Dance, Drama, and Change
The DDC is a dance and drama group for girls, started by Macy in 2008. They provide a space for young women who cannot afford to participate in other arts activities a free space to express themselves artistically through dance and drama. The DDC is a multi-cultural group that promotes community by inviting any girls who wish to participate to join in dance and drama practices and performances. They practice regularly together and perform for people in their community. The DDC hopes to eventually travel and perform all around the world. They will use Youth Venture funding to purchase uniforms for their team, music, and supplies for hosting fundraisers. The DDC hosts fundraisers in their school and church in order to raise money to sustain their Venture into the future.
Girl, Please Magazine
Girl, Please Magazine was started by Mary at El Colegio Charter School in South Minneapolis in 2008. Girl, Please Magazine is a forum for teenagers at El Colegio and in the South Minneapolis community to speak their mind on a variety of topics. Youth can submit articles, take photos, and participate in the editing and publishing of the magazine. Girl, Please is totally youth-run and youth-written, and provides an opportunity for El Colegio students to learn skills related to journalism, editing, and publishing while voicing their opinions in an uncensored manner. Girl, Please Magazine hosts fundraisers in their school and community in order to sustain their Venture into the future. Download PDF: “Youth Venture Minnesota Team - Girl, Please Magazine”
Bemidji Skate Team
Bemidji Skate and Bike Park is a fundraising Venture that aims to raise enough money through grants and donations to build a free park for youth in the community, providing a safe, free, and fun outlet for young people after school. The team promotes an active lifestyle and combats childhood obesity in their community while spreading a positive image of skaters and bikers. The Bemidji Skate Team started their Venture with the support of Youth Venture-Burton, and quickly earned the approval of the City of Bemidji, in the form of $150,000, to really get their project started. They’ve raised over $280,000 so far, including grants from the Tony Hawk Foundation and the George W. Neilson Foundation. Download PDF: Youth Venture Minnesota Team - Bemidji Skate Team
N.A.V.I.G.A.T.E.
Victor, Maria, Juve, Davis, and Ulises felt that many immigrant high school students were given inaccurate information about attending college. In many cases, they noticed that immigrant Latino students were getting discouraged and assuming that college was not an option for them. In an effort to encourage these Latino students to achieve their dreams and realize that there is hope for them to attend the colleges and universities of their choice, the students launched NAVIGATE as their Youth Venture. NAVIGATE, which stands for Necessary And Valuable Insight to Gain Access To Education, provides pre-college Latino students with the tools they need to make the college admission/financing process easier. Visit NAVIGATE's website at www.NavigateMN.org.
Download PDF: Youth Venture Minnesota Team - NAVIGATE
Box City Vigil for Youth Homelessness
In February 2005, a group of High School students from Bloomington, Minnesota got together to start the Box City Vigil for Youth Homelessness. Box City Vigil is an annual all-night vigil on the Minnesota state capital lawn. Their goal is to increase awareness of youth homelessness in Minnesota by creating a city out of cardboard boxes to visually symbolize youth that that spend their nights on the streets. They also increase awareness and affect policy by lobbying the State Legislation in partnership with the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless. Box City Vigil was one of the 15 winners of the Youth Venture Best Buy @15 Challenge in 2009, receiving $10,000 to expand their Venture. Visit their blog at www.bcv09.blogspot.com and their Youth Venture profile at www.GenV.net/en-us/team/box_city_vigil_0.
Download PDF: Youth Venture Minnesota Team - Box City Vigil
