The Lifted Mindz Family, Moonlight Grammar, and Nomad World Pub Present a showcase of marvelous talent. Cutting across genres, local artists and musicians will come together to support YouthLink and young people experiencing homelessness.

To learn more about the event, check out their facebook event here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/252125591600632/?fref=ts

• Backpacks
• Notebooks
• Folders
• Jump Drives
• Earbuds
• $10 donation to support a bus card for young people heading to classes
• Target cards ($10 increments)

Parenting is one of life’s greatest joys—and struggles. After all, we all want what’s best for our children, but how can you provide “the best” when your family is also struggling with homelessness?

Nearly 3 out of every 10 young people experiencing homelessness in Minnesota are also parents.

This Mother’s Day, you can help young mothers, like Tamara and Sarah, who have come to YouthLink in search of support and resources.

“I don’t think I would have made it without YouthLink and the diapers they help provide,” admits Tamara with a smile. Presently, Tamara is renting a room from a friend as she continues to search for stable housing for her family.

“Being a mom and homeless; it’s the hardest thing in the world. When you have kids, it’s a huge responsibility. You’re always worrying if where you’re staying is safe, and it’s hard on the kids—they feel what [you] feel, they can tell when something’s wrong.”

Sarah, cradling her 3-month-old baby girl, echoes Tamara’s thoughts. “I was homeless the whole time I was pregnant with my little girl. I had to do some bad things just to survive one day at a time—things you would never imagine yourself having to do.”

She goes on to explain: “I was pregnant through the hottest—and coldest—seasons of the year. The worst was having no place to just sit down, to lay down, to be comfortable.”

Sarah lost her housing after she escaped a dangerous domestic situation, but found she didn’t have to face her pregnancy alone. “[B]y the grace of God, YouthLink made sure I had somewhere to go; I was so scared.”

Her little girl coos, and she smiles down, “I just want to be a good mom.”

Tamara agrees, “Having kids is hard. But having someone who just loves you, unconditionally, that makes you want to be better. My kids made me change my life for the better. I don’t know where I’d be without them.”

Young moms, like Tamara and Sarah, turn to YouthLink for help every day.  Help us help them on Mother’s Day, by:

• Making a financial donation to YouthLink—your donations help us provide counseling, support, and parenting resources to young mothers.
• Making a donation of baby supplies—whether you donate your own, or start a donation drive, YouthLink is in need of diapers (sizes 1-5), new bottles, new packages of formula, and baby wipes.
• Becoming a childcare volunteer—YouthLink depends on volunteers to keep little ones safe while their moms meet with case managers, study for their GEDs, or stop by our health clinic for a check-up.

(Minneapolis, MN)- Eleven homeless youth will celebrate their graduation from the Outward Bound portion of the YouthLink S.T.A.R.T. program during a special ceremony Friday, April 26 in Minneapolis. S.T.A.R.T., which stands for Surviving to Thriving a Real Transition, is a unique partnership between YouthLink and Outward Bound that offers young people experiencing homelessness the support and skills they need to reframe who they are and where they are going in life.

Whether it’s starting college, a new job or moving into a first apartment, the late teens and early twenties are full of transitions. While they are exciting times, the transitions can also be scary and a test of perseverance. Without a support system or solid foundation the task can be daunting.

“Many homeless youth are stuck in an unforgiving cycle, only able to focus on the most basic and current need at hand, be it their next meal or a place to sleep for the night,” says Nathan Hurliman, S.T.A.R.T. Transition Coach. “Anything beyond that can be overwhelming. Many lack the confidence, knowledge and social skills traditionally taught by parents and family to take that next step.”

The S.T.A.R.T. program, which launched last August with funding from Hennepin County and the State, combines the services of YouthLink and Outward Bound, with the goal of providing homeless youth the services, skills and support to confidently move their lives forward. “This is the first program in the country I know of to meld education and social services in an effort to combat homelessness,” say Hurliman. “It’s a truly innovative approach that addresses the issue from all angles.”

Over the course of the nine month program, the selected youth participate in Outward Bound team and confidence building exercises such as camping, high ropes courses, orienteering and back packing. In addition, they also participate in a number of other courses and outings that focus on independent living skills such as financial literacy, cooking, job interviewing, healthy and affordable grocery shopping and restaurant ordering and etiquette. “It is something most of us take for granted, but many of these youth have never had any interaction with a waiter or waitress,” says Hurliman. “Our goal is to give them the skills and services they need to successfully live and work on their own.” Each youth is also paired with a community mentor who will provide support once the program has ended.

The program is already paying off. All of the participants in the inaugural program will have housing by the time they graduate. Several have completed their GED and all are more engaged, healthy and confident according to Hurliman.

The participants will celebrate their accomplishments during a special outing Friday, April 26^, To begin the day, the youth and their community mentors will canoe to North Mississippi Regional Park. A lunch and Outward Bound graduation ceremony will follow at the park around 2 p.m. The remainder of the inaugural S.T.A.R.T. program will continue into June. The mentors will offer ongoing support once the initial program is complete.

New Minneapolis Sculpture Gives Homeless Youth a Voice and Outlet

The piece, “Filling the Void”, lives up to its name on many levels 

(Minneapolis, MN)-With a first-of-its-kind grant funded by Forecast Public Art with support from the McKnight Foundation, local artist Randy Walker will create a permanent, steel sculpture outside the Youth Opportunity Center at YouthLink, a Minneapolis-based non-profit dedicated to providing basic needs, opportunities and hope for Twin Cities homeless youth. Local homeless youth who participate in Kulture Klub, a partnering organization at the Youth Opportunity Center, will be hired to help install the piece. Kulture Klub and its youth participants will then be responsible for maintaining and evolving the piece over time.

“I wanted to create a piece that filled the void between permanent and temporary art,” says Walker. “This piece will basically serve as the permanent frame to showcase the temporary and evolving works of these young people. Just like them, it is full of endless potential.” Walker says the structure will have the capability to showcase a variety of work; everything from traditional artwork to video projection and living vegetation.”It opens a world of possibilities and gives us a permanent and public studio for these young people to express themselves,” say Jeff Hnilicka, Executive Director of Kulture Klub.

Kulture Klub is a local non-profit dedicated to introducing art and art experiences to homeless youth. “Art is a wonderful outlet for these young people who are often vulnerable and lacking connections due to their situation. It is a way for them to express themselves, their feelings and their experiences. It is also very therapeutic,” says Hnilicka. “This new sculpture will help give a very public voice to an often unheard segment of our population.”

Frances Roen, YouthLink Director of Development, says the sculpture, like its name, does truly fill the void on many levels and is a win-win for everyone involved. “Our building is tucked away off 12^th and Chestnut, hidden behind the entrance to 394. This will help give our building a recognizable landmark and help direct youth in need of any of our many services more easily to us,” she says. Walker says maintenance is often a concern with permanent sculptures, particularly outdoor ones. “This piece will continually be remade with the works of these young people. They are motivated and eager to take ownership of it,” he adds.

“This sculpture is also very symbolic of YouthLink and its many partnering services,” says Walker. “It provides a foundation, framework and opportunity for those who use it. It is full of potential. It is all about what you do with it.”

Walker has already begun work on the piece. Installation to its new, permanent home is scheduled to begin in early May, with a completion date of May 20.

About YouthLink

YouthLink builds healthy relationships with youth and the community to address youths’ urgent needs so that doors of opportunity are opened to futures of empowerment, connectedness, and self-reliance.  They serve as a critical resource for homeless, precariously housed and marginalized young people ages 16 to 23 by providing a safe, supportive refuge where youth can find help meeting basic needs.  You can find more information at www.YouthLinkMN.org.

About Kulture Klub Collaborative

Kulture Klub Collaborative (KKC) is YouthLink’s longest standing partnership and is a current Youth Opportunity Center partner. KKC is an independent arts organization that engages art and artistic practice to provide enriching opportunities for youth experiencing homelessness and professional artists to grow individually and to transform community. Since its inception, KKC has partnered with YouthLink to access the homeless youth community. No other arts organization in Minnesota works with this population in a year-long capacity. Entering its third decade of programming, KKC has served over 6,000 homeless youth.

About the Youth Opportunity Center (YOC)

In 2008, Hennepin County designated YouthLink to be the Youth Opportunity Center identified in the Heading Home Hennepin Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness. Supported by Hennepin County, Heading Home Hennepin, and several major private funders, the YOC is a multi-disciplinary network of public and non-profit agencies collaborating to serve homeless, precariously housed, and marginalized youth in one convenient, accessible and welcoming location.

About Forecast Public Art

Forecast provides high quality expertise, inspiration and support to make meaningful public art happen. Connecting the energies and talents of artists with the needs and opportunities of communities, Forecast guides the creation of public art that expresses a community’s sense of place and pride. Forecast is respected regionally, nationally and internationally for its unique combination of consulting services, grantmaking and resources, including Public Art Review, the world’s leading public art journal. “Public art plays a critical role in our cultural and community development and the revitalization of our shared environments,” says Executive Director Jack Becker. “It helps create vibrant communities with a strong sense of identity and pride. Public art connects people, personalize spaces and activates civic dialogue. Forecast’s artist grants make an enormous difference in the lives of artists and the communities they lead and serve.”

]]> http://www.youthlinkmn.org/2013/04/new-sculpture-to-mark-the-entrance-to-youthlink-and-the-yoc/feed/ 0 http://www.youthlinkmn.org/2013/04/jewel/ http://www.youthlinkmn.org/2013/04/jewel/#comments Wed, 03 Apr 2013 19:41:22 +0000 YouthLink http://www.youthlinkmn.org/?p=2948 Jewel was desperate to stay in high school, but it was too hard without a stable place to live. Just 16 years old, and with nowhere to stay when her mother refused to house her, Jewel and her cousin turned to friends, hopping from home to home, trying to find a safe place to stay the night. “My cousin and I would hang out downtown Minneapolis with friends, where we’d maybe stay the night.”

Tired of staying with friends here and there, Jewel turned to the internet to research housing options for homeless young people. “I went to St. Barnabas apartments to fill out an application. I met CeCe, and that’s when my life started to change,” says Jewel.

CeCe was YouthLink’s resident manager at the apartment building. She saw intelligence and spark in Jewel and encouraged her to ask for help from YouthLink. Jewel describes her old self this way: “I was a mess. I told CeCe that if I got arrested and sent to jail that’s where I belonged. CeCe told me ‘You don’t belong in jail!”

CeCe also helped Jewel with a volunteer position with the Check Yo’Self Crew, whose mission is HIV/AIDs prevention and awareness for young people. Jewel soon had a job there, helping other young people. Jewel and her cousin both applied for apartments at YouthLink.

When the first unit became available, Jewel’s cousin moved into the Archdale apartments. Just a few weeks later, Jewel got the word that there was another apartment, this time for her, exactly one floor beneath her cousin’s new home.

At first Jewel found independent living to be a bit daunting, but there was on-site help. “The weirdest thing was meeting with Annie, my case manager at Archdale, every week. I wasn’t used to that, but then I loved being with Annie. She helped me set goals and make them happen.

Annie nominated Jewel for YouthLink’s Youth Leadership program, where Jewel has met other young people whose lives are also taking turns for the better. “We talk about what it means to be a leader. Everyone has different strengths. The trick is to find who does what really well,” she says.

With help of GED tutors at the Youth Opportunity Center, Jewel now 18, completed all of her test and obtained her GED earlier this year. With YouthLink’s encouragement and help with financial aid forms, Jewel applied to cosmetology school and is currently taking classes.

The Youth Opportunity Center linked Jewel with caring mentors, a job, education, access to services, and help with independent living skills. Jewel says, “I was never good at asking for help. I never knew anybody cared about me – about what happened to me. Now I know that CeCe, Annie, my tutors – lots of people – want to help me succeed.”

Here’s a look at the dreams some of YouthLink’s young people hope to harvest through their hard work:

“I’m sowing my hands and hope, hoping my hands will bring me a harvest of being a well-known, amazing hair dresser.” – Jewel, age 19

“I want to sow entertainment through my music so other people harvest joy!” – Dexi, age 20

“I’m sowing at least three hours of job searching a day, so within a month I’ll be working at a nice paying job.” – Jordan, age 18

“I’m sowing non-judgment and compliments, so people can feel better and more sure of how beautiful they are.” – Anonymous, age 19

“I’m sowing different art styles and experiences, hoping that my harvest will be manifested by beauty in people’s hearts” – Corey, age 19

What seeds will you sow this spring? You can help young people experiencing homelessness continue to grow their dreams by:

• Making a donation to YouthLink – as little as $10 makes a difference in their lives. Click here to donate.

• Advocating for YouthLink in your community. Bring a speaker to your school, church, or work place, or organize a donation drive for our most needed items. To coordinate a speaker, or learn more about hosting a donation drive, contact Krista at Siddiqui@youthlinkmn.org.

Thanks to CoreNet Global’s Midwest Chapter, we have been awarded a matching grant to go towards our Threads and Breads renovation project.  This is a dollar for dollar match up to $3000.  The match will continue until June 1st, 2013.  Now your contributions are worth twice as much!  Please consider contributing to this campaign by clicking here, and help us help young people experiencing homelessness get better access to food and clothing.

How can you help? Download this brochure to see a list of our in kind needs, or click here to make a donation to the project. We’ve already raised $46,000 in donated services – nearly half way to our goal of $110,000, and with your support, we can get there!

Why is this remodel so important? Because access to food and clean clothing are often barriers for young people experiencing homelessness as they strive to keep up with their education, or find a job.

Imagine if you had to go to work wearing the same shirt three days in a row because you couldn’t afford to have a fresh one each day. Would you still go to work? Could your children focus in school without a nutritious breakfast?

And, as you can see, our facilities could use an update – and the amazing plan set forward by our partners will help us better serve the more than 100 young people who come to YouthLink each day.

Made a difference

In 2012, the Youth Opportunity Center at YouthLink served 2,291 young people – that’s a 27% increase over the number served in 2011. As we continue to grow the Youth Opportunity Center, word is spreading as young people discover they can take life-changing steps toward stability, all in one place.

Supported educational goals

Staying in high school can be a challenge for young people in unstable housing situations. Finding a ride to school, a place to shower and clean clothing can all be barriers to earning a high school diploma. Of the young people YouthLink connected to GED services, 84% successfully passed their tests and earned their GED.

Built stability

Having a stable, safe place to call home allows young people to take the next steps toward achieving their goals. 74% of young people housed in YouthLink’s housing programs either attained, or made progress toward an education-related goal, with one-third of them targeting post-secondary education. 85% of the young people housed via these programs increased their financial means through support programs and employment.

Featuring a keynote speech from Wayne Centrone of the LGBTQ Center of Excellence, and funded by United Way’s Arise Project, YouthLink is working to educate those of us working with young people on how best to create a safe, responsive environment for LGBTQ young people.

Through highly knowledgeable and skilled organizations such as the Center for Social Innovation: LGBTQ Center of Excellence, The Family Partnership, Advocates for Youth, and the MN Transgender Health Coalition, our goal is to advance best practices among service providers and communities working with LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness. Workshops provided are focused on issues such as homophobia and sexism, improving cultural competency, increasing the understanding of transgender youth’s needs, and several others.

This event is FREE, but space is limited, so RSVP now to reserve your seat! Click here to RSVP for this event.