Sojourner Truth Academy (STA) was awarded a Minneapolis Foundation Safe Communities micro-grant to fund a $2,877 middle school social studies project called Beautify Our Community: Scholar Feelings Move Inside Out.
On May 13 Social Studies Teacher Kate Mensing and Paraprofessional Byron Gulyard led STA middle school scholars in a discussion around the personal and community impact of George Floyd’s murder. Scholars were invited to share how they think and feel, and to reflect on their hopes for themselves this summer and into the future through drawing and poetry.
“Playing in dirt is a timeless kid activity, and yet many youth in our school have not had the chance to experience the magic of building with lumber, smelling soil in the sunshine, or nurturing something as tender as seedlings that grow to produce real food that they can eat,” said Kate Mensing. “Whether it was the responsibility of holding power tools, the freedom to express themselves through chalk art, or the simple joy of being outside, this grant provided our scholars with a chance to breathe in peace and focus on creation instead of the grief and loss of this year.”
Check out the Minneapolis Foundation’s spotlight on the project at minneapolisfoundation.org/stories/fund-for-safe-communities/micro-grants-support-community-gatherings-healing-spaces.