Freedom School takes North Minneapolis teens to U of M

Thomas, 17, along with eleven other high school teens spent a few days in August on the University of Minnesota campus as part of the Kwanzaa Freedom School, a six-week, literacy-rich summer program. This is the third consecutive year the University has partnered with Kwanzaa. The students have a chance to "do what they'd like to do and discover what the University has to offer," says Mark Mahon, who is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Konopka Institute for Best Practices in Adolescent Health, which was the University partner for program.

The students, who are primarily from the Jordan and Hawthorne neighborhood in north Minneapolis, had the chance to spend a night in a residence hall and visit numerous campus buildings and groups. They visited the Givens Collection of African American literature at Anderson Library, learned about video production at the Rarig Center, and participated in a spoken word workshop lead by Voices Merging, a student-based artist coalition.

What makes the Konopka and Kwanzaa partnership so unique is that it is the first Freedom School program being held on a college or university campus in Minnesota. The Freedom School movement is administered and overseen by the Children's Defense Fund. The Freedom Schools programs take place across the country, serving nearly 9,000 children last summer in 61 cities. Built around five essential components: "High quality academic enrichment; Parent and family involvement; Social action and civic engagement; Intergenerational servant leadership development; and Nutrition, health and mental health" the Freedom Schools present a great service to local youth. The partnership with the University of Minnesota, now and as it continues, serves as a model to other institutes in how to partner with young people and the organizations who serve them.

Ariah Fine lives in North Minneapolis with his beautiful wife and daughter. He is a blogger, community organizer, and author of Giving Up.

Ariah Fine

Ariah Fine (ariah@tcdailyplanet.net) lives in North Minneapolis with his beautiful wife and two toddlers. He is a blogger