Minneapolis Connects October Newsletter

Minneapolis Connects: News and information from Minneapolis Neighborhood and Community Relations

October 4, 2018

One Minneapolis Fund Applications Due October 10.

One Minneapolis Fund Appetite for Change youth 2014 - 2015 for their Good Food Advocacy Campaign

The One Minneapolis Fund is designed to support diverse leadership and community engagement in the City of Minneapolis. There are only six days left to submit your funding application. Apply by October 10 in one of two categories for part of the $182,000 available: 

  • Group A: Projects seeking up to $15,000 that prepare Minneapolis residents from underrepresented groups to serve on City boards and commissions or on one of Minneapolis’s 70 neighborhood organization boards.
  • Group B: Projects seeking up to $25,000 that connect diverse residents to the City and engage communities, beyond neighborhood borders, from target audiences.

View the eligibility requirements and fill out the application at Minneapolismn.gov/ncr/initiatives/1mf.

Pictured: Youth from Appetite For Change (AFC). AFC received funds in 2014 - 2015 for their Good Food Advocacy Campaign. 


    Indigenous People's Day Celebration

    Indigenous People's Day Festival 2018

    October 8 is Indigenous People's Day in Minneapolis. Starting October 6, you can join Native American community organizations for a vibrant, free festival that will educate attendees about American Indian history, culture and contemporary experiences through the arts. The festival will include:

    • An art market.
    • Interactive workshops.
    • Indigenous foods.
    • Music.

    The festival will take place in the American Indian Cultural Corridor on Franklin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55404. Read about the performers on the festival website here. 

    Community Connections Series Learning Lab Spring 2018 American Indian Lab at All My Relations Gallery

    Learn more about engaging the Native American community in NCR's learning lab the American Indian Community and Effective Engagement, part of the Community Connections series, which runs from September 12 – November 14 in the mornings, and September 20 – November 8 in the evenings.

    You can view the updated schedule and enroll today at Minneapolismn.gov/ncr/learninglabs

    Email ncr@minneapolimn.gov or call 612-673-3737 if you have additional questions or difficulty registering.


    Join a City board or commission!

    Why I Serve 2018 boards and commissions, commissioner Jerome Evans quote

    Help shape key policy decisions, give community-based input on the City’s administration of services and share your valuable insights with City leaders. See what topics might interest you, share openings and stay up to date on vacancies, position descriptions and timelines at minneapolismn.gov/boards/openings. Current openings:

    The application review process begins October 5 unless marked otherwise, and the positions are open until filled. Translation and interpreting services are available on request so all residents can participate.


    Somali Radio Show, Magaaladayda Minneapolis, Launches October 11

    Abdirashid Ahmed, NCR’s East African Specialist, hosting his monthly Somali-language radio show

    On October 11, from 2:00-3:00 p.m., NCR's interim East African community specialist, Numan Shaikh, will host NCR's new Somali-language radio show, Magaaladayda Minneapolis, on Somali American Radio, KALY-LP 101.7 FM. You can listen online at Kalyradio.org

    Magaaladayda Minneapolis is one of three radio shows that broadcast City news in Minneapolis's most widely-spoken languages after English. 

    The other two radio programs are Kuv Lub Nroog Minneapolis, in Hmong, and Mi Ciudad, in Spanish. On the every third Thursday from 2:00-3:00 p.m., you can listen to Kuv Lub Nroog Minneapolis on Hmong Radio AM 1590 and online here. You can listen to Mi Ciudad on La Raza 95.7 FM, 1400 and 1470 AM on every other Tuesday from 3:00-4:00 p.m. or online at Laraza1400.com. The next Mi Ciudad will broadcast on October 16, 2018.


    National Voter Registration Day

    Michael Yang and Bounleuth Prayounkham – Gowing, Executive Director of Lao Advancement Organization of America on  Voter Registration Day 2018

    As part of National Voter Registration Day, NCR's entire staff registered voters in public spaces on September 25. In total, NCR staff and volunteers registered 67 people to vote and spoke with 952 potential voters.

    Early voting has begun and will run through Monday, November 5, when it will close at 5:00 p.m. For hours and answers to other election-related questions, visit vote.minneapolismn.gov.

    To register to vote, request an absentee ballot by mail or check your voter registration, visit www.mnvotes.org.

    Pictured, Southeast Asian Community Specialist Michael Yang and Bounleuth Prayounkham-Gowing, Executive Director for the Lao Advancement Organization of America on West Broadway Avenue. Bounleuth is passionate about helping Minneapolis's Lao community register to vote and turn out on election day. She believes that her community’s votes and voices can help address her community’s concerns like support for the elderly programs at her organization.


    Collaborative Safety Strategies project supports entrepreneurs in North Minneapolis

    Lunch & learn realities of entrepreneurship New Rules School North Minneapolis 2018

    New Rules School of Entrepreneurship, a part of the Penn Avenue Collaborative project, supported by Collaborative Safety Strategies funding, has launched its series of workshops and lunch and learn opportunities for entrepreneurs in North Minneapolis. The New Rules School of Entrepreneurship is focused on developing sustainable businesses and entrepreneurs in the areas of health and wellness, social capital and support systems, education, innovation and economics. 

    There are two weeks of events planned, ranging from gaming tournaments, panel discussions, workshops, lunch-and-learns, community connectors and much more. All events are free and open to the public. Visit the website to get more information. Read the full list of learning opportunities and RSVP here...


    Coalition recommends next steps for Franklin-Hiawatha homeless encampment response

    On September 12, a City-community led coalition working on a response to the Franklin-Hiawatha homeless encampment outlined a series of recommendations to the City Council’s Housing Policy & Development Committee, including plans for a new navigation center providing emergency transitional services for those hardest to connect to traditional shelter housing. The City Council is scheduled to review site options Wednesday, September 26. Read more...


    North Loop Neighborhood Association creates North Loop Welcome Park

    North Loop Neighborhood Association finished North Loop Welcome Park 2018

    On September 11, with the help of MNDOT, Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis, North Loop Neighborhood Association (NLNA) took an unused and unsightly piece of land on the corner of North Washington Avenue & Third Street North and made it into a beautiful natural site in the urban North Loop environment.

    NLNA contributed neighborhood priority funds to get this project started, and an additional $25,000 in plants and beautification supplies came from MNDOT.

    Neighbors trimmed trees, removed brush, seeded the ground, dug holes for trees, installed a mulch bed and fertilized the entire property. Read more...

    Photo: Mark Huting, North Loop Neighborhood Association


    Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs participates in Welcoming Week 2018

    Welcoming Week Celebration 2018 Oromo dancers at The Commons

    City of Minneapolis leaders, the Minneapolis Office of Immigrant and Refugee AffairsCarry-on Homes and artists from Oromo, Somali, Mexica-Nahua, Thai, Hmong, Chinese and many other  backgrounds joined together for a celebration of Minneapolis’s vibrant immigrant and refugee communities as part of Welcoming America’s national Welcoming Week. 

    Attendees enjoyed performances and learned about immigrant and refugee issues from participating groups, including the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, COPAL, CAPI, Green Card Voices, the Iraqi American Reconciliation Project, CAIR and the International Institute of Minnesota among others.

    Read more about the Minneapolis Welcoming Week Celebration...


    Volunteer to help clean up litter

    Litter Be Gone volunteers picking up trash 2018

    Sign up with family and friends for a community-wide litter cleanup event October 4-13. Volunteers will help pick up litter on their blocks, boulevards, sidewalks, streets, alleys and community green spaces to make the streets clean before leaves fall and snow flies. Participants get special offers and discounts from sponsoring neighborhood businesses.

    Sign up at www.litterbegone.org.


    Job Openings

    West Calhoun Neighborhood Council is hiring a neighborhood coordinator. Read more...

    Armatage Neighborhood Association is also hiring a neighborhood coordinator. Read more...

    The City of Minneapolis is hiring election judges for November 6. Read more...

    The U.S. Census Bureau is hiring. Read more...

    For Neighborhoods

    Home Improvement Loans

    Several Minneapolis Home Improvement Loan Programs are now available to qualified owner occupied residences. Read more...

    Become an NCEC commissioner

    If you are passionate about good government and effective engagement, consider serving on the Neighborhood and Community Engagement Commission (NCEC).

    We are currently seeking a commissioner to represent the following neighborhoods by October 31Armatage, Cedar-Isles-Dean , East Harriet Farmstead, Tangletown, Fulton, Kenny, Linden Hills, Lynnhurst, West Calhoun and Windom.

    Neighborhoods 2020

    View the work group and office hours schedule and meeting materials on the Neighborhoods 2020 webpage: Minneapolismn.gov/ncr/2020.

    Jordan Area Community Council (JACC) seeks board members

    JACC is looking for community members who work or live in the Jordan neighborhood boundaries to join the JACC Board of Directors. Email Andrea@jordanmpls.org for an application.


    Upcoming Events

    Oct. 4

    Oct. 5

    Oct. 6

    Oct. 6 & 7

    Oct. 8

    Oct. 11

    Oct. 11 & 18

    Oct. 12

    Oct. 13

    Oct. 15

    Oct. 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24 & 25

    Oct. 18

    Oct. 20

    Oct. 23

    Oct. 23 & Nov. 1

    Oct. 25

    Oct. 27

    Oct. 31 & Nov. 8 

    Nov. 7 & 14

    Nov. 11


      Neighborhood and Community Relations Department

      Director, David Rubedor 
      Crown Roller Mill, Room 425
      105 5th Avenue South
      Minneapolis, MN 55401
      (612) 673-3737