Don’t just talk about it, do it! Join your fellow conference participants as we work side-by-side with community members on peace-building projects. Pre-registration is required. No additional fees apply. Registration will take place onsite for specific projects within the St. Paul community. Anyone not preregistered for the day will be placed on a waiting list.
Serve and Celebrate
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Plenary Session
9:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m.
What does service and service-learning mean to you? How can you make a difference in the world? Join us at the kick-off plenary session for Serve and Celebrate–a day of hands on projects, learning, and fun! Hear from Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi, NYLC Youth Advisory Council members, and youthrive Leadership Team members.
Serve
10:15 a.m. Bus boarding to St. Paul communities
11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to make an impact in the Frogtown and surrounding communities of St. Paul. Participants will work side-by-side with community members on peace-building projects.
Family Health Carnival Extravaganza and Teen Fitness Frenzy
Help a community bond while learning about healthy lifestyles through fun, engaging activities for youth and children, as well as resources for the parents and adults of the community. Work together with local organizations to host and staff booths with activities focused on health and fitness, for example, physical challenge competitions, seed packaging and micro-gardening, creating hygiene packets, and learning about bike safety. At Jackson Elementary, in addition to having a carnival for younger kids and their families, there will also be an “older” version of this carnival focusing on encouraging fitness in teens.
*This active and high-energy project includes working with local youth and community members.
Locations:
Jimmy Lee Rec Center – Capacity: 100
Jackson Elementary – Capacity: 50
Chalkboard Project with Local Artist
Collaborate with a local artist to learn about the Frogtown community and be trained to go out into the community to gather opinions on their stake in the community. Attendees will be broken up into small groups to go out and take pictures that capture these opinions. After a debriefing with reflection, the pictures will be processed by the planning team and hung up as a photo gallery at various recreation centers.
*Activity will take place outside. Please dress accordingly.
Locations:
Jimmy Lee Rec Center – Capacity: 60
Mosaic Benches
Learn more about the impact of Peace Gardens within the community with the assistance of local community activists. Attendees will create mosaic benches to be placed within the respective Peace Gardens outside of the West Minnehaha and Scheffer Recreation Centers.
Locations:
Sheffer Rec Center – Capacity: 25
Martin Luther King Rec Center – Capacity: 25
Little Free Library/Positive Lawn Signs
Create community birdhouse libraries that will be placed in the Peace and community gardens around Frogtown and its respective recreation centers. Attendees will be responsible for decorating and putting on the roofs of these birdhouse libraries. Learn about the impact of community libraries. Also, create and decorate lawn signs displaying positive and peaceful messaging that will be distributed throughout the community during a community peace festival in June.
* Activity includes doing art projects. Please dress accordingly.
Locations:
Sheffer Rec Center – Capacity: 30
Martin Luther King Rec Center – Capacity: 30
Hancock Rec Center – Capacity: 25
Create Welcoming Environments
Collaborate to create welcoming environments within the St. Paul recreation centers in hopes that community members will feel welcome and be more apt to utilize those facilities. Participants will use stencils to beautify community spaces.
* Activity includes doing art projects. Please dress accordingly.
Locations:
Sheffer Rec Center – Capacity: 35
Martin Luther King Rec Center – Capacity: 20
West Minnehaha Rec Center – Capacity: 15
Hancock Rec Center – Capacity: 20
Tree of Dreams
Help students of a Promise Neighborhood school, Jackson Elementary, and a local recreation center create mosaic leaves that express their opinions on what it means to have a peaceful community. These leaves will be placed on a tree mural helping youth answer the question “What can I do to create peace?, reflecting on the ideas of peace.
Locations:
West Minnehaha Rec Center – Capacity: 30
Jackson Elementary – Capacity: 30
On the Road to Peace
Volunteers of this service project will have the opportunity to meet with community representatives that are making changes within the Frogtown neighborhood. After learning about different safety and peace initiatives, they will then pass out educational newsletters to Frogtown community members promoting peace and safety for the community. Upon return, attendees will create bracelets, buttons, and other crafts to promote peace, as well as refelect on how attendees can bring peace to their own communities when they return home.
*Will be outside, dress accordingly
Location:
West Minnehaha Rec Center – Capacity: 32
Youth Farm and Market Project
Dig, plant, and learn about urban gardening, while serving youth in the Frogtown neighborhood. The Youth Farm and Market Project is a youth development organization that serves Frogtown youth through cooking and farming programs. Help Youth Farm prepare for its summer program by getting its farm site ready.
*Activity will take place outside. Please dress accordingly.
Location:
Youth Farm and Market – Capacity: 25
Celebrate
3:30 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
Come celebrate Global Youth Service Day at the Mall of America! In the Best Buy Rotunda you will find: on-site service-learning projects, live entertainment, youth performances, prizes, and much more!
The Minnesota Alliance With Youth (the Alliance) will host the GYSD Celebration on Saturday April 14, recognizing the contributions of youth and provide a venue for service. We will continue our partnership with the Mall of America and Delta Dental of MN to host a GYSD Celebration at the Mall of America Best Buy Rotunda and have on-site service-learning projects for the public to participate in as well as youth entertainment. We will feature "Champions of Service," individuals who have prioritized youth engagement and service as well as local elected officials to speak about the importance of service and the impact youth are making in their communities.
The Alliance works to ignite the spark in all young people to become actively engaged, develop strong voices, and acquire the skills needed for success in school, work, and life. The Alliance brings together schools, communities, and organizations to increase youth voice, promote civic engagement, and increase academic success.
»Learn more about Global Youth Service Day
Use the Hiawatha Light Rail for easy access to the Mall of America. Click here for more transportation information.