Community

Forum on supporting juveniles

Wednesday, 12 May 2010 13:05

A Community forum on supporting youth through juvenile justice reform and violence prevention takes place 6:30 pm-8:30 pm., May 20, 2010 at Colin Powell Youth Leadership Center, 2924 Fourth Ave. S., Minneapolis. The forum will cover Minneapolis’s Blueprint for Violence Prevention and the work of Juvenile justice reform/ Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI).

The open forum explores how can the community and government agencies better support youth?

For further information call (612) 596-8512, or email carol.wandersee@co.hennepin.mn.us

1,200 volunteers serve 30 area nonprofits on Comcast Cares Day

Monday, 10 May 2010 13:56

On April 24, a volunteer crew from Comcast painted and cleaned at the Minneapolis Urban League’s Sharon Sayles Belton Community Center at 411 E. 38th St. in Minneapolis. The community center was one of more than two dozen work sites for “Comcast Cares Day.”

“We’re glad to help,” said Comcast’s project coordinator Robert Langle. “This building was damaged by last summer’s tornado and it gets lots of community use.”

Comcast has strong ties to the Minneapolis Urban League (MUL) throughout the year. Diana Hawkins, government affairs specialist for Comcast, serves on the MUL board and was at the community center for Saturday’s work session. This is the third year that a volunteer crew has worked at an MUL site for “Comcast Cares Day.”

Creating a village

Monday, 10 May 2010 13:30 Nettie Smith - Upper Willard Homewood

Eunita Jackson spoke passionately to over 60 of her neighbors about children and young people in the neighborhood: "They need to know that we know each other, and that we care about them and believe in them. That we're in charge and they can count on us."

The room was quiet as she spoke, then loud with enthusiastic applause when she finished. This vibrant, lively crowd met on April 11 at True Vine Missionary Baptist Church at 26th and Thomas Avenue North.

Some say creating a village in a diverse North Minneapolis neighborhood can't be done. Some say it can't be done in any neighborhood because people don't know their neighbors these days.

NAACP and Sierra Club honor “Green Heroes of Color”

Friday, 07 May 2010 12:14 Lydia Schwartz

The Sierra Club North Star Chapter and the Minneapolis NAACP partnered together to hold an Earth Day Celebration to honor “Green Heroes of Color” on Thursday, April 22. The celebration included dinner, a demonstration garden, and youth performances by Climate Change Crew and the Arts Us dance crew. St. Paul City Council Member Melvin Carter III (Ward 1) and former Minnesota State Representative, and governor hopeful, Matt Entenza were also in attendance.

Climate Change Crew is part of the Kitty Anderson Youth Science Center at the Science Museum of Minnesota. Their song, “Change Is Needed,” won the Green for All National ‘Dream Reborn’ contest.

Keynote speaker Leslie Fields, the National Director of Environmental Justice for the Sierra Club and a former lobbyist for the National NAACP Washington Bureau, congratulated the people of Minnesota for all the work we have done regarding food security and environmental justice and hopes we will continue to lead the country and be a voice for those who are not heard.

Earth Day celebration introduces Girl Scouts to engineer profession

Friday, 07 May 2010 11:47

Swapping out light bulbs, testing heating and cooling systems, and discussing ways to update older buildings for energy savings is a tough job for any team of engineers. But when the team’s average age is 10, and they are proposing safety goals to administrators at their own middle school, the challenge is even tougher. Unless, of course, it’s Earth Day and the budding engineers are Girl Scouts who come together to make our world a better place.

“We are looking at things like which light bulb is better to use,” said Naya Tadavarthy, 10. “Maybe one is more money, but if it is better in the long run, then it’s worth it. We are learning to notice the things around us more so we can keep learning about science and technology.”

Immigration: The key to Minnesota growth and prosperity

Wednesday, 05 May 2010 12:02 By Lee Egerstrom - Economic Development Fellow

While anti-immigrant attention is being drawn to events in Arizona and inflammatory comments are being made by politicians in other states, Minnesota lawmakers and state officials are receiving a study on their desks that makes these sober assessments:

We depend on immigration in Minnesota. Our state economy and quality of life will become even more dependent on immigration in the coming decade.

These points generally summarize the findings of Prof. Katherine Fennelly, an immigration and public policy expert at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute, and graduate student Anne Huart. They've researched and written a comprehensive report: "2010: The Economic Impact of Immigrants in Minnesota," that is now being printed and distributed to state officials by a grant from the Northwest Area Foundation.

Author William Kent Krueger at Hopkins Center for the Arts

Tuesday, 04 May 2010 13:36

The Library Foundation of Hennepin County presents best-selling author William Kent Krueger lecturing 7:30pm Thursday, May 13 and 11am Friday, May 14 at the Hopkins Center for the Arts, 111 Mainstreet, Hopkins, MN.

Tickets are available from $35 to $45. Student and group discounts are available. Visit www.supporthclib.org or call 952-979-1111 for tickets.