06/01/2026
Here is an AMAZING feature on another effort in Skyway that was made possible by Participatory Budgeting.
Converge Media recently highlighted the Cutting Edge Barber Mentorship Program, an initiative that community chose to direct $125,000 through the King County program in 2024.
Converge interviewed several of individuals involved with this six-week, four-days-a-week mentorship program, specifically Personal Touch Barbershop and Life's Styles Barber Academy.
Here's an excerpt:
What makes the Cutting Edge program uniquely impactful is its strategic alliance of prominent local organizations. The initiative operates as a collaborative ecosystem, combining the community reach of Personal Touch Barbershop and the accredited educational framework of Life's Styles Barber Academy (led by master barber and owner Lamont Styles).
For Lamont Styles, a serial entrepreneur and instructor, backing this program means reclaiming the historic role of the barbershop as an anchor of social infrastructure.
"It's the cornerstone, man, next to the church," Styles shared. "Everybody comes through the barbershop, and so we feel like if we can unite the barbershop in the Black community, we could really, really push a lot of different programs and resources through that."
Here's an excerpt of Participatory Budgeting's impact:
The Participatory Budgeting funding proved vital, arriving precisely as local stylists and barbers were navigating a traditionally slow economic season. The grant money was directly injected back into the neighborhood to:
- Purchase comprehensive professional tools and supplies for the students.
- Fund fair compensation for the specialized instructors and mentors.
- Distribute financial stipends directly to the participating youth.
- Assist with the shop's building lease and operational rentals.
While nearly 30 students initially walked through the doors on day one, a core group of 19 dedicated individuals consistently showed up every single day, demonstrating an unyielding desire to master the craft and escape the distractions of the streets.
Read this Converge's in-depth piece on Cutting Edge Barber Academy:
With summer right around the corner, an extraordinary, transformative energy fills the air inside Personal Touch Barbershop in Renton, Washington. For the past six weeks, a groundbreaking experiment in grassroots democracy and youth empowerment has been quietly unfolding inside these walls. It is th