City of Lakes AmeriCorps

Meet COL member Ian Lockhart, serving 8th grade ESL students at Justice Page Middle School. Ian decided to serve with CoL because he wanted to give back to the community where he grew up in and to make sure that education is the right career path that he wants to pursue.

Meet COL Americorps member Clayton Delp, a second-year member serving 8th grade ESL students at Andersen Middle School. Clayton had taught English in the CDF's Freedom Schools and music at a summer camp. He hopes that COL will give him a better sense of direction as to whether teaching is in his future.

Meet COL Americorps member Caden Salo, serving 6th grade ESL students at Andersen Middle School. Caden speaks multiple languages and thought that working with EL students was a great opportunity he didn’t want it to pass up.

Meet Max Sheck, COL Americorps member serving 8th grade ESL students at Anwatin Middle School. Max wanted to gain more experience by serving and plans to travel abroad to teach English in Japan.

COL Americorps members delve deeper discussions into national immigration time line. Indigenous and African American specific policies/events, MN specific language/education policy, immigration patterns, and resistance.

Meet Katya Spielvogel, COL Americorps member serving 6th grade ESL students at Justice Page Middle School. Katya wanted to serve with COL because she's passionate about working with EL students and has had first-hand experience learning a second language. She believes that serving with COL would further develop her skills and provide the experiences she needs to achieve her career goals.

Meet Finn Hawkins COL Americorps member serving at Northeast Middle School. Finn loves working with youth and seeing their progress. Finn likes seeing himself and his students grow this year and feel a sense that he’s done something of a positive impact on others. Finn says what he loves about middle schoolers are how funny they are.

Meet Lu (Tom) Yang our new COL Americorps staff member this year. He's been in the education field for many many years and enjoys working with students, staff, parents, and families. His hobbies include singing, fishing, exercising, and hunting.

A big thank you to former COL alumni members for coming today to share your knowledge and experience with current COL members on various career pathways such as youth work, counseling, teaching, and classroom supports. We really appreciate it!

We're hiring! Visit http://col.mpls.k12.mn.us/apply.html to learn more.

Applications for the 2022-23 program year are now open on My AmeriCorps (https://my.americorps.gov), Service Year (https://serviceyear.org/city_of_lakes/english-language-tutor/2xKqOZ/) and Handshake (https://joinhandshake.com/). Visit http://col.mpls.k12.mn.us/apply.html to learn more!

Thrilled to be meeting students at today's Minnesota Private Colleges Career & Internship Fair! Swing by Booth N20 to learn how to grow personally and professionally through a service year.

Meet Michael! Michael is serving at Andersen United Community School this year to determine if education is the career path for him. Read more about Michael and other CoL members at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o4ck3WSdBs5HS9PdVG1FGOFI9iUzuij6ZulhMQ15QB8/edit?usp=sharing

Public Service Loan Forgiveness Update! Below is a summary of some of the changes. Many different payments, payment plans and types of loans can now count BUT the current deadline is Oct 31, 2022.

Bonus for teachers - if anyone did the Teacher Loan Forgiveness ($5k or $17k after 5 years), the payments made during that time can now count for PSLF.

Many more details available at https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/fact-sheet-public-service-loan-forgiveness-pslf-program-overhaul

Join us in training!

CoL Members are participating in an online Youth Mental Health First Aid training provided by M Health Fairview on the morning of Friday, February 11th, and additional spots are open. This training is free and open to those living in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin.

Participants must first complete two-hour online, self-paced pre-work before attending the 4.5 hour virtual class via ZOOM. CEU's are available and a certificate of completion will be provided by The National Council for Mental Wellbeing.

Interested? Register here - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/youth-mental-health-first-aid-virtual-friday-february-11-2022-registration-227953062747

Each year, AmeriCorps honors MLK's legacy with a day of service on MLK Day. Yesterday, City of Lakes members had the honor of supporting the annual Powderhorn Park MLK Day event.

Looking for resources to use with youth this week? Check out these video storytimes recorded by last year's members for MLK Day -

https://youtube.com/channel/UCFx1pf7mlBrnwHRRtpXHDpQ

Congratulations to Michael D. Smith on his confirmation as the Chief Executive Officer of AmeriCorps! We look forward to working together to advance . Read our full statement here: https://www.statecommissions.org/michael-smith-americorps-ceo

Image Description: An image of Michael Smith smiling at the camera and wearing a suit with a US flag in the background.

Attn: Minnesota AmeriCorps Members! Visit edquity.co to download the Edquity app and search for resources in your community. Find information today about food, housing, childcare and more — all at the click of a button! ServeMinnesota

Good news! This week, we’re officially kicking off a partnership with Edquity to help AmeriCorps members who are part of the ServeMinnesota programs access emergency resources. Members should visit edquity.co and create your account today!

St. Cloud students take class to hone native Somali

Way to go, St Cloud!

St. Cloud students take class to hone native Somali School officials say research shows multilingual students are more likely to be academically successful in all areas when they have opportunities to continue developing their first language.

Let the teambuilding begin!!!

Timeline photos

Free food boxes for youth will be available all summer long. Most sites will be open 10 a.m.-3 p.m., and a few will be open until 6 p.m. Food boxes are free for all youth 18 & under, and all families are invited to participate. Daily summer meals will also be served at MPS summer programs and various community sites. For more information about free summer meals for youth, please visit cws.mpls.k12.mn.us/sfsp.

Just because it's summer doesn't mean the help you may need isn't available!

This summer, you and your family can tap into many resources and support such as student programs and activities, free food, and other options: https://mpls.k12.mn.us/summer_break_resources.html

Summer is here! Congratulations Corps of
2020-2021!

And let's not forget that the first pride was in protest!

It’s Pride Month! This month we celebrate our LGBTQIA students and staff who make MPS the beautiful and vibrant place it is. Learn more about our Out4Good program at MPS that helps create safe and supportive learning environments for all students: https://equity.mpls.k12.mn.us/out4good.

EDTalks Kao Kalia Yang

Check this out as Asian and Pacific Islander Appreciation Month comes to a close!

EDTalks Kao Kalia Yang EDTalks Kao Kalia YangPresenter: Kao Kalia Yang, educator and author | April 15, 2015Kao Kalia Yang is a teacher, public speaker, writer and author of the aw...

There are so many things to learn but there are a few things we know for certain:
Black lives matter.
George Floyd should still be alive today.
There is so much more work to be done to create an equitable world for all people.

Masks will still be required by every person entering an MPS building until the end of the school year. Please plan accordingly!

Community Volunteer Ambassador

We love that there are SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES to fit every INTEREST!

Interested in Education? Consider serving with us!

Interested in Environment? Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa and Minnesota GreenCorps are two amazing programs in MN. The National Park Service (NPS) also hosts 30 AmeriCorps opportunities across 18 national park sites, including two summer positions at Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. Learn more about NPS opportunities here - https://www.cvainternships.org/.

Community Volunteer Ambassador Apply to CVA. The Community Volunteer Ambassador program is seeking interns, ages 21-30 years old, to serve a 50-week AmeriCorps term at over 50 amazing national park locations. Get top-notch professional training in the field of volunteer coordination in a paid internship!

City of Lakes Informational Video

Are you interested in serving with City of Lakes AmeriCorps but still have a few questions before you apply? Check out this video to hopefully have those questions answered!

City of Lakes Informational Video Are you interested in applying to City of Lakes AmeriCorps? Watch this to find out more!

Last week we mourned the hundreds of cases of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit relatives. This week we remind ourselves that the work of honoring the Indigenous Peoples to this land is never-ending. Learn more below.

📍Minneapolis Public Schools sits on the land of the Dakota and Anishinaabe Peoples.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

When celebrating let us not forget...

There are so many benefits to serving with AmeriCorps. Here's a brief list of some of the more tangible benefits your receive. If you have any questions about the living allowance, the Segal Education Award, or anything else about making AmeriCorps work for you logistically, please reach out!

Here's some more information directly from AmeriCorps National. https://americorps.gov/members-volunteers/your-benefits

✨WE ARE HIRING!!!✨

The application for the 2021-22 program year is now open! It is available on Service Year and My AmeriCorps. Links below! If you are interested in talking to someone about serving with us, please message us here and we can connect you with a current member!

Service Year:
https://serviceyear.org/.../english-language-tutor/2xKqOZ/

MyAmeriCorps:
https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?fromSearch=true&id=86254&fbclid=IwAR3JKhEnvKCuWOUgUuJx1F0gm41LePfvj5i2sYzeMICUnz_DXYSKKtJvZL0

Animation Series: Something Happened In Our Town (#AtlantisBuild)

Are you looking for ways to talk to the children in your life about the Derek Chauvin trial and the racism in our world? "Something Happened In Our Town" is an amazing book, rated for ages 4-8, that can open a space for children to discuss what they are seeing and feeling.

Animation Series: Something Happened In Our Town (#AtlantisBuild) To promote literacy and literature, Story Time is a Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center program and Atlantis School For Gifted Youngsters prod...