Congratulations To Our Senior Minneapolis Youth Congress Members

Simply put, the MINNEAPOLIS YOUTH CONGRESS is the go to group of youth when entities in Minneapolis need help and input from youth. They are an amazing group of youth that have already shaped Minneapolis and will continue to do so in the future. Every year we are excited to welcome a new cohort, but we also have to say bye to another. We wanted to highlight some of our superstars and you can view more of these HIGHLIGHT CARDS AT OUR WEBSITE. 

Video: 2019 Minneapolis Teen Job Fair

We produced a short video highlighting the successful 2019 Minneapolis Teen Job Fair. Please share with a friend that attended and we hope to see many more people next year! 

Watch the video on YOUTUBE HERE. 

You can check out photos of the Job Fair at our WEBSITE HERE. 

Pillsbury United Communities Steps Up To Fill Community Gaps

For the first time since the summer of 2017, free summer programming for K-5 is up and running at the BRIAN COYLE CENTER. From June through August, kids will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities — literacy and geography lessons, gardening, cooking, technology, organized sports, and engaging in projects that help foster self-expression. 

Free & vibrant programming is wonderful, but PILLSBURY UNITED COMMUNITIES voiced their concern over cuts in supports for youth during summer: 

Unfortunately in the past two years, our K-5 youth have not had the academic and social supports needed due to funding cuts. Our agency along with many others serving this population were forced to cut both our summer and afterschool K-5 programs out entirely, which has had significant impacts on the families we serve. Older middle and high school-aged youth have often had to step up and stay home to care for their younger siblings, forcing them to no longer participate in their own summer/afterschool programming. Parents were faced with the difficult decision to change their job(s) or adjust their work schedules. And then there’s the K-5 kids themselves who are no longer receiving the academic and social supports that are critical in laying the groundwork for academic success and confidence in middle school.

This has been a real community need these past couple of years, and because of demand from our Cedar Riverside neighbors, we pulled as many strings as we could to make a summer K-5 program happen at the Brian Coyle Center. However, the future of K-5 still looks uncertain until there are more funds allocated to this population. Our kids deserve better.

Do you have a story of the power of K-5 programming, or want to share your experiences with the lack of it? Contact Julie: JulieG@pillsburyunited.org, 612-455-0365. We want to help uplift these stories to ensure we get the resources needed for our young people.

MPLS Youth Congress Learns Architecture & Design at MSR Design

Over 3-weeks MSR DESIGN graciously hosted architectural design workshops for our Minneapolis Youth Congress. We learned a lot and had a ton of fun going to these workshops! MSR has proven to be a great community partner and we are so grateful the architects & designers there knew how to work with youth so well. We cannot thank them enough for inspiring future designers! We encourage other organizations to engage and expose youth to the work they do. 

We made a short documentary over those 3-weeks and you can WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE HERE. 

Minneapolis & YCB Selected For Pilot Project

THE FORUM FOR YOUTH INVESTMENT is an action tank working with national, state and local leaders in more than 35 states. Their mission is to help leaders get young people ready for college, work and life. They currently have a pilot project titled Collaborative Support of Development Practices and the YCB & Minneapolis are one of two locales selected for the pilot. Senior Director, Larry Pasti, spent a few days in Minneapolis meeting with youth workers, city workers, and many others to introduce the project and collect data. In September, Larry & The Forum will share their findings with us, so we'll have more to share then. A big thanks to Larry and The Forum For Youth Investment for selecting us and for their hard work. 

Opportunities & Resources

RFP: Youth Intervention Programs Grant

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS (OJP) recently released their YIP Grant Request for Proposal (RFP). A well-written application is essential to your success in securing funding, so the OJP grant managers to created a YIP Grant Application Process webinar. This 30-minute webinar addresses tips and critical elements of an excellent grant proposal. You can also learn more by visiting MN Youth Intervention Programs (YIP) Grant web page. The application deadline is Friday, August 16, 2019 at 4:00 pm CT.

Furthermore, OJP are also seeking volunteers to review YIP grant applications and they are especially looking for young adults (19-25) to help with this process. Find more INFO & APPLY HERE. 

Minneapolis Afterschool Network Facebook Group

The MINNEAPOLIS AFTERSCHOOL NETWORK are working diligently to coordinate & leverage resources in our community. A key component to coordinating is linking up partners and creating spaces to communicate. To help support this, the Network created a brand new Facebook group and are inviting youth workers and others involved in afterschool to join. A Facebook group works differently than a Facebook page in that everyone in the group contributes equally — meaning the more engaged people we have in the group the better it gets! Currently we are posting about open positions, professional development opportunities, and other updates happening around the community. You can request to JOIN THE AFTERSCHOOL NETWORK FACEBOOK GROUP HERE. 

Local Podcast: Our Community, Our Business

The HAWTHORNE NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL produces a podcast titled Our Community, Our Business that discusses neighborhood issues & stories. The podcast has had community leaders, police officers, organization heads, and other people that makeup the local community on the show. We look forward to future episodes! Find the podcast on the platform of your liking below.  

Apple Podcasts | HNC Website | Spotify | Direct Download

U of M Training - Understanding and Connecting with Adolescents

There is an upcoming training at the University of Minnesota titled It is All About Relationships: Understanding and Connecting with Adolescents

It will take place at the McNamara Alumni Center on August 19 & 20 at 8:30 am - 4:30 pm. 

You can find more INFORMATION & REGISTER HERE. 

The organizers wrote this on who should attend:

All who work with young people in middle-level schools - teachers, counselors, school nurses, social workers, mentors, paraprofessionals, coaches, public health nurses, nurse practitioners, restorative practitioners, health educators, psychologists, after school staff, and instructional coaches.

Nominate A Worker For Converge Academy 2019

Know any amazing social impact leaders who might be interested in a full scholarship to a three-day leadership academy in Brooklyn? How about an event with a choose-your-own-adventure aspect to it where attendees can help select the third day of training from experts? 

Nominate someone for the American Express Leadership Academy’s first-ever Converge Academy in Brooklyn! The Academy is run by the Center for Creative Leadership and facilitated by LeaderStories.

You can apply or nominate someone HERE  — the deadline is August 16.