Green Card Voices
The grant will support the production of our first Children's Book created by immigrant youth for children ages K-4. Content will cover a wide range of topics: reasons for immigration, emotions and other aspects such as bullying, marginalization, transitions and loss. 3,000 copies will be produced and distributed along with accompanying events such as book readings. The goal is to build inclusive and integrated communities by sharing authentic first-person immigrant stories and building empathy.
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Asneth Omare (Brooklyn Park, MN). Asneth is a Kenyan Immigrant who works in the non-profit and social service fields working on public health initiatives. |
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Al Lun (Rochester, MN) is a Chinese immigrant, former IT professional for IBM and currently is a board member of the Diversity Council and YMCA in Rochester. |
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Kieran Myles Andres Tverbakk (Minneapolis, MN) is a first-generation Mexican-Norwegian-American artist focused on visibility of BIPOC queer and trans individuals as well as creating space for Chicanx queerness. |
Laura Benson
Minnesota Humanities Center
laura@mnhum.org
651-772-4244
$850,000 the first year and $850,000 the second year are for a competitive grants program to provide grants to preserve and promote the cultural heritage of Minnesota.
The Minnesota Humanities Center must operate a competitive grants program to provide grants to programs that preserve and honor the cultural heritage of Minnesota or that provide education and student outreach on cultural diversity or to programs that empower communities to build their identity and culture. Priority must be given to grants for individuals and organizations working to create, celebrate, and teach indigenous arts and cultural activities and arts organizations and programs preserving, sharing, and educating on the arts and cultural heritage of immigrant communities in Minnesota.
#1 Educate 5,000 MN youngest residents (K-4th) about the local immigrant experience as lived by young, first-generation immigrants and refugees, and ensure they gain (1) cultural awareness & understanding of diverse immigrant experiences, and (2) undergo a change in attitude towards diverse immigrants.
#2 Empower 30 immigrant youth by sharing their stories as authors of the Children’s Book. Through this process they will be (1) empowered, (2) grow their creativity, self-awareness, advocacy, and leadership skills, (3) practice their public speaking skills, and (4) develop self-advocacy skills (components include: speaking in public, articulating needs, contributions, and strengths). As they gain confidence in telling their story and experience positive responses from audiences, students learn and grow in self-knowledge and social interaction.
- 5,000 MN youngest residents (K-4th) who received locally-specific, and authentic immigrant experience. They will increase cultural awareness & understanding of diverse immigrant experiences by 30%, and (2) undergo a positive change in attitude towards diverse immigrants by 30%.
- 30 empower immigrant youth whose positive experience working on the Children’s Book left them with (1) increased creativity, self-awareness, advocacy, and leadership skills (by 30%), (2) increased public speaking skills (by 30%), and (4) newly develop self-advocacy skills (3 new skills).
- Production of a Children's book, printing, and distribution.
- 3-5 Book promotion events.
- 3,000 books produced and distributed.
In progress