Somali Community Resettlement Services: Connecting to Our Past – Moving Into the Future
American culture is a mosaic. Each new immigrant tide has become part of this mosaic by adding their own cultural richness and beauty. Somali culture is the latest addition to our rich American culture. This grant looks to both preserve Somali arts and traditional cultural practices and share Somali culture and experiences with Somali youth and the greater Minnesota community. We will hold art expos and educational forums and create videos of Somali community members sharing their stories.
$200,000 each year is for a grant to one or more community organizations that provide Somali-based collaborative programs for arts and cultural heritage. The Somali Museum of Minnesota may apply for a grant under this paragraph. The funding must be used for programs to provide arts and humanities education and workshops, mentor programs, classes, exhibits, presentations, community engagement events, and outreach about the Somali community and heritage in Minnesota.
- SRO’s art and cultural events
- Students will gain knowledge about Somali cultural traditions
- Somali adults will connect art workshops/expos to cultural traditions from their past with a high degree of satisfaction
- Events will have high attendance from the community
- SCRS’s video storytelling project
- Storytellers will see value in telling their story
- Youth will gain knowledge of Somali cultural traditions and heritage
- Adults will see value in telling their own stories
- SAAEF’s educational/outreach forums
- Attendees will gain knowledge of Somali cultural traditions and heritage
- Each event will have a diverse group of attendees from mainstream groups as well as Somali attendees
- SRO’s art and cultural events
- 45 students were exposed to traditional Somali art and dance.
- 30 parents attended the presentations
- SCRS’s video storytelling project
- Somali elders were taped talking about their lives in Somali before the war. In order to reach the broadest audience possible, these stories are broadcast on Somali TV in Rochester. This programming is available to all Rochester area Somalis. In May, Somali TV is also being broadcast in Faribault. SCRS also began taping elders in the Faribault area sharing their stories.
- SAAEF’s educational/outreach forums
- There are many misconceptions of Muslims being cast about in the news today. Educational forums have been a way to combat these. Forums were held in both Rochester and Faribault and served to educate newly arrived Somalians on area resources, as well as educate mainstream Americans about Islam and what it means to be a Muslim. At the conclusion of each event, attendees were asked if the event had value for them. Several came back weeks later to tell us of the changes the event had in their lives.
$200,000 each year is for a grant to one or more community organizations that provide Somali-based collaborative programs for arts and cultural heritage. The Somali Museum of Minnesota may apply for a grant under this paragraph. The funding must be used for programs to provide arts and humanities education and workshops, mentor programs, classes, exhibits, presentations, community engagement events, and outreach about the Somali community and heritage in Minnesota.
- SRO’s art and cultural events
- Students will gain knowledge about Somali cultural traditions
- Somali adults will connect art workshops/expos to cultural traditions from their past with a high degree of satisfaction
- Events will have high attendance from the community
- SCRS’s video storytelling project
- Storytellers will see value in telling their story
- Youth will gain knowledge of Somali cultural traditions and heritage
- Adults will see value in telling their own stories
- SAAEF’s educational/outreach forums
- Attendees will gain knowledge of Somali cultural traditions and heritage
- Each event will have a diverse group of attendees from mainstream groups as well as Somali attendees
- SRO's art workshop/expo events. SRO held art workshops and shows in both December and May. Students had posters, paintings, and drawings exhibited. The Somali Dance group presented a series of cultural dances. Parents and members of the larger community attended. Informal surveys were taken and students saw a benefit in being able to gain knowledge of Somali cultural traditions. Attendance for both events was over 150.
- SOMALI ART & CULTURE VIDEO PRODUCTION. Over the course of the grant period (Dec - June) over 120 Somali elders were interviewed and their stories were video taped. These were then shown on Somali TV, which airs 6 days a week. Elders are eager to talk about their history and culture. Youth surveyed reported that they learned of Somali culture and traditions through these stories. They also reported they gained respect and pride in their culture and their community's resilience and strength.
- SCRS' Educational/Outreach forums. SCRS staff presented to the general community at 3 small forums on diversity. Staff also was involved in larger community cultural events. "Know Your Neighbors" is an event that showcases Somali arts through dance, the Somali Museum's exhibit, henna, and food. The attendance this year was down due to the weather, but over 700 people still were in attendance. Another large event that SCRS sponsored was Iftar at the mosque during Ramadan. This has been an annual event in Faribault for the last 5 years and attendance by the general mainstream community has steadily increased. Attendance this year by the mainstream community was over 300. Through these events, all attendees are gaining knowledge of Somalian cultural traditions.