SVP Community Newsletter – May 2023

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Gather with a Purpose: Dinner & Discussion about the Foster Care System

Saturday May 20th, 5:30-8:30pm: SVP is hosting its first “Gather with a Purpose Dinner & Discussion.”   In honor of National Foster Care Month, join us for a meal and an enriching conversation about the current state of foster care in Minnesota, reforms that are underway, and systemic changes that are needed.  This will be held at  Charlson Meadows in Victoria, MN.  We will be joined by local professionals who work in this space to  share their insights and expertise about the trends that are impacting youth in the foster care system.

There have been some recent ‘wins’ for youth in the foster care system, such as the passing of the Fostering Independence Higher Education Grants bill a few years ago. But youth in the child welfare system, as well as those aging out of the system remain at risk for negative outcomes such as low graduation rates, housing instability, and poor health outcomes.

Over dinner we will have
a conversation about what is currently being done to reform the system, how we can advocate for broader systemic changes, or whether the system should be abolished entirely. Joining us for the dinner and discussion will be leaders from Foster Advocates and Connections to Independence – both organizations have been SVP Investees and work with young people who have been part of the Foster Care system. We ask that all participants read two articles prior to the gathering to give some context.
These will be sent to you after you register.

We are asking all participants to make a donation to help cover costs for the dinner and to support the community leaders who will be joining us for the gathering. (Suggested donation range is $50-$150 per person.)  More information and registration can be found here.

Youth Organization Spotlight

Green Garden Bakery Update…plus a Hands-on Volunteer Opportunity 

Green Garden Bakery (GGB) is an award winning youth-run business that sells vegetable based desserts to the greater Twin Cities community.  In 2021,  GGB received a 1-year short-term grant
from Social Venture Partners MN and for the past few years they have been working to realize their vision of finding a way to make their bakery products right in their own Heritage Park neighborhood of North Minneapolis.  GGB youth leaders rolled up their sleeves and were persistent in their work with City Council officials to rezone and secure a commercial bakery space right in their own neighborhood!

This bakery space is finally coming to fruition and will also include a café that will be open to the public.  GGB is collaborating with many other groups on this project which also allows youth to get real-time guidance about how to run this new version of their business.    This year they are also starting to develop some major new wholesale partnerships with groups such as Minneapolis Convention
Center’s Kelber Catering, Minnesota Twins, and MSP Nutrition Center to name a few.    You can still find the Green Garden Bakery youth and their bakery goods at booths this summer at the Mill City Farmers Market, Midtown and Lake Harriet Farmers Market locations, as well as online markets.

GGB is also partnering with Spark-Y, another SVP MN alumni Investee.   Spark-Y is helping the GGB youth to build a Living Wall (an indoor growing space with hydroponics) which can be used in their café space. This process will also help the  GGB Sustainability Crew obtain an Indoor Urban Farm
Certification.

Sarod Williams, an 8th grader, recently was invited to join the GGB Executive Team and is the 4th sibling in his family to provide leadership for this youth-run social enterprise.  Sarod and his peers established the Community Crew during the pandemic and Sarod is currently the Community Crew Lead. The Community Crew utilizes a third of GGB’s revenue (over $40,000 to date)  to reinvest into their community and they also find other ways to volunteer to help their neighbors. Recently they held an Earth Day clean-up event and distributed gifts to neighbors during Ramadan. Sarod is also a part of the Sustainability Crew who is managing GGB’s Tower Garden and will also be working on the new living wall.   GGB’s current CEO and another youth-leader, D’Loveantae, recently
participated in SVP’s Youth-Led Grantmaking Taskforce. He also had the opportunity to meet with former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi last fall.

GGB is soft launching their bakery café next month with full operations expected to be open in August.  If you want to help get the GGB gardens ready, SVP MN is joining the GGB team on Tuesday May 16th from 4:30- 7:00pm for a hands-on volunteer project to help get their gardens ready for the growing seasons.  Want to help? Email Deb. We will meet at 500 Van White Memorial Blvd, Minneapolis MN 55405 and we will also get a sneak peek of their newly renovated bakery and café space.  If you want to contribute to GGB’s efforts you
can do so here.

You can also learn more about Green Garden Bakery and how Urban Strategies, Inc., the overarching nonprofit home for GGB, gets younger youth inspired in their Active Chefs program in this Star and Tribune article.

ANTI-RACISM RESOURCES

Are you interested in expanding your learning on topics of racial equity and anti-racism?   Check out these resources:

• List of Resources on Racial Equity and Healing

• How to Talk About Race

• Confronting Prejudice: How to Protect Yourself and help others from Pepperdine University

• Understanding Native MN Podcast

• CNN’s Race Deconstructed Newsletter series

Here are some upcoming opportunities to engage with SVP MN’s current and former Investees: 

ComMUSICation

Sunday May 21st @ 2:00pm: Join the community for No One Stands Alone, a showcase of youth choral music that celebrates ComMUSICation’s 10 years of building community through high quality music education in Saint Paul. Reserve your FREE TICKETS to their biggest concert of the year which will be held at the Ordway Concert Hall!

Sweet Potato Comfort Pie

Kumbayah Play Explains Meaning of Juneteenth / Launches Four City Tour Sweet Potato Comfort Pie (SPCP) is one of the organizations participating in SVP’s new Impact Accelerator Cohort.  They are partnering with the Minnesota Humanities Center to
produce 6 statewide performances of SPCP founder Rose McGee’s original play, “Kumbayah: The Juneteenth Story.”

The play was performed for Juneteenth festivities in 2022 in both Minneapolis and Duluth. “The responses were so favorable, we decided to bring the play to a wider audience,” says McGee.” A student who attended the play last year at Duluth’s Denfeld High School said, “I feel like this is my first day of a real education.”  And we heard many more favorable comments just like that one! McGee further explained, “It is important now more than ever that we teach our young scholars honest history and the deeper context of holidays like Juneteenth. It is the way forward.”

The play will embark on an ambitious four city, six show
tour with its debut in Minneapolis on June 16, 2023 with two shows at 10:00am and 7:00pm. (There will be a special pre-show reception at 5:30pm.)   It will be held at Breck School’s Cargill Theater (123 Ottawa Avenue North, Golden Valley, MN 55422). Additional performances will be held in the St. Peter/Mankato area, Rochester and St. Cloud. For more info on other cities or to register go www.sweetpotatocomfortpie.org and click on the “Events” tab.

Connections to Independence

May 6th Run for the Roses Kentucky Derby celebration at Lake Monster Brewing: May is National Foster Care Month and C2i is kicking off the month with their 8th Annual Kentucky Derby Run for the Roses Fundraiser! Come enjoy a Kentucky Derby Experience while giving back to young people in foster care. This year’s fund the need is C2i’s Housing Program to support their master leased homes and increase their “Covered Fund” for emergency housing and basic needs.  Come dressed in your favorite Kentucky Derby attire: enter the best dressed contest, enjoy craft beer and
cocktails, poker tables, silent auction, cigar bar, and light bites.

MN Urban Debate League

MN Urban Debate League needs volunteers for their Spanish debate tournaments. The only requirement is that people are fluent in Spanish.  They will compensate the judges per tournament, but they welcome folks who just want to volunteer their time and services. MNUDL will provide training on how to judge the debate. MNUDL also needs volunteers for their East African debate tournaments and Financial
Literacy Leadership debates. For East Africa debates they are looking for people from the East African community. Students debate in English, but have a cultural focus on the East African community. For the Financial Literacy Leadership debates they are looking for women or non-binary people who work in the financial services sector. Participating debaters are girls or non-binary students who debate about the trade-offs of different personal financial decisions.   See here for more info on volunteering.

Breakthrough Twin Cities

May 13th, 2023 Breakthrough Twin Cities Senior Celebration: Friends, sponsors, community partners, and Breakthrough Twin Cities alumni are invited to participate in this joyous event on May 13, 2023 at Union Depot in Saint Paul. They’ll have a program, present graduation tassels and cords to be worn at their school graduations, as well as a certificate commemorating their 6-year commitment to Breakthrough Twin Cities. The program will be followed by a luncheon, catered by Breaking Bread, and time to come together as a community and be proud of our collective growth and
momentum.  https://www.breakthroughtwincities.org/events/

Bolder Options

May 31st Golf Classic at Legends Golf Course.  Come and be part of their annual event to raise funding to support the Bolder Options youth mentoring
program. https://one.bidpal.net/2023golf/welcome

SVP catalyzes equitable social change by expanding the impact of youth-serving organizations, and building an effective community of engaged philanthropists. Together we’re building better futures!