Spring youth intensive builds organizing skills, sense of unity

The Twin Cities Healing Justice Program’s Spring 2025 three-day Intensive cultivated the skills of 17 young organizers. CAMP SAFE (Students Accelerating Fiercely Everyday) taught tools such as campaign strategy, event planning, and team building. Students left with a sense of confidence in their organizing abilities and with a clear vision for our next event, which we will be carrying out as a collective. 

Co-facilitators included Janise Johnson with the Conflict Resolution Center on event planning. Alexis Varner (age 22) with a Call for Social Action discussed her experience of obtaining her bachelor’s degree while working on a DFL campaign.

SAFE has been working with our Youth Board since November 2024. Our meetings build a foundation of knowledge for our youth to stand on as they move forward as change makers in their communities.

Topics have included:

• American history as it pertains to the Civil Rights movement and mass incarceration;
• Identifying our own unique gifts that we can bring to the tables where we sit; and
• Meeting community members who are using their voice and resources to evoke the change they wish to see in the world.

It’s imperative that we put young leaders at the forefront of change to present them with opportunities to discover their passion areas -- and that we fan those flames. Over and over again we hear about the importance of caring adults who present young people with other options and speak words of life into their existence.

This SAFE CAMP cohort consisted of youth primarily located in North Minneapolis, a historically disadvantaged community that faces numerous challenges as a result of systematic inequalities. Many of our students are involved in sports, are proud of being on the honor roll, or are consistent attendees of SAFE programming. 

Issues that students at North High face include gun violence, robbery, poverty, racism, and bullying in the school. We expose these young people to the possibilities that life has for them, as many of our young people and their families are in survival mode.

Possible cuts to programming and government support will no doubt affect our young people and their families. We will continue to network with community organizations that can provide resources as we become aware of our students' needs. 

For this Intensive, seven of our Youth Board participants joined with another seven students from North High along with one student from nearby FAIR Art School. We had students respond positively to this Intensive’s curriculum by expressing their interest and desire to plan a community event.

This Intensive catered to young people (ages 13-18) of the North Community. When asked what issues this cohort faces, youth called for more mental health support. We want to equip young people with additional tools to support mental wellness.

Our approach included hands-on activities such as yoga, painting, playing basketball, and watching an informative, short film together. We partnered with members of the community who would mentor members of our Youth Board on how to facilitate learning for their peers.

What young people had to say about the Intensive

Youth responded very favorably to the Intensive. "I enjoyed the unstructured time, but I also really enjoyed organizing the mock event with my friends and people I met in this program," said one person.

“I appreciated Ms. Janise's education on event planning,” another said. “Ms. Alexis altered my perspective on political activism, and both were valuable lessons"

A third youth said their main takeaway from the Intensive is that “groups build events, and the group determines their own goals and priorities for an event so that they can work better together.”

What this work means to us

I (Prescott) went to North my senior year; to come back and have an impact means a lot. It’s a beautiful thing when a young person who doesn’t understand something has that light bulb go on – it changes their perspective and they’re happy because they’ve learned something.

Being patient with young people is therapeutic in itself. Teaching a new level of patience, understanding, love and caring – and really listening. Because a lot of people don’t hear youth. They’re amazing people.

I (Maddy) had amazing and loving parents, and yet it was the caring adults that I had met in my life outside of my home that really impacted the course of my life. As a young person, it could have gone in a very different direction, so I'm just forever grateful and indebted to the caring adults that I've had. I want young people to know I’m hearing you, I’m seeing you. And that caring may help them see another way or option.