Minnesota Alliance With Youth

SPORTS EQUIPMENT EXCHANGE

By Corey Butler Jr.
Published February 24, 2010
Northfield News

Their motive is simple.

“They’re expensive,” says Adilene Valeriano.

Their objective is simple.

“It’s about sports shoes,” says Andres Celis.

Their mission is the simplest of all.

“We want to help kids,” says Elsa Rodruiguez Pio.

A group of Northfield Middle School students, in partnership with the Northfield Healthy Community Initiative, have started a collection at the school to help alleviate some of the costs for a student-athlete.

Students launched the Youth Sports Equipment Exchange to help get athletic footwear — soccer, football, baseball, basketball and wrestling — to students who can’t afford them.

“There’s been a number of people who want to participate but couldn’t afford shoes, especially, or any other necessary equipment,” says Jordan Taylor, an AmeriCorps promise fellow working with the students through HCI.

The idea came from an effort earlier in the school year when five pairs of shoes were provided through HCI to students who needed them.

“We thought it would be good to expand on it,” Taylor said. “It was a need that was there.”

Working with Northfield Middle School, Taylor said there were several students excited about being involved.

“We want to gather a lot of shoes to help,” said seventh-grader Jesus Martinez.

But it’s not just about filling the financial gap for families. Taylor said because middle school students are growing so fast, shoes often don’t last for more than a season.

“They’re just going to throw the shoes,” he said. “It’s a cycle.”

In the two weeks since a collection tub was placed in the school’s front office, about 20 pairs of shoes have been donated. Two pairs of soccer shin guards have also been given.

It’s something Tony Mathison, a football coach at the middle school and girls basketball coach at the high school, likes to see.

During his 20 years of coaching, he said there are always students who need the help, but aren’t always comfortable asking for it. And over the years, he said an effort has been made to help accommodate those who want to play.

“Everyone needs to be treated equally whether they can afford to do that or not,” he said.

And seeing the students’ peers advocating for that equality, Mathison said, is simply positive.

The group meets weekly to talk about the next steps in the process, like getting the shoes to students. For now, needs will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Though, Taylor said a $400 mini-grant has been given from HCI that would help with any request beyond what the group receives.

Taylor said he lets the students lead the group as much as they can, in hopes they will continue the program next year to help more of their peers.

“Definitely,” the students said in unison.

DONATE!

WHAT: Gently used athletic shoes and equipment

WHERE: Northfield Middle School, 2200 Division St. S.

WHEN: Until the end of the school year

NEED ATHLETIC SHOES? Contact Jordan Taylor at 664-3524 or jordan.taylor553@gmail.com

PROMISE FELLOW STORY

By Jenna Untiedt
Published January 18, 2010
Students Today, Leaders Forever

Almost a year ago exactly, I was weighing out my options of what to do after college. It can be an extremely nerve-wrecking time as you search and interview for jobs, consider Graduate School, or even look at volunteer programs. Honestly, I was tired of telling people I was unsure of what the next steps in life were going to be. The next step after college was something I had always seen as doing something BIG, something FUN, and something LIFE CHANGING.

On the other hand, telling your parents that you did not want to get a so-called “real” job after spending countless dollars on an education was another problem. As I began to look more closely at programs, I came across AmeriCorps. AmeriCorps was something that I had heard of, it had been getting a lot of National attention with Obama’s election, and it had some great benefits to offer, so why not look a little closer at what AmeriCorps program interested me.

When it comes to looking at AmeriCorps, it can be a little difficult to find exactly what you are looking for on your first try. There are numerous AmeriCorps program available, so one that interests you is more than likely out there. The one great draw to AmeriCorps programs was the fact that I could choose to stay in Minnesota, or find a program in another state, or even a program that moves from state to state such as AmeriCorps NCCC.

After developing personal goals, researching different AmeriCorps programs, and committing to myself that I wanted to complete an entire year of service; I decided the AmeriCorps Promise Fellow program through the Minnesota Alliance with Youth was the right fit for me. With an emphasis on the achievement gap and education, becoming a Promise Fellow was what encouraged me to apply.

Six months into my year of service, I am extremely satisfied with my decision to take the nontraditional path after college. A year with AmeriCorps is what I needed to prepare myself not only for my future professionally, but has also given me the chance to explore many different fields of work. Every day I learn something new, find something that intrigues me, and hear stories that inspire me.

If you are a college student and are graduating this spring, I encourage you to take a look at AmeriCorps programs. Yes, the compensation may not be great, but the experience is absolutely wonderful!

STUDENTS GET A GLIMPSE OF REAL WORLD

By Trisha Marczak
Published January 10, 2010
The Daily Journal

Drawing a card out of a bucket Thursday morning at Eisenhower School, sixth grade student Jordan Marsh learned for a second what it felt like to get the short end of the stick.

Not just in a game, but in real life.

The Hunger Banquet, intended to offer participants a glimpse into the real world of global wealth distribution, was held Thursday for sixth grade Fergus Falls students as part of the district’s Making a Difference curriculum.

Each student randomly drew a card out of a bucket, which informed students whether or not they were born into a family with high income, middle income or low income. Cards also stated where students were born, including developing countries in Africa, South America and the Middle East.

Based on global proportions, 15 percent of students were born into high income families, 35 percent were born into middle income families and 50 percent were of low income families.

To illustrate to students the differences in lifestyles, each group was given food of varying proportions. With the high income students snacking on large popcorn balls in front of those who received only a few kernels, students began to discuss how unfair the situation seemed.

That’s the point, teacher Katie Gard told students.

The situation created a discussion among the sixth grade students that included both observances and potential solutions.

“I don’t think it’s fair, but you don’t think about it everyday,” said Marsh, who found herself in the low income group.

Student Ryan Viger commented on the impact of being born into a particular family, saying it’s likely someone will stay within the income level they grew up in.

Gard, who works with the school district through the AmeriCorps program, used Thursday’s program to launch a semester long project focusing on global and local poverty.

PROMISE FELLOW STORY

By Katie Gard
Posted November 30, 2009
Fergus Falls

A keen but rebellious and intentionally aggravating 6th grader started the school year on the wrong foot, antagonizing teachers every morning such that it became routine for her to spend the afternoon in the principal’s office, smugly distracting the secretary.

She thrived on peer attention, but when placed one-on-one with the Promise Fellow to do her math, she found it in herself to hunker down and work, knowing that this one-on-one tutoring was her best shot at positive attention in school. Over the course of being tutored, her self-esteem began to grow from the attention and affirmation she was receiving for getting the hang of her math homework…

… read more at the Promise Fellows Resource Blog

Published November 22, 2009
Duluth News Tribune

Middle Earth is a new after-school program that meets at both Nettleton and the Grant Recreation Center in Duluth Monday through Thursday from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Its aim is to serve youths from the East and Central hillside in primarily grades five through eight.

The program focuses on career exploration, homework help, fostering a positive transition to middle school and providing youths who are new to middle school an extra support system. It also strives to provide a fun and safe setting for students to form healthy relationships with adult mentors. Most volunteers are local college students, but volunteers of all ages and walks of life are encouraged to get involved.

Laurie Slattengren and Samantha Sabroski are program coordinators for Middle Earth. They are AmeriCorps Promise Fellows with the Minnesota Alliance with Youth and are hosted by the Grant Community School Collaborative in Duluth.

To find out more information about Middle Earth, e-mail Samantha at sabro002@d.umn.edu or call the Grant Collaborative at (218) 723-3789. Middle Earth will end in mid-December and start again in February. Enrollment is free.

GIVING A LITTLE PUSH

Published November 17, 2009
Albert Lea Tribune

Bridging the gap for students who could otherwise fall through the cracks.

That’s the goal of Southwest Middle School’s new AmeriCorps Promise Fellow Noah Langseth.

Langseth, who’s been through the Albert Lea public school system himself since the second grade, graduated from Albert Lea High School in 2002.

He received an associate’s degree from Crossroads College in Rochester and attended the University of Minnesota for a few years.

Langseth said he’s also formerly worked at an elementary school, provided child care before and after school, and worked with a teenager with anxiety issues and attachment disorder.

These experiences led him to apply for the AmeriCorps position, where he works with kids directly.

“I decided it would be a good fit for me before I go to college next fall to become a math teacher,” he said.

He’s been in the position for about a week.

The position is made possible through a partnership with the Minnesota Alliance with Youth. The alliance hosts 70 AmeriCorps Promise Fellows across the state.

As an AmeriCorps Promise Fellow, Langseth takes students who need a little push to succeed and mentors them. He also takes at-risk students and takes them to do service projects so they can learn the benefit of this in the community.

However, the crux of his job is to facilitate teachers and volunteers in working with these students.

He’s working with the Albert Lea Thunder in mentoring students and contacts businesses and service clubs to find out who would be good mentors.

The first priority is to help students increase their GPA by 0.5, he noted.

Langseth said a lot of the training he received for the position is in learning how to teach adults how to work with students.

He said the experience will prepare him for being a teacher because it’s a self-driven position.

He doesn’t have a lot of direct supervision, similar to teachers, which allows him to motivate and follow through with himself, he added.

With his mother, Marsha, as the principal of Southwest, it’s also nice that he can go to her with a question or concern.

Langseth replaces Stephanie Pirsig, who was in the position the previous two years.

According to the Minnesota Alliance with Youth Web site, “Promise Fellows are living examples to their communities about what it means to empower our young people to be active, positive change agents.”

They coordinate programs and volunteers to increase the academic success of students needing additional support and leverage resources to effectively utilize tutoring, mentoring, civic engagement, and leadership development for students, the site states.

Aside from his work at Southwest, Langseth also enjoys playing his guitar and playing disc golf.

He said he’s also still involved with Oakwood Church in St. Paul that he got involved with when he was at the University of Minnesota.

YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBER ATTENDS D.C. YOUTH CONFERENCE

By Laura Grevas
Published Nov. 5, 2009
Worthington Daily Globe

According to the 2000 Census, there are roughly 1.5 million youths in the state of Minnesota. And in a way, Susana Murillo was charged with representing them all.

Murillo, a senior at Worthington High School, was selected from roughly 20 members of the MN Youth Advisory Council (MNYAC) to represent the state at the Ready by 21 Forum for Youth Investment National Conference last week in Washington, D.C. “I felt really honored and special because I was the only one going from Minnesota,” Murillo said. “I’m not sure how they selected me, but they thought I was the best choice to go to this conference. I was totally excited for it.”

The conference brings together representatives from 33 city and state youth councils across the nation to meet with lawmakers about policy issues that affect young people. Murillo spent her first day with other representatives, who each shared information about their respective councils and collaborated to plan the following day’s presentation to senators and members of Congress.

On day two, Murillo met with Sen. Al Franken and Rep. Tim Walz. “I was really nervous,” she admitted. “because I had to represent myself well and talk to them about youth voice.”

Youth voices were heard later that day, when youth council panelists discussed opportunities for incorporating youth voice in federal policymaking and how policymakers could connect with existing youth councils in their district. “There was a lot of people to hear the discussion, some business people and some Congress,” Murillo said.

She used cuts to education to explain why legislative input from youngsters is so important. “We want them to realize that youth do have a voice, because if you’re going to cut things from our school that some people are really passionate about, then our futures get a little dimmer,” she explained. “We just want them to … work with us to improve things.”

Murillo, who hopes to study business and advertising in college, will report her experiences to other MNYAC members. “My favorite part of the trip was getting to know the other councils and interacting with them and getting all this information so I could bring it back to the Minnesota Youth Advisory Council,” she said. “(MNYAC) is a really fun opportunity and I’m so glad I got into it.”