2024 Quarter 1
The first quarter of 2024 began with a flurry of activity in preparation for hosting several events across Northeast Minnesota as part of the Welcoming Community Program. Inclusion Learning Cohorts (ILC’s) are being facilitated in the International Falls and Deer River areas. Our past ILC communities of the Cloquet and Cook County areas are taking part in a new initiative, the Rural MN Community Safety Project, aimed understanding dynamics of conflicts in these communities and providing support to help build community safety skills for harm reduction and conflict intervention. In addition, the Duluth Lyceum continued to grow in participation with 25 community members joining the conversation in March on, “Science and Community Responsibly,” in a Lyceum hosted in partnership with a research group from UMD.
International Falls Area Inclusion Learning Cohort
- February 1st -Over 50 community members participated in the first official event with a survey launch to gather information on how the community experiences inclusion and belonging within different sectors of the community.
- March 5th, a core team from the community reviewed the survey topics and participated in a Consensus Workshop to determine the workshop topics.
- March 12th, marked the first workshop in the series of seven for the Inclusion Learning Cohort. A 25-member cohort participated in a training by UR Action on the ABC’s of Constructive Dialogue Across Difference.
Deer River Area Inclusion Learning Cohort
- February 8th -10 community members participated in the first official event with a survey launch to gather information on how the community experiences inclusion and belonging within different sectors of the community.
- March 1st, a core team from the community reviewed the survey topics and participated in a Consensus Workshop to determine the workshop topics.
- March 14th, marked the first workshop in the series of seven for the Inclusion Learning Cohort. A 13-member cohort participated in a training by UR Action on the ABC’s of Constructive Dialogue Across Difference.
Rural MN Community Safety Project
- Coordination with community members with Nonviolent Peaceforce, Voices for Rural Resilience, and the Department of Public Transformation, to promote a community safety survey and host a day of story circles in the Cloquet and Grand Marais in April and May respectively.
2023 Quarter 4
The final quarter of 2023 for the Welcoming Community program was marked by the successful hosting of the Third Annual Equity Summit, Belonging in Northeast Minnesota on October 4, 2023, at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia, Minnesota. Participation in this year’s summit rose from approximately 130 in 2022 to 180 in 2023.
Participants heard a keynote address from nationally recognized visual artist, Jonathan Thunder, after which they participated in a community discussion, called a Lyceum, on the topic of “Art and Belonging.”
Organizations active in working towards creating welcoming and inclusive communities were highlighted during a lightning round before hosting lunch discussion tables where attendees could get a more in-depth understanding of their work.
Incorporating feedback from last year’s summit, workshops focused on providing interactive learning and tools for participants to apply in their community, organization, or business.
The summit concluded with a panel presentation featuring a discussion of challenges for families and individuals with perspectives from disabled and LGBTQIA+ community members.
This year’s summit featured sponsors at several different levels, including:
Elevate Sponsor: St. Louis County
Engage Sponsor: Architecture Advantage
Small Business and Nonprofit Sponsors: Audacity HR, Fairview Range, and Boundary Waters Connect
Northspan’s Welcoming Community programming is also funded in part by the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation and the Northland Foundation.
View a video compilation from the day produced by Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Ojibwemowining Digital Arts HERE!
Other notable numbers from Q4:
45 Community Outreach Meetings
50 Resources Shared with 546 contacts across the region through the monthly newsletter