Weathering the Season, Growing Together

One of the best kept secrets in South Minneapolis is the garden behind Nicollet Square.

Only visible from the alleyway parking lot, this oasis boasts an annual harvest of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, squash, berries, herbs, and flowers. In 2025, it was even featured on the Kingfield Neighborhood Association’s Garden Tour.

Residents of Nicollet Square tend to these storied grounds, doing everything in their control to create the best possible conditions for each plant to thrive. One of the original gardeners is Tayvion—a resident whose story we’re honored to share this month.

Tayvion—or any gardener—would tell you that creating the conditions for healthy growth does not happen by accident. It takes patience, consistency, and showing up, even when it’s easier to give up. It means carefully cultivating an environment—soil, shade, protection—where growth is possible.

But a gardener cannot make a plant grow. They can only do their best to support it.

You might already see where this metaphor is heading, so we must offer a brief disclaimer. While YouthLink’s work shares similarities with cultivating a garden, young people are distinctly not like plants. They are individuals with agency, dreams, ideas, opinions, stories, hopes, baggage, and brilliance.

Still, one truth remains: growth cannot be forced.

Like a gardener, we have some control over the environment we create and how we show up. Through patience, consistency, and commitment, we cultivate spaces rooted in safety, opportunity, and structure—giving young people the best chance to reach their goals.

And in the end, we’re glad young people are not like plants–their participation, partnership, resilience, and capacity are the real catalysts for growth. There is no richer soil than human connection. 

Mark Miller, Nicollet Square Supervisor (and Garden Visionary), often says:
“Everything that works well at Nicollet Square works because of relationships.”

We think Tayvion would agree.

Tayvion’s resilience, commitment, and consistency are evident throughout his journey—from earning his GED and maintaining stable housing, to tending the garden and showing up as a father and role model to his sons.

Nicollet Square gave him the time and space to plan his next steps, along with the support system to grow:

“[The staff] feel like family… I’ve gained connections with them. Coming from the background I come from where you could really call nobody, it makes the biggest life difference.”

But every gardener knows that some things are beyond your control. Even the most carefully tended garden can struggle—harsh weather, limited resources, and unexpected challenges can threaten growth.

Right now, YouthLink is navigating one of those difficult seasons.

As Federal, State, and local governments all grapple with various funding challenges and ever-changing priorities, YouthLink and other service providers are facing an unpredictable and unnerving external environment. Despite increased demand for our services year after year, this has not been the best season for growth, and the forecast isn’t looking much better. And that’s why we need your help. 

Your support helps protect and sustain this “garden.” It allows us to continue creating the conditions young people need to grow and thrive, even as external challenges make this work more difficult.

With your support, we can weather this season and continue cultivating a place where young people like Tayvion can reach their goals.

Your generosity ensures we can keep showing up—day after day—with the care, consistency, and commitment young people deserve.

Together, we can nurture relationships, celebrate growth, and ensure real opportunities take root.

With gratitude,

P.S. This is a challenging season for YouthLink—but it doesn’t have to limit what’s possible. Please give as generously as you can to help us keep showing up for young people.