to lead with equity in everything we do. We acknowledge that our communities have been adversely affected by longstanding white supremacy and privilege,” Buchanan says.

In the classroom, creativity is a tool not just for self-expression, but for building life skills.

“We work with mentorship, so in our classrooms, it’s not just about if you’re taking a welding class, it’s not just learning how to create something with metal. It’s also learning safety, accountability, and responsibility,” Buchanan explains. “Those are some of the things that we also teach in our programming. We use creativity to teach those things. And in all of our classes, what we’re looking to do is to help the youth grow.”

The organization also instills a specific set of values in its students—ideas like “youth in the driver’s seat,” “fearless exploration,” “realizing potential,” and “experts and beginners side by side.” These mindsets are at the core of Coyote’s approach, helping young people see themselves as capable leaders and creators in any field.

Former students Jamie and Tom Foy are a testament to Coyote Central’s long-term impact. Both took classes at Coyote Central as children. Jamie now owns an architecture firm, and Tom has joined him. Their firm is currently designing new construction for Coyote.

“The coyote experience as a kid that is still looping back into our experience as an architect, is that within a structured kind of learning environment, I took a welding class that offered room for enjoyment,” says Jamie. “A focus in a way that kind of stems from that enjoyment that wasn’t typically found within the kind of four walls of the classroom.”

“A level of focus that I remember experiencing as a kid doing something hands-on that not only made it enjoyable but also took it to a different level of learning,” he added.

Tom Foy recalls how remarkable it was to be trusted with real tools and responsibility at such a young age.

“I think I was about 10, and I remember there being one instructor and about a dozen kids all around that age, and all of us at that age had drills and power tools in our hand and probably very few of us have used those things, and remembering having that in my hand and the drill kicking back once because I wasn’t bracing it enough,” says Tom. “It was like, OK, that’s how this thing works, and then reflecting back on it now is like wow they had so much trust in us. At such a young age to be doing things that we have never done before and having those experience and having those instructors trust you, I think it’s something that’s rare that you don’t get in your typical educational environment.”

As with many nonprofits, Coyote Central faces ongoing challenges—from maintaining funding to adapting to the changing demographics of the Central District. But Buchanan says they are meeting those challenges with flexibility and determination.

“In this day and age, obviously funding is a big one, especially with some of the concerns with funding from the federal level to nonprofits,” Buchanan explains. “We have diversified our funding, and we are doing a wonderful job. We are making the quick pivots that have to be made, almost on a weekly basis to address funding challenges.”

“We also have a challenge being located right at the corner of 23rd and Cherry with a neighborhood that’s changing and a demographic that’s changing and how to respect the history of the CD and involving our youth and how we outreach with the community and also adapt to the changing face of the Central District,” concluded Buchanan.