Youth Programming

Little Earth's Youth Programs focus on educational and holistic youth development activities for school-aged youth in Grades K-12. Programs in this area are critical because American Indian youth have one of the lowest graduation rates in Minneapolis-39.9% in 2005. Further, just 51% of American Indian students make at least one year's progress in reading during a single school year. Little Earth operates three inter-connected culturally specific strategies:

  • School Partnerships-through partnerships with public and charter schools in Minneapolis serving American Indian students, Little Earth staff promote student attendance. Little Earth currently works with Center School, a charter school in the Phillips neighborhood. The program serves 52 youth annually. It has reduced unexcused absences at Center school by 50%.
  • Mentoring Projects-by pairing Little Earth students with adult mentors, students in grades K-12 build relationships with role models and gain further incentive to stay in school. Little Earth secured local and federal grants to pilot this new mentoring initiative and increased the number of students matched with mentors 500%, from 5 to 25 youth-mentor matches.
  • Youth Development Center-a holistic out-of-school time educational center for Little Earth students in grades K-12, the Youth Development Center offers academic tutoring, computers, music, cultural activities, recreational and social activities in a safe, culturally nurturing environment. This program serves on average 90 Little Earth youth per day, or 280 unduplicated youth per month and at least 400 unduplicated youth annually.

Little Earth directly operates all Youth programs, employing 9.0 FTE staff. Major youth funders include: Hennepin County, the Administration on Native Americans, The McKnight Foundation and Best Buy Children's Foundation.

Youth Programming Work Plan for Phase I: 2008-2010
LITTLE EARTH CAPACITY-BUILDING AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE

The projected Phase I intermediate outcome for the Little Earth Youth Programs is that 40% of all eligible students will graduate from high school. To achieve this intermediate outcome, Little Earth will undertake the following activities listed below.

School Partnership Project
Baseline: 2007
Little Earth has just one school partnership in 2007—with Center School.

2008
2009
2010
Little Earth will initiate a partnership with a second school in 2008. Little Earth will strengthen this school partnership in 2009. Little Earth will add a third school partner in 2010.


Mentoring Project
Baseline: 2007
Little Earth currently pairs 24 students with mentors through the mentoring project.

2008
2009
2010
Little Earth will increase the number of youth/mentor matches to 35 in 2008. Little Earth will increase the number of youth/mentor matches to 42 in 2009. Little Earth will increase the number of youth/mentor matches to 50 in 2010.


Youth Development Center
Baseline: 2007
At the heart of Little Earth’s Youth Development Center is a school incentive curriculum called Ready, Set, Go! School-aged participants receive rewards and incentives for school attendance and participating in tutoring at the youth center. This program serves an average of 90 students/day or 400 youth annually.

2008
2009
2010
Maintain Youth Development Center and Ready, Set, Go! Maintain Youth Development Center and Ready, Set, Go! Maintain Youth Development Center and Ready, Set, Go!


Youth Leadership Project

2008
2009
2010
Little Earth’s will pilot a youth leadership and life skills project with 15 teens involved in the Little Earth/Center School partnership.  Teens will be required to qualify for leadership training and paid internships after school and during the summer.

+ Little Earth will expand this partnership to reach an additional 10 teens.

+ The new Youth Development Center staff person will manage the expanded leadership project.

 Little Earth will expand this partnership to reach an additional 10 teens.


GE Program

2008
2009
2010
Little Earth will hire a new GED Coordinator to recruit, tutor, and prepare residents, who are age 18 and over, for the GED. Continue the new GE initiative. Continue the GE initiative.