“We feel like one family in one place,” explained Munira when asked how living at Hope has changed her life. Munira grew up in Sudan and moved to the United States in 1999. She and her three young children have lived at Hope since 1995. Her eldest child, Fatima is 14 years old and for the past four years has spent most Saturday mornings with her peers at Hope’s Youth in the City mentoring program. Her young brother, Yaisin, age 9, looks forward to Learning in Community where he spends time reading and writing with a mentor alongside his friends. Munira also has been active at Hope and is a community leader in Hope’s tenant group that organizes activities to bring neighbors together. For Munira and her family Hope has been much more than a place to live. She says it’s a place where people care about one another and where she has built a real home for her family.
Teen & Young Adult: Leadership, Organizing and Art
we create ways for young people to express their community voice
SPEAC 2010. Photo: Bruce Silcox
Overview
Our work with teens and young adults creates leaders through organizing, visual arts, music, dialogue, and performance. All of these opportunities emphasize the development of skills around leadership, teamwork, and responsibility – and using your voice to advocate for yourself and your community.
Programs
SPEAC – A community organizing group of 15-20 young leaders. The leaders participate in an eight month organizing and leadership training developed in collaboration with The Center for Democracy and Citizenship – Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. SPEAC leaders share a commitment to making change in their community through community organizing.
Hip-Hop SongWriting and Music Production – Hope’s music studio supports weekly workshops and studio time (writing, music production and performance). Through community-based music projects youth learn artistic and business/marketing elements, discipline, story-telling, taking a project through several stages to completion, cooperative learning, and team building.
Power of Vision Mural Project – The Power of Vision Mural Project challenges Hope to think about art as a tool for leadership and community building in addition to strengthening artistic skills. Each mural is driven by a collective vision centered in community. Since 2004, Hope youth have worked across differences around the common goal of completing murals symbolizing community, understanding and hope.
Articulating Our Voices Now – A bi-annual series of relational workshops for diverse young women facilitated by local women artists. As a group, young women learn to articulate and lift up their voices through performance/ dance/ music/ spoken word.
Questions? Contact Chaka Mkali, Lead Organizer at cmkali@hope-community.org or call (612) 435-1677.