Evan Cook talks Youth Mentorship in South King County and New Book
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The Day With Trae host Trae Holiday sat down with Federal Way-based community leader and author Evan Cook to discuss his work with youth in South King County, his impact on the City of Federal Way, and his most recent book 'How My Soul Speaks.'
"I started out public speaking in Federal Way whenever I left college and law enforcement, and I moved back to this side of the state. I started off doing that, and I recognized there's a huge need for mentors," Cook said. "So I just kind of shifted my public speaking platform to being a mentor. And that kind of led me into the nonprofit work and working with different nonprofits in Federal Way and throughout South King County."
Cook has elevated into being a leader for youth in South King County thanks to his contributions to the community and his role as a football coach.
"I think the main way is just being an example. I think that, you know, that's what made me want to shift in the first place. They needed somebody that they could look at and see that he was doing his thing," Cook said.
Cook highlights that a lack of support in school districts and other organizations led him to take matters into his own hands.
"I've kind of just had to go and create that lane on my own and show them that you can do it despite differences, despite adversity, despite anything, and that's kind of the main thing I wanted to show those kids," Cook said. "There is somebody they can look up to that is human, that makes mistakes, you know that that isn't perfect, but still can relate to you, still can go be on a stage and in different rooms and talk to different people and then still come be able to talk to them and a manner in which they understand."
Cook is also the founder and CEO of Restoring Mindz, a public speaking and clothing company, and one of the cofounders of the nonprofit Federal Way Black Collective, a collection of community leaders focused on uplifting and connecting the black community in Federal Way. While initially starting as local advocates attending and speaking up at city hall meetings, Cook and others came together to create an organization focused on tackling social issues such as "service disparities, equitable needs, and other social justice issues such as law enforcement's use of excessive force."
"We hosted community meetings, we got community voice, and they told us what they needed in the community," Cook said. "From there, we ended up starting a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and being able to start programming in the community through working with childcare, working with rental assistance, working with just different types of things that the community was struggling with, and trying to provide a service."
Cook's work with children and young adults throughout Federal Way inspired his collection of poems, 'How My Soul Speaks.'
"This book is about how I found self-care for myself. That was like a buzzword I'd heard and something I really wasn't familiar with or really good at. Because I only knew a few ways to deal with the pain and the secondary trauma that you encounter dealing with youth. And so, we had lost, I lost countless numbers of youth," Cook said. "I didn't know how to deal, and so my workplace at the time, they said, take a break."
During this break, Cook attended a leadership conference, picked up a notebook, and began writing poetry.
"That two-day Leadership Conference turned into me writing in this journal for the next two years, three years," Cook said.
As for what readers can expect from his collection, Cook summarized it as a look inside his headspace.
"This was about my dark time. So, a lot of the poems here are dark. They're very deep. They're very heartfelt. They're gonna pull out your strings, and might even cause you to cry a little bit," Cook said. "I cry when I read some of these poems still, and I wrote them like years ago, but you know, I want them to get an understanding of who I am as a person. Everything hasn't always been great. But on the other side of that darkness is a light, and I want people to see that there is a way to get to it."
To reach Cook's poetry collection 'How My Soul Speaks,' purchase here.
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