Northside Achievement Zone

The 7th annual NAZ Northside Institute was a success! Educators from anchor partners and schools gathered for a collaborative one-day empowerment event that brings the bold vision that every scholar can be college, career, and life ready. The morning keynote was given by Dr. Booker, whose belief that our greatest hope for the future is to inspire and equip our children. Thank you to all who attended!

There's nothing like getting back into the groove of the school year! NAZ Family Achievement Coaches were there before the morning bell to welcome students into our anchor partner Nellie Stone Johnson Community School with high fives! Happy 2024-2025 school year, Northsiders!

The first day of school is always a special time. We love seeing our anchor partner Nellie Stone Johnson Elementary with their doors open, kids with backpacks headed in with heads held high, and NAZ coaches cheering them on as they walk in!

New hopes, endless possibilities as school starts across most of Minnesota The new school year began on Tuesday for most Minnesota students. While many challenges lie ahead, a visit Tuesday to Nellie Stone Johnson Elementary in Minneapolis shows why it’s hard to beat the promise of a first day of school.

TONIGHT! Northside families are invited to come to the Jerry Gamble Boys and Girls Club from 5 to 8 pm for a backpack giveaway for scholars of all ages. It's first come, first served, so early arrival is recommended.

It's back-to-school time, and NAZ is focusing on the importance of attendance for scholars of all ages. This school year, we'll be sharing data, tips, and tricks all related to importance of scholars being at school each day. Be sure to share and follow along!

NAZ scholars are being empowered to care about their personal wellness through the NAZ Healthy Ways Northside program because a mind/body balance will support them as they pursue their dreams. Is wellness education one of your passions? Take a look at two new Healthy Ways educator positions that work directly with scholars on wellness education in fun and engaging ways.

https://www.northsideachievement.org/careers

Last week, NAZ took over Smash Park at our annual staff celebration, which uplifts our organization's value of "Supporting Our Staff to be Their Best Selves." We had a chance to step away from our desks for a few hours and sing both on (and off!) key at karaoke, get a little competitive on the pickleball court, and race each other at arcade games. It was a wonderful afternoon, and we're so grateful for all the hard work our staff puts in supporting our Northside babies and their families.

Transitioning back to school can be a time of mixed emotions for your scholar. The best way to support a strong transition back to school is to create a plan. Just like every family, every approach to setting a plan is unique! Here are a few things you might consider when coming up with your game plan:

1. Talk to your scholar about their goals for the school year and help them think through how to achieve them.

2. Create bedtime and morning routines a few weeks before your scholar's first day of class. Morning and bedtime routines help scholars feel grounded.

3. Attend your scholar's school's open house. Getting to meet their teachers, see their classroom, and connect again with friends can help get them excited about what is to come.

5. Reach out when you need support. It takes a village to support each scholar on their developmental and academic journey.

Remember, your scholar may be nervous, excited, scared, upset, thrilled, or all of the above! Listen to their thoughts and feelings, reassure them, and be aware of your own feelings, too!

Opportunity Alert: Fins and Feathers is a program created in partnership with the National Park Service which creates outstanding and family-friendly experiences in our public parks.

Date: Saturday September 14th
Time: 9am - 12pm
Location: Boom Island Park

Activities Include:
- Fishing clinic
- Biking
- Birding
- Ranger-led Walk

Special Highlights:
- Free fishing kits (for first 40 families)
- Free lunch (For 80 Families )
- Free Transportation from the Jerry Gamble Boys and Girls Club

To register, follow this link: https://bit.ly/4dKpCdA

Coming to the Read In this weekend? We can't wait to see you on Saturday at the North Regional Library from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.!

Primary elections are being held in Minneapolis TODAY. Did you know that 92% of Congressional elections are decided in the primary election?

The primary election decides which candidates advance to the general election in the fall. Primary elections ensure that the candidates in the general election are representative of you, the people. This is why it is so important for you to make your voice heard at the polls in every election.

Northside, YOUR VOTE MATTERS. Make sure you POP OUT and VOTE.

Find your polling place here: https://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/.

Are you ready for the third-annual Live Your Healthy Lyfe event? This block party is designed by the Northside community for the Northside community and beyond! This event feeds people’s bodies, minds, and souls. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/3LZGuRS

SUPER proud of our soon-to-be kindergarten royalty! Our Rising Kindergartener Celebration was a huge success, getting Northside scholars headed off to school this fall and their families ready for their next steps. It's a vital time to bring the village together, gear up, and celebrate. Here's to a successful and happy school year!

It's always a joy to see our scholars get cool opportunities in the community, especially with those they admire. Thank you to the Minnesota Vikings and Justin Jefferson for inviting our scholars from Hospitality House Youth Development to their training camp. Our Northside kids got to meet players, visit the Vikings museum, and even get signed merch.

It's so fun to see our scholars out in nature, experiencing unique opportunities, all thanks to Mississippi Park Connection. Through Fins and Feathers, Northside kids have the opportunity to learn about and participate in fishing, birding, and biking. It's an amazing reminder to get out and explore before summer is gone!

We extend our sincere congratulations to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on being selected by Kamala Harris as her Vice Presidential running mate! Governor Walz’s leadership has made a profound impact on Minnesota youth and families, especially in the areas of education and children's well-being.

Proclaiming in 2023 that his administration would “make Minnesota the best state in the nation for kids to grow up in,” NAZ has consistently felt his support through ensuring universal school meals for children, expanding access to early childhood education, signing a Child Tax Credit that provides financial relief to working families and reduces poverty in the state, and increasing student mental health services in schools. Governor Walz’s dedication to those most vulnerable in our communities will undoubtedly continue to inspire as his national profile rises!

While Governor Walz prepares for a potential new role in DC, Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, who herself is a longtime advocate for children and families, stands ready to continue this vital work here at home. A Harris-Walz win in November would make Peggy Flanagan the first woman to govern Minnesota, as well as the first Native woman to serve as Governor in the United States.

Two of the things most mentioned when people talk about their love for north Minneapolis are the youth, and the powerful sense of community pride. Joel Luedtke, Program Director at The Jay & Rose Phillips Family Foundation of Minnesota talks about both in this brief clip as part of our "Northside Bright Spots" series.

At NAZ we celebrate the foundation's intentional decision to build an office in north Minneapolis, where they have renovated a beautiful building on West Broadway Avenue. Thank you Jay and Rose Phillips Foundation for your commitment to being in community!

Northside Bright Spots: Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation Program Director Joel Luedtke discusses the importance of investing in the Northside youth and the depth of community...

The NAZ Pathway to College Celebration was a success! We celebrated graduating high school seniors and their futures ahead! Families, community members, and NAZ partners showed up in force to show their pride and commitment to these incredible young people. In between activities and food, organizations were on hand to share resources and opportunities for life after high school. Congrats, all!

Pathway to College Celebration 2024 NAZ celebrated graduating high school seniors and their futures ahead! Families, community members, and NAZ partners showed up in force to show their pride a...

Between the Aquatennial and Loring Park Art Festival, this weekend is packed with opportunities for family fun outdoors. Follow the links below for event schedules.

https://www.aquatennial.com/

https://www.loringparkartfestival.com/

WCCO News Anchor Shayla Michelle was a huge hit at this month's NAZ Read-in! A room full of new readers offered their full attention as she read from her new book, “The Echo in the Distance”. Scholars and adults loved hearing about the story inspired by Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech.

Have you and your scholars been to a NAZ Read-in lately? They are wildly popular for good reason! Keep an eye out for information on our August Read-in coming soon!

Good vibes and excitement were off the charts at our Path to College High School Graduation celebration over the weekend! Family, community members, and NAZ partners showed up in force to show their pride and commitment to these incredible young people. To mark the accomplishment, and set them up for success in future studies, each graduate received their own Apple iPad after crossing the stage. In between activities and food, partners were on hand to share resources and opportunities for life after high school.

It was an enormous honor to celebrate these bright young adults as a community. Congratulations to the Class of 2024!!

We had a great time being a part of this!

July's NAZ Read-in features WCCO News Anchor Shayla Michelle who will read from her new book, “The Echo in the Distance”, a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream speech. While the book is geared toward 3rd-5th graders, there is always something special for every age at the Read-in! Join us this Saturday, July 13, at 10am at the North Regional Library.

Calling all future homeowners! Join us at Northside Achievement Zone (1964 N Second Street, Minneapolis) on Saturday, July 27th from 10 am to 2 pm for a day of learning about the journey to homeownership. Wherever you are in the process, you will walk away with information and resources to help you achieve your goal of owning your own home. NAZ partners will be there to talk about:

• Increasing your income to put you on the path to homeownership
• The process of buying a home
• Navigating the real estate market
• Down Payment Assistance (DPA) programs you may qualify for
• Homes available for purchase on the Northside

Questions? Email [email protected].

Urban Homeworks, Project for Pride in Living, Habitat for Humanity, Hired, BuildWealth, Twin Cities RISE! (TCR!)

Kristel Porter grew up in North Minneapolis and has been a champion of the community since childhood. Today, she continues that title as she leads and grows the West Broadway Business & Area Coalition - the Northside’s biggest advocate for local businesses along the West Broadway business corridor. Hear from her about the power of Open Streets West Broadway and the enormous sense of community North Minneapolis is known for.

Northside Bright Spots: West Broadway Business & Area Coalition

Happy 4th of July! Have a safe and fun holiday weekend. NAZ will be closed with staff returning Monday, July 8.

James Baldwin is widely regarded as one of America’s most influential writers. His openness about his own sexuality and his use of gay characters helped launch a new era of increasing acceptance of gayness in American culture. His writing also elevated and informed the national conversation on Blackness in America and the civil rights movement. Baldwin himself spent a significant amount of time outside of the U.S., in France, where he felt he could more easily be his full self.

Baldwin’s voice and writing continue to influence today’s writers. In 1984, he acknowledged to New York’s Village Voice that writing "Giovanni’s Room", his first novel centered on gay characters, was “enormously risky,” but said “The alternative was worse.… If I hadn’t written that book I would probably have had to stop writing altogether.” We're grateful for his talent and works of prose that have shaped the human experience and influenced so many others.

Happy Pride Weekend Twin Cities! The Pride Festival will be in Loring Park this weekend, and tomorrow is a special Youth Night from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. On Friday, there will be events and activities just for teens. While the entire weekend is family friendly, it's worth bringing scholars to this dedicated evening if interested. Have a fun and safe weekend!
https://tcpride.org/youth-night/