Walking through the Sabathani Community Center in Minneapolis, a long, winding hallway greets me. The lighting is dim and the walls are bare. Women of color stand in front of different doorways and little kids run around without mothers.Behind a door with no signage lies the office of Isuroon. The Twin Cities organization, founded by Fartun Weli, stands for advocacy and community outreach in Somali communities.Specifically, Weli is motivated to provide Somali women with emotional support and health resources to help ensure their success.“We just want to make sure that the struggle of first immigrant, first generation Somali women is addressed and that they have every opportunity to succeed,” Weli said. “That will also mean that the second generation will succeed.”ADDRESSING A NEEDWeli, originally from Somalia, struggled financially while growing up. Continue Reading
The Trans Youth Support Network, founded in 2004 after a series of acts of violence against young transwomen of color, announced on Tuesday that it will close at the end of the month.In an email to community members, TYSN’s youth leaders said that “we don’t have the resources that we need to sustain our organization.” The organization stated that turnover in staff and board, as well as lack of leadership development for youth leaders, contributed to the decision to close.The email ended:We celebrate TYSN for being a beacon and a new model for young trans people, and we stand fiercely behind the work we have done. Since our transition last summer we accomplished many things together! We wrapped up our strategic planning with an amazing new friend and mentor. We ran a second cohort of Leadership Academy where 5 new faces bulldozed through 26 intense weeks of leadership development. We worked hard on trying to get more funding. Continue Reading
Even though the Saint Paul Winter Carnival is creeping up on us, our atmosphere is making its march toward spring. How is this? The calendar still says “January.” I think it may be because the Almanac arts and culture calendar is sharing something else. It’s warming us up. All those hands clapping seems a plausible enough explanation, as opposed to the scientific explanations that get in the way of important things like…well, getting elected to office and gratuitous pollution. Continue Reading
The Physics Force Circus was held at the Northrup Auditorium at the University of Minnesota last Thursday January 15th. It might not sound like the most exciting event on the surface but when Continue Reading
“The Phoenix of Phillips”, a new literary magazine sponsored by the Semilla Community Arts program of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church will make its debut at the Midtown Global Market on Thursday, January 29, with a program at 6 pm. The annual youth photography show of St. Paul’s “We Are Midtown Phillips” will also have its opening that evening.For the past eight years, St. Paul’s Semilla program has taught mosaics, mural arts, photography, puppetry and creative writing to over 1900 people and installed 21 murals and over 50 other artistic place holders throughout the neighborhood of Phillips. Continue Reading
It has been another whirlwind month of looking for money everywhere we can to deliver on our promise to bring EQUITY, ACCESS & the OPPORTUNITIES that swimming can bring to all in Minneapolis! Of course, our answer to this seemingly befuddling political riddle is not new committees, or task forces, but rather, to update and enhance the first PUBLIC, indoor pool right here, in the heart of the Phillips Community! The Phillips Aquatics Center is a reality! Swimming lessons in Minneapolis will no longer only be for the more affluent, we are leveling the playing field! Our focus will be on saving our children first, but we will have adult classes as well. Continue Reading
Omnifest 2015 isn’t the only thing beginning this weekend at the Science Museum of Minnesota.Beginning this Saturday, January 10, science, culture and opportunity will meet during the Science Museum’s popular Science Fusion event series. This long-running event series, taking place on four Saturday afternoons in January and February, focuses on the accomplishments of members of the Twin Cities’ Asian American, African American, American Indian and Latino and Hispanic communities in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).During each Science Fusion event, science and education professionals from leading Twin Cities companies will present displays that demonstrate their passion for their work and highlight the contributions they’ve made to science and innovation. Visitors of all ages will get a memorable, hands-on look at the scientists’ areas of expertise in a science fair-style setting that is the perfect atmosphere for in-depth, one-on-one interaction between visitors and presenters.In addition, eight students from around Minnesota will be formally recognized and awarded the 2015 Donaldson Science Award, which recognizes outstanding student effort and achievement in the STEM disciplines.The 2015 Science Fusion events are:African Americans in Science: Saturday, January 10First celebrated in 1992, African Americans in Science was the pioneer Science Fusion and has become a beloved Science Museum tradition. Visitors will meet science and educational professionals from USDA Forest Service, Boston Scientific, the University of Minnesota Medical School, 3M, the Association of Genetic Technologists, and other organizations, learn about what they do through interactive displays and presentations, and discover the inspiring contributions they’ve made to technology, education, health care, and innovation.Amantes de la Ciencia!: Saturday January 24Amantes de la Ciencia (Lovers of Science) introduces visitors to science and education professionals from the Twin Cities’ Latino and Hispanic communities. Companies and organizations represented this year include Academia Cesar Chavez, Ecolab, General Mills, and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. Continue Reading
After meeting with Generation Next staff, it was obvious to me that while everyone had a significant role in the program’s success, the role of Jeremiah Ellis, director of outreach and partnerships, was most essential. As stated in a previous article (“Five big steps across the achievement gap,” MSR, Dec. 11, 2014), Victor Cedeño, director of networks and education policy for Generation Next, attributed a huge portion of their success to “a powerful table of people who are coming together saying, ‘We want to be responsible for this. We want to do whatever it takes.’”
Founder and Executive Director of Project SUCCESS Adrienne Diercks formed the program in 1994 with the goal of helping students reach their dream. This is a Community Voices submission and is moderated but not edited. The opinions expressed by Community Voices contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the TC Daily Planet. “Our mission…is to inspire young people to dream about their future and help them take the steps to get there,” she said. “Give them the tools to take them through the rest of their lives. Continue Reading
