Neighborhood Leadership Program

MNHS and the Wilder Foundation worked together to provide greater access and awareness of MNHS resources to St. Paul neighborhoods through the Wilder Foundation's Neighborhood Leadership Program (NLP). NLP is a six-month training program that has been supported by the Wilder Foundation for the past 20 years with nearly 800 program alumni. The purpose of NLP is to help existing and emerging leaders take action to improve their community. This year 29 people were accepted to the NLP program. Through visits to the Minnesota History Center, participants learned about the diverse history of St. Paul and explored resources available through MNHS. They learned how understanding the history of their community improves communications with community members, framing of community issues and setting goals and strategies for creating changes. Program participants, many of whom had never visited, were given a new connection to the Minnesota History Center. More importantly, the partnership provided MNHS with a new way of engaging with the greater community.