Minnesota

The new Achieve Scholarship program is designed to address two critical barriers to college attendance: lack of academic preparation and financial access. High school graduates who complete any one of four sets of courses defined as rigorous earn a one-time scholarship of $1,200 to help pay for college at a public or private university or college. The Achieve scholarship, which was proposed by Governor Tim Pawlenty in January 2007 and signed into law in May, is available to students who graduate after January 1, 2008. To be eligible, a student must:

• Have a parental adjusted gross income of less than $75,000 reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the academic year during which the scholarship is requested (this limit also applies to the adjusted gross income reported for independent students)
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
• Meet the definition of Minnesota resident used for state financial aid programs
• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
• Attend an eligible public or private postsecondary institution in Minnesota.
• Apply for the scholarship no later than 30 days after the term starts
• Successfully complete the first term of college enrollment in order to receive the second $600 installment of the Achieve Scholarship
• Complete one of the four sets of rigorous programs of study while in high school or in a home-school setting described below

To learn more about the Achieve Scholarship program, visit: http://www.getreadyforcollege.org/gPg.cfm?pageID=1789

To learn more about getting ready for college and applying for financial aid, visit: www.getreadyforcollege.org

Two interesting opportunities being offered by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. 

Nonprofit Leadership Summit - The Future of Leadership
You are invited to register for MCN’s 2008 Leadership Summit: The Future of Leadership. Join your nonprofit peers for this groundbreaking exploration of the attributes of nonprofit leaders, issues facing leaders in organizations, and the ways that nonprofit leaders strengthen organizations and communities. View the full program and register by April 30 and save! Grantwriting Clinics from MCN in Mankato, Duluth and St. Paul
Grantwriters across Minnesota will benefit from MCN’s slate of Grantwriting Clinics that will be travelling around the state in 2008. This fast-paced, interactive clinic empowers grantwriting practitioners to explore their personal successes and challenges, gain new perspective on proposal development, clarify understanding of each section of a grant proposal, critique actual proposals submitted by clinic participants, and develop a better understanding of building a persuasive case.

• April 23, South Central Region (held in Mankato) Register Now
• May 8, St. Paul Register Now
• May 28, Duluth Register Now
• June 24, St. Paul Register Now
• November 6, St. Paul Register Now

Space is limited for Grantwriting Clinics, so don’t delay and register today.

This approach focuses on bringing people together to find better ways to deal with conflict and face hard issues. Actions that are happening include:

• letter writing, phone calls, and emails to elected officials to request new or different policies to assist people living in poverty
• creating a co-operative buying group to get better prices for purchasing necessary health and food items
• uniting community members to jointly celebrate unique cultural attributes
• instituting programs such as “Circles of Support” (http://www.movethemountain.org/index.cfm?nodeID=9229&audienceID=1), a community-wide approach to assisting families as they move out of poverty

As always, for more information, please go the Everyday Democracy website at http://www.everyday-democracy.org/en/index.aspx

Below is a link to Extension’s Center for Family Development and resources they offer for teaching youth about money.    For example,

Did you know?

• 1 in 5 teens have their own credit card or access to their parents’ card.
• High school seniors’ basic financial literacy is declining.
• 30% of youth report their parents rarely or never discuss saving and investing with them.
• Undergraduates carry an average of three credit cards, and have an average credit card debt of $2,327.
• As little as 10 hours of personal finance education positively affects students’ spending and savings habits.

Find out how you can address these issues at:

http://www.extension.umn.edu/Youth&Money/ 

Diversity Coalition in Rural Minnesota Communities
Tamara Downs Schwei and Katherine Fennelly | Dec. 1, 2007
Diversity coalitions are organizations that are open to community members and that have programs that aim to improve relations between U.S.- and foreign-born residents.

Although Minnesota has a predominantly White, native-born population, in recent years it has experienced large increases in its foreign-born population, leading to Minnesota being designated a “nontraditional destination state.” More than half of the foreign-born population entered Minnesota between 1990 and 2000, increasing its immigrant population by 138%, compared to 57% nationwide. Concentrations of immigrants are particularly notable in metropolitan-area communities and in rural towns and counties with meat- and poultry-processing plants. As the number of immigrants has grown, some U.S.-born residents have been welcoming, while others have responded with fear and resentment. Negative attitudes toward immigrants can be particularly strong in rural and exurban areas, both nationally and in Minnesota. As a result, immigrants living outside of central cities may find themselves in hostile environments, isolated from needed services.

Read the full article about what diversity coalitions in Minnesota are doing:

http://www.agobservatory.org/library.cfm?RefID=101928 

Approximately 10 percent of young adults (aged
18-24) today are idle, that is, they are not in postsecondary
school, the workforce, or the armed Forces.1
among high school dropouts the shares are even higher, at
30 percent. idle youth are not following the typical pathways
from adolescence to adulthood. They are not gaining
adequate educations, are not gaining work experience, and
they have no obvious sources of earned income.2

View the full article from the Carsey Institute at:

http://www.agobservatory.org/library.cfm?RefID=101925

Here is an inspirational story about on this snowy day:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080325.wbc-flowers0325/BNStory/National/home