Wednesday
Wednesday was our flagship event of Back-to-School week. Life Transitions had applied for a grant through the Minneapolis Public Schools’ HYPE Council and we were funded to bring in one of the original Freedom Writers. The Freedom Writers were a classroom full of high school students in Long Beach, CA that came together through the help of their teacher. They used writing as a tool to express themselves through daily diaries and accomplished some amazing things throughout high school (check out http://www.freedomwritersfoundation.org for more info). We brought in the Freedom Writer Darrius Garrett and his assistant Narada Comans to speak at the Downtown FAIR School (https://sites.google.com/a/wmep.k12.mn.us/wmep-k12-mn-us-fair-dt/).

Darrius spoke to our YouthLink community about his childhood, being homeless, getting out of the gang he was involved in, and connecting with school. Darrius showed the ABC news report that had covered his classroom’s story. The presentation was inspirational, his story mirrored what a lot of our youth have been through. One youth came up to me afterwards and said, “Man, my story is exactly like Darrius’, I got kicked out of my house, had nowhere to stay. I’m trying to change my life, like he did.” Darrius’ was really social and spoke with the youth afterwards one on one. He seemed excited to interact even more with our youth at the open mic the next night.

Thursday
Open mic night. Darrius came and emceed our YouthLink open mic. Now, YouthLink’s open mics are normally special, but something about this night was extra special. Youth came up and performed personal poems, raps, and songs. A highlight was a dance “battle” between two of our youth. It was the first time many youth had performed at our open mic and we had around 20 youth sign up to participate! It was one of the best open mics witnessed at YouthLink. Darrius left directly from the open mic to his flight, that’s dedication!

So, when organizations like the Xcel Energy Foundation come along and donate $5,000 to help make a brighter future for these youth (see photo at right), it’s a big deal.

Why is it such a big deal? Well, for starters, let’s see exactly where the money goes. The $5,000 donated by the Xcel Energy Foundation will help YouthLink:

• Develop partnerships and programs designed to grow youth internship opportunities for youth who need jobs.
• Coordinate relationships with local employers to increase opportunities for youth (e.g., getting job training programs to reserve/prioritize seats in their programs).
• Build alternative income programs for youth.
• Develop and manage peer-to-peer consulting opportunities for youth to learn from other successful employed youth.
• Provide exposure to career paths and post-secondary options they may not have otherwise known about.

These important YouthLink programs help youth start to see the light at the end of the homelessness tunnel. Our goal is to help these youth become independent and self-sufficient—education and employment readiness are two essential components in that journey.

But, these programs don’t just benefit youth—they have a substantial impact on local employers and the Minneapolis/St. Paul community at large.

Think about it: Thanks to donations like the one provided by the Xcel Energy Foundation, YouthLink programs help create more qualified workers who are better prepared for success in the workplace—a big boon for Twin Cities employers. And, with every successful transition from homelessness to successful employment or post-secondary education, the community benefits, too, as each of these young people becomes a contributing member of the community. There are also economic benefits, as each young person becomes a tax-paying citizen as they sustain a part- or full-time job, rather than relying heavily on costly public services for housing, food and health care. It’s a win-win for everyone.

If you or your organization is interested in helping fund these important programs and giving homeless youth a chance in life, please visit our Donate page to learn how you can help.

By partnering with the Freedom Writers Foundation, YouthLink was able to play a role in bringing Garrett to the Twin Cities to promote writing as a healthy coping mechanism for homeless youth. The Freedom Writers Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1997, positively impacts communities by decreasing high school drop out rates through the replication and enhancement of the Freedom Writers Method.

Garrett, one of the original Freedom Writers (also an actor and musician), will be speaking about the trials and tribulations he encountered during his adolescence Wednesday evening and then emceeing an open mic event on Thursday in partnership with Kulture Klub.

The week’s festivities include:

Tuesday, August 24 – Back to School Education Fair at YouthLink from 3:30-5:00.

Wednesday, August 25- Freedom Writers Speaking Engagement at F.A.I.R. School from 5:00-7:30.

Thursday, August 26 – Freedom Writer Open Mic at YouthLink in collaboration with Kulture Klub from 3:30- 5:00.

For questions about any of the events or activities above, please contact Sheena Ellis at YouthLink at 612-252-1239.

The following is a guest post from Cathy ten Broeke, coordinator to End Homelessness for Minneapolis and Hennepin County.

For years, those of us working to end homelessness in our community have been longing for a true federal partner. That day may have come. Last month, the Obama administration announced that the President was signing into action the nation’s first ever strategic plan to end homelessness.

The plan, called Opening Doors: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, was created by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness with intensive input from stakeholders around the country. I have been fortunate over the last two years to sit on the National Leadership Council on Homelessness. We have been advising the Obama Administration on issues related to homelessness and I can say, with confidence, that in my 17 years of working on this issue, I have never seen our federal partners more engaged.

This plan has the commitment of nineteen federal agencies that have agreed to collaborate to end homelessness for families, individuals and youth within 10 years. This certainly gives me a bit of hope in what otherwise feels like very tough times for youth, families and individuals in our community.

This plan, of course, does not mean unlimited new resources. It does mean, however, that the federal government will be investing more in the strategies that prove to be most effective. In Minneapolis and Hennepin County, we have some of the most promising and effective practices in the country, so this is good news for us. It also means we must continue to be creative and results-driven. I have no doubt we will.

“Investing in the status quo is no longer acceptable,” writes Obama in the plan’s introduction. “Given the fiscal realities … our response has to be guided by what works. Investments can only be made in the most promising strategies.” Best practices include collaborations between state and local governments and the private sector. Partnerships with local businesses, nonprofits, faith groups and community volunteers are encouraged to mobilize every available resource.

The Federal Plan presents strategies building upon the lesson that mainstream housing, health, education and human service programs must be fully engaged and coordinated to prevent and end homelessness, including:

• Increasing leadership, collaboration and civic engagement, by providing and promoting collaborative leadership at all levels of government and across all sectors. Also, strengthening the capacity of public and private organizations by increasing knowledge about collaboration and successful interventions to prevent and end homelessness.

• Increasing access to stable and affordable housing by providing affordable housing and permanent supportive housing.

• Increasing economic security, expanding meaningful and sustainable employment and improving access to mainstream programs and services to reduce financial vulnerability to homelessness.

• Improving health and stability by linking health care with homeless assistance programs and housing, advancing stability for youth aging out of systems such as foster care and juvenile justice, and improving discharge planning for people who have frequent contact with hospitals and criminal justice systems.

• Retooling the homeless response system by transforming homeless services to crisis response systems that prevent homelessness and rapidly return people who experience homelessness to stable housing.

Certainly, how well this plan is implemented is more important than how well it was written. But to know that we continue to do our work, not in isolation, but as a part of a national coordinated strategy with the backing of the President of the United States…well, that helps.

Cathy ten Broeke is the Coordinator to End Homelessness for Minneapolis and Hennepin County, where she leads the planning and implementation of the County’s Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness and directs Project Homeless Connect. Cathy is also Chair of The National Leadership Council on Homelessness, which advises the Obama Administration on best practices and policies related to homelessness and played an important role in the development of the first ever federal government plan to end homelessness, entitled Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.

Wow.  Best word to describe our end of tournament run. Our team played hard throughout the tournament. On Saturday night, the Men’s team had a heart-breaking loss to the eventual champions of the tournament-Russia. The match itself was something to write home about. Up Top was losing for the majority of the short 14 minutes played in a game. With 2 minutes to go, the team was down 6-4 in favor of Russia. The momentum shift was huge as our players dug in and played their hearts out. They tied the game with about 10 seconds left on the timer. Shootout. The shootouts of Street Soccer are intense. It basically works that if one team scores and the other misses, the team that scored wins. We missed our first shot and Russia scored their shot; game over. It was a heart-breaker, we expected to win the tournament, but coach Jose’s words after the game kept things positive.

On Sunday, both of our teams played until the closing ceremonies. The Women’s team played amazing also.  In fact, the women’s team kept a great record throughout the tournament, only losing 3 times, while having at least 6 wins.  The Men’s team went to another shoot-out in the consolation round vs. Charlotte.  This was a nail-biter folks.  Another shoot-out, although this time it went to 7 rounds of Up Top exchanging goals with Charlotte.  At one point, our back-up goalie Jamal kicked a goal that bounced off the goal post, into the back of the goalie, and back into the goal.  Half of our team streamed onto the field believing he had won the game!  It turns out that the ball cannot bounce back, it needs to continuously move forward into the goal to be a goal-so close!  We ended up losing the game, but it was one of the most exciting games of the tournament.

We ended our tournament weekend with the closing ceremonies.  This was an exciting moment, because we knew that some of our players would be selected for the national team that would compete in Brazil later this year.  We waited and celebrated the different awards given out to teams, players, and coaches.  Finally, we found out that 7 of our players would be going to Brazil!  7 players!  3 of our women and 4 of our men were selected to represent the U.S.  Amazing, we all celebrated with the chant, “They’re going to Brazil, they’re going to Brazil…”

We received a lot of press througout the weekend, here are some links to articles that included us:

The New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/sports/soccer/02soccer.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=street%20soccer%20USA&st=cse

The Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/31/AR2010073102945.html

NBC Nightly News:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#38584806

Thanks to everyone for their support, Go Up Top!

This post is one in a series of posts from the road by Devin Clarkson, case manager-YouthLink, as the YouthLink UpTop Street Soccer team visits Washington D.C. to compete in the 2010 USA Street Soccer Cup.

Wow, Friday has been jam-packed. Our day started with breakfast in the hostel, ready to go. First match: Up Top Men vs. Charlottesville. The guy’s team got in and was off to the races instantly. We scored within the first couple of minutes and momentum kept building from that point. The team won 6-2, an exciting start to our first day.

We found out afterwards that our women’s team was in the same pool as all of the men’s teams, so our women’s team had a tough battle ahead of them against Seattle. Our women stayed strong throughout the game, things were neck and neck at many points. Up Top has practiced hard though, a true team that has put in the time and effort to become a favorite here at the tournament. The women came out on top winning the game.

Each of our teams played three games during the day. The women won two of the three and played well. The men won all three of their games and did not trail in any of the games. Up Top definitely has a reputation here as having a lot of energy and coming with some of the loudest and unique cheers. At the end of our first day, some staff were losing their voices-the players were ready to keep going though.

At night, the team had an opportunity to take in some of the cultural sightseeing of D.C. We walked the short 10 minutes to the White House. One players asked, “is Barack Obama here”, so I asked a security guard the same question. Players were ecstatic to hear that he had just arrived. One exclaimed, “We are just feet from the president!” We also visited the Washington Monument and after walking and playing all day it was time to call it a night…

When I say D, you say C…

By Josephine Pufpaff, director of program design and strategic planning, YouthLink

For most folks, human trafficking is something that only takes place overseas. It’s a foreign issue that occurs only in countries in southeast Asia, Africa and Europe.

But, the harsh—and sometimes eye-opening—reality is, human trafficking is happening right here in the U.S. every day. As estimated 14,500-17,500 men, women and children are trafficked into the U.S. each year (source: Minnesota Department of Public Safety).

What’s more, human trafficking is going on right in our  communities here in Minnesota. According to reports, more than 1,800 trafficking-related charges were levied against Minnesotans in 2006 and 2007. That’s pretty staggering.

And one population is at substantial risk: homeless youth.

Because of the world they live in, and their unfortunate circumstances, homeless youth are extremely vulnerable and targets of  to human trafficking—particularly sex trafficking.

Since homeless youth frequently have fewer options in terms of basic needs (money, food, and shelter for instance), they may compromise their personal values and use their bodies as commodities. And, they take more risks than they normally would to meet those basic needs.

It seems crazy, I know. But, it can happen much more easily than you might think. For young women, it can go from  having a “thoughtful” boyfriend to being forced to having sex with his friends. Traffickers will use force, fraud or coercion to exploit vulnerable individuals.

For example, YouthLink worked with a young woman a while back who went missing for an extended period of time. After checking in with the woman’s mother, we discovered her “boyfriend” had taken her to Chicago and was being prostituted against her will. The relationship went from boyfriend/girlfriend to pimp/prostitute awfully quickly. That’s how fast—and how easily—it can happen.

Luckily, the young woman found her way back home to Minneapolis and into counseling and therapy through coordination with her family, YouthLink and the Civil Society.

The challenge in identifying victims of human trafficking is quite similar to the challenge of identifying young people experiencing homelessness:

• Lack of understanding of homelessness/human trafficking.
• Hesitation of young people to discuss personal situation and self identity.
• Fear of involvement with law enforcement or social services.
• Isolation and lack of contact with the bigger, outside world.

Now that you’re more aware of the situation, here are a few ways you can help:

Be more observant. Looking for small questions and asking the right questions goes a long way in helping identify potential victims. Is the person you are concerned about always accompanied by someone who appears controlling? Can you see evidence of physical abuse?

Know where to go for help. If you identify someone who may be at risk for human trafficking, refer them to someone who can help as soon as possible. Organizations like YouthLink (612.252.1241) and the Civil Society (651.291.0713) work to educate, counsel and assist youth and parents who are dealing with this horrific crime.

Support organizations that are making a difference. The Minnesota Human Trafficking Coalition, Women’s Foundation of Minnesota or Demi & Ashton Foundation (DNA). All organizations are taking active leadership roles in addressing human trafficking locally–and nationally, in the case of DNA.

For more information about YouthLink and our prevention and intervention efforts within the youth community please contact Josephine Pufpaff at 612.252.1215 or jpufpaff@youthlinkmn.org.

The YouthLink team, Up Top, is making its third appearance in the event—it won the event back in 2008 and came in second-place last year. The team is determined to win back the championship title in 2010.

In all, 23 teams from cities across the U.S., including New York, Chicago, Charlotte and Los Angeles, compete in the three-day event from July 30-Aug. 1. A team from Russia will even make the trip this year.

And, for the first time, YouthLink will send an all-female team to the event this year.

What’s unique about the event is that all players must not only understand the game of soccer—they must be working toward personal goals they’ve set for themselves, too. Both YouthLink and Street Soccer USA make that a priority for all participants.

It’s also an outstanding opportunity for the young people representing Minneapolis. For seven days, they don’t have to worry about a roof over their heads. They don’t have to think about where their next meal will come from. And, they’re exposed to a whole new world by traveling to our nation’s Capitol.

If you’re not familiar with street soccer, it’s played on a Sport Court surface and is comprised of four players—one goalkeeper and three players. Games last 15 minutes and average more than eight goals per game.

Two ways you can make a difference

Fifteen Up Top team members and four YouthLink staff will make the journey to Washington, DC in late July. But, we are still looking for a few volunteer coaches to help with practices and games here in Minneapolis before and after the event.

If you’re interested in volunteering to help the YouthLink street soccer program, please email youthlink@youthlinkmn.org or call 612.252.1200.

If you can’t donate your time to support the YouthLink street soccer program, maybe you can make a difference by shopping!

That’s right, by shopping at giant retailers like Target, Best Buy and Barnes & Noble, you will send a percentage of each purchase directly to the YouthLink street soccer team thanks to a program called “Shop for Social Change,” an online fundraising tool developed by LoyaltyClicks (at no charge to you).

All you have to do is visit http://shopforsocialchange.org, register and start shopping.

As an added bonus, LoyaltyClicks will donate $1 for every Shop for Social Change registration (up to 500 registrations) to the team with the most registrations by July 15. So, you can help the YouthLink street soccer team earn $500 just by registering!