Nichole Uzelac only has a few weeks of high school left. Her clear vision for life after high school, paired with hands-on experience she gained in classes at Grand Rapids High School, has her future plans – to become a diesel mechanic – humming. That’s right. Diesel mechanic. What drew this articulate, highly motivated and …
A catalyst for learning. An opportunity to give voice to a seldom-heard community group. A chance to follow a community conversation, aligning energy and resources toward a goal in which numerous partners could see themselves and their roles. As with much of Northern Community Radio’s (NCR) work, the Bemijigamaag Powwow, held this past weekend at …
We received an exciting call today from a Grand Rapids resident letting us know that today was the day solar panels were being installed on his house by the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL). As a rural Minnesota-based organization, RREAL works in partnership with Community Action Agencies and Habitat for Humanity affiliates to provide residential …
It’s your story. It’s my story. It’s our story. Yet, it’s a story few of us know. For eight months now, community members throughout Itasca County have been exploring their shared history and filling in knowledge gaps about the promises made between American Indians and the United States that have shaped Minnesota’s past, present and …
“Success is a science; if you have the conditions, you get the result.” – Oscar Wilde Rural nonprofits, like any organization, succeed when the conditions are right. So what does it take? Heavy pockets and an army of do-gooders? Not quite. Based on learning from 13 interviews with Blandin Foundation Rural Quick Start grantees (grants up …
A recent Lake County News Chronicle story featured a Blandin Community Broadband Program that partnered seniors (older folks) with seniors (from Two Harbors high school) to “help get them online, offering training and support.” Chris Langenbrunner, Community Education Director, said, “We had heartwarming interactions and personalized learning occurring in our media center all night. It …
With books stacked sky high in the back seat and a trunk that’s bungee corded shut, many young Minnesotans hit the road last month, putt-putting to their futures. The Minnesota Office of Higher Education recently reported that 77 percent of the state’s high school graduates attended college in 2012, up from 56 percent in 1996. At …
What kind of conversations need to happen in your community right now? Who would be at the table? Would it be the right people? What do people need to know before they can fully participate in the conversation? How would the conversation start? These are tough questions that are often times overlooked by organizers, but …
Colorful, dancing feathered figures and the hum of ancestral melodies filled the room as Fond du Lac (FDL) students arranged themselves in such a way that they created a cornucopia of technology. Brandishing iPads, they celebrated their Ojibwe culture, together with community members, through the creation of mobile applications. Held at the end of July, …
“Knowing the realities of others around us helps to form stronger communities. The Why Treaties Matter exhibit gives us a better sense of who we’re living among and the land we’re living on.” – David O’Fallon, president of the Minnesota Humanities Center. Take a minute to travel back in time to your history lessons in …