Director’s Note

By Chad Schwitters

Friends and Family,
We’ve been populating the “table” metaphor in the recent months (specifically as told in the story of Zacchaeus found in Luke 19). Most recently,  some of the stories of our friends and neighbors were highlighted who disproportionately experience scarcity. This time, another place at the table is illuminated—those who come from a place of historic abundance. The definitions of “abundance” and “scarcity” probably need some attention. These nouns are more encompassing than mere fiscal expressions, but include any element of our human experience that exacerbates the gap between those who experience a high level of self-actualization and determination and those who do not. Money is one element, among others. The power of Luke 19’s message is that it takes all of us to take courage, pull up a chair at the table and experience the “win” together. The Urban Neighbor program is engaging those from a place of “abundance” with relationships that reconcile and challenge movement toward enough for all and render “scarcity” obsolete.

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Skate a Mile in My Skates

By Mike Ervin, Urban Neighbor and Volunteer Mini-Might Dinomight Coach

There are many stereotypes that often get in the way of true understanding. For example, hockey is a sport for rich white kids. We all know that is not true, but it is the stereotype that I have lived with my entire life until working with Dinomights. Dinomights brings a diverse group of city kids together to discover and share a love of hockey.

Growing up in Bloomington and going to Jefferson High School  (capitol of high school hockey in MN!), I developed a full set of biases about who city kids are and who plays hockey. Volunteering as a coach for Dinomights has shattered many of the stereotypes that I have carried with me. You frequently hear the phrase, “don’t judge someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes.” This year I had the chance to skate a mile alongside the kids of south Minneapolis, who break all of the stereotypes. They are responsive and respectful to coaches and as it turns out, these city kids have a great deal of talent.

God is using Dinomights to connect to the kids of Minneapolis and break down the walls that many of us build to protect our own belief system. I’m grateful for the opportunity to connect with Dinomights this year, and I’m lucky to have gained some exposure through being an Urban Neighbor to the kinds of organizations that are working to protect, develop, and enrich at-risk communities.

Urban Neighbors are young professionals that live in an “intentional community” where they commit to volunteering in the community and engaging with each other and their neighborhood around issues in the urban context. Urban Neighbors volunteer more than 6,000 hours at other nonprofits in the community on an annual basis.

>>Learn more about being an Urban Neighbor.

>>Learn more about Dinomights.

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In the Neighborhood–NEXT Weekend

In honor of 15 years of hard work and support from people like you, we are celebrating by participating in FLOW: Northside Arts Crawl, an event that brings people together from across the Twin Cities.

We will be partnering with our neighbors, Juxtaposition Arts, who are also celebrating 15 years of commitment to the community, to host a hands-on art project between our two buildings (2009 Emerson Ave N in Minneapolis). Please join us on Saturday July 24 from 3 – 8pm.

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In the ZONE

Minnesota has one of the largest achievement gaps in the nation between African-American and white children, and the realities of this are significantly felt in North Minneapolis. As a result, a “cradle to prison” pipeline has developed that propels too many of the Twin Cities children to incarceration and lives on the margin. The mission of the Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ)  is to redirect this “cradle to prison” pipeline into a “cradle to college” one. By taking a collaborative approach, NAZ will align opportunities and support children and their families (starting at birth) in a targeted geographic zone in North Minneapolis.

Action Teams have formed around key focus areas and will make a “guarantee” that correlates with the overall goal of “all kids college-ready.” Urban Homeworks is the lead for the Housing Action Team, which guarantees to provide support for NAZ families to have stable housing to mitigate the impact high mobility has on educational outcomes.

>>Find out more about the NAZ on their newly updated website!