Article about Reading Corps

I opened my door Tuesday morning to a headline in my newspaper that was a pleasant surprise: Four Minnesota corporations had joined forces to give the Minneapolis school system $13 million to help with early childhood literacy and improve science and math proficiency among young students.

Click here to read the whole article!

Sign Up Now for AmeriCorps Week Day of Service!

AmeriCorps Week is coming up quickly. The day of service is Monday, May 16th. Sign up now for service sites. There are sites all over Minnesota and opportunities range from just a few hours to all day. To find out more and register for a site, go to the Intercorps Council website.

Honor AmeriCorps Week(May 14th -21st)

Dear Minnesota AmeriCorps Member,

In honor of AmeriCorps Week (May 14th -21st) Handson Twin Cities would like to highlight the great work and impact that AmeriCorps members are making around the metro area; and we need your help!

We are asking for personal reflection stories, descriptions of projects/ programs you are working with, and overall impact you believe is being made possible through AmeriCorps.

Once the stories are gathered, we would like to highlight several stories a day throughout the week via our HOTC blog.

If you are interested in writing a meaningful reflection story or informational blog post please read the guidelines below. You are welcome to submit your entry any time before the deadline. If you are interested yet have further questions, please do not hesitate to ask!

As AmeriCorps members, my colleague Liz and I are excited to spotlight the hard work and positive strides being made by like minded AmeriCorps Members throughout our community.

For more information, click here!

Cultural Competence: Deepening Understandings

What is “being culturally competent” and what does that look like on the job?

How do I respond to the changing demographics of my community and workplace?

During this 3 hour workshop on May 20, participants will explore the important role of culture in our society and have the opportunity to engage in productive conversations on culture and race. Through exercises we will also explore how stereotyping and labeling play out in our everyday lives. Please join me for a fun, informative, interactive workshop that will add some tools to your toolbox about race, racism, and supporting a more diverse and multicultural Twin Cities.

Check out the Facebook Event for more information!

An Essential Component of Community Violence Prevention: School Bullying

Do you live in Northwestern, Minnesota? Are you free on Wednesday, May 11th? Then join YIPA for a timely professional development opportunity about bullying!

This all-day professional development and informational session will consist of three strands: First, the context of bullying will be provided, with an emphasis on the relationship between bullying and more serious types of violence. John Hoover develops characteristics of perpetrators, victims, and bystanders; he also explores behaviors associated with bullying and prevalence estimates. A second portion of the presentation deals with research-based bullying prevention programs, including recommendations for tackling cyberbullying at school and at home. The third portion of the presentation deals with the establishment of community partnerships in bullying prevention.

For more information, or to register, click HERE!

Networking Lunch

Who: Promise Fellows and statewide Youth Services providers

Where: TIES Building in St. Paul

When: Friday, June 10, 12-3:15pm

What: As the end of your year of service nears, the question of “what’s next?” may be on your mind. To help facilitate the exploration process, YIPA and our member association would like to introduce you to some of the organizations and professional paths available by inviting you to attend a professional networking lunch! We will be bringing together youth service providers from non-profit organizations across the state who are eager to discuss their personal and professional experiences with you. They will be available to talk one-on-one about their careers and how they got where they are today.

Lunch will be provided between 12:00 - 1:00pm. Following the Networking Lunch, there will be a free training on Social Media open to all. During this training, professionals will offer advice, best practices, and strategies in social media for effective communication and messaging! We encourage everyone to stick around for this great afternoon training!

More info on how to register will be coming soon... but for now, mark your calendars!