Written by Erin Murphy, Director of Education and Advocacy Network, YWCA Seattle I King I Snohomish.

Firesteel and the YWCA Seattle I King I Snohomish hosted two Washington governor candidate Hangouts to discuss issues that women prioritize. Democratic candidate Jay Inslee joined us on 10/3 and Republican candidate Rob McKenna joined us on 10/5.

Google+ Hangouts are a pretty new thing but proving to be a great way for non-profits to engage with their supporters and new communities. Think Skype with a computer twist. We knew we wanted to reach a statewide audience so virtual seemed the way to go. I chose Google+ Hangout to broadcast our virtual governor candidate round tables as they are free, easy to share across social networks, and really personable–you can’t get more accessible than that! Plus, Hangouts offer the ability to easily live stream a video directly through YouTube–which is exactly what we did!

Here’s a behind the scenes look at our Hangouts including what people thought about it:

Huge thanks to all our #YWHangout participants! We were thrilled to have candidates Rob McKenna and Jay Inslee join us along with representatives from WLIHA, WSCADV, Seattle CityClub, YWCA of Walla Walla and the YWCA of Seattle I King I Snohomish. We are also very grateful to Google and their awesome support.

Elections are less than a month away, so inform your vote by “hanging out” and watching the videos below. For interest in particular issues, take note of the following times:

Rob McKenna conversation

Safety net funding (3:22)

Domestic violence funding (6:21) and supportive public policy (23:42)

Equal pay (8:46)

Affordable childcare and early learning (13:58) and K-12 education (29:23)

Medicaid and women’s healthcare coverage (17:08) and mental health (26:53)

Affordable housing (20:54)

Jay Inslee Conversation

Safety net funding (3:48)

Domestic violence funding (9:51) and supportive public policy (31:47)

Equal Pay (14:28)

Affordable childcare and early learning (17:58)

Medicaid and women’s healthcare coverage (22:06) and mental health (35:15)

Affordable housing (28:20) and renters’ protection (39:01)