Star Tribune
Interested in social change? COPAL launches fellowship for Minnesota youth
Politically minded young people often are full of ideas about how to make the world a better place. But the path to turning those ideas into community change often is murky, marked by unpaid internships and high-pressure work environments.
In an effort to help streamline the career path, Latino political organizing group Communities Organizing Latinx Power and Action (COPAL, for its initials in Spanish) created a paid educational fellowship program for Minnesota youth interested in politics and social change following big legislative wins earlier this year.
The cohort of college and high school students ages 16 to 24 in the COPAL Leader Apprenticeship Program (¡CLAP!) was launched in June with seven students from the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota. All of members of this year’s cohort are young people of color from immigrant families, said Ryan Perez, political campaign manager.
Fellows learn about issue-based campaigns such as “driver’s licenses for all” which secured licenses for unauthorized immigrants earlier this year, and also gain experience creating campaigns of their own, he said.
“Recently, because of driver’s licenses for all and other really exciting positive social change outcomes, we’re seeing community say, ‘This is so exciting, I now believe change is possible,'” Perez said.
The fellowship pays $18 an hour and features two key components: skills development in the summer and the opportunity to put those skills into practice in the fall in time for nonpartisan municipal elections.
The fellows meet with community and elected leaders from around the state. They also learn about the operational side of nonprofits, such as the communications and finance, Perez said.
College students Claudia Chang and Jenni Rivera heard about the paid opportunity and jumped on the chance to work on real political campaigns and issues.
Rivera, an incoming University of Minnesota student, said she already has learned about programs and opportunities for the Latino community and discussed those with family, friends and other COPAL fellows.
“All of us come from different backgrounds, so it’s really interesting to hear different perspectives, different ideas and how we can all implement those together within our trainings,” Rivera said.
As she considers future career opportunities, open conversations with industry professionals have been really valuable, said Chang, a sophomore at Northwestern University.
“As a young person trying to figure out what type of career I would like eventually, it’s helpful to hear about their path, their journey and the current work that they do,” she said.
COPAL hopes that the training program won’t simply be a feeder to their nonprofit, but a pipeline to community organizations all around Minnesota, Perez said.
“I know that after this summer and fall, what I learned here I’m going to be able to use for like the rest of my life,” Chang said.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will auction off state lands in popular northern counties next month.
The public land — in Aitkin, Cook, Itasca, and St. Louis counties — will go up for sale during the Department of Natural Resource’s annual online public land sale from Nov. 7 to 21.
“These rural and lakeshore properties may appeal to adjacent landowners or offer recreational opportunities such as space for a small cabin or camping,” the DNR said in a statement.
Properties will be available for bidding Nov. 7 through Nov. 21.
This all can trim for print: The properties include:
40 acres in Aitkin County, with a minimum bid of $85,000
44 acres in Cook County, minimum bid $138,000
1.9 acres in Itasca County, minimum bid $114,000
Minneapolis city officials say razor wire, concrete barriers and fencing will be removed from around the former Third Precinct police station – which was set ablaze by protesters after George Floyd’s police killing – in the next three weeks. The burned-out vestibule will be removed within three months with construction fencing to be erected closer to the building.
This week, Minneapolis City Council members have expressed frustration that four years after the protests culminated in a fire at the police station, the charred building still stands and has become a “prop” some conservatives use to rail against city leadership. Most recently, GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance made a stop outside the building and criticized Gov. Tim Walz’s handling of the 2020 riots.
On Thursday, the council voted 8-3 to approve a resolution calling for “immediate cleanup, remediation, and beautification of the 3000 Minnehaha site including but not limited to the removal of fencing, jersey barriers, barbed wire, and all other exterior blight.”
Council Member Robin Wonsley said the city needs to acknowledge that many police officers stationed in the Third Precinct “waged racist and violent actions” against residents for decades.
Council Member Aurin Chowdhury said the council wants the building cleaned up and beautified “immediately.”
“We cannot allow for this corner to be a backdrop for those who wish to manipulate the trauma of our city for political gain,” Chowdhury said.
Council Member Katie Cashman said the council shouldn’t be divided by “right-wing figures posing in front of the Third Precinct and pandering to conservative interests.”
“It’s really important for us to stay united in our goal, to achieve rehabilitation of this site in a way that advances racial healing and acknowledgement of the past trauma in this community, and to not let those figures divide us here,” she said.
It’s MEA weekend — the four-day stretch in mid-October when educators traditionally flock to St. Paul RiverCentre for a conference organized by the statewide teachers union as students and their families take an extended break.
Some orchards offer visitors the opportunity to pick their own fruit, while others operate sprawling general stores that sell a variety of apple-themed goodies.
Tiger cub twins Amaliya (female), left, and Andrei (male), right, who were born in May, hang out with their mother, Amur tiger Sundari, after making their debut in their new public habitat at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley, Minn. on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. ] LEILA NAVIDI • leila.navidi@startribune.com (Leila Navidi)
October is usually a happenin’ month at the Minnesota Zoo. The annual Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular is chock-full of meticulously decorated gourds, and this year’s event runs until Nov. 2. Tickets start at $18 for adults and $14 for children (kids younger than 2 get in free but must still register for tickets). The Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular begins at 6 p.m.
But there’s another new attraction at the zoo these days: the pair of Amur tiger cubs born to 7-year-old mom Bernadette just a couple of months ago. This week, zoo officials named the young felines Marisa and Maks. The zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day.
Patrons enjoy drinks and dinner on the patio Thursday evening, July 18, 2024 at Lola’s Lakehouse in Waconia. Lola’s Lakehouse in Waconia features a large back deck/patio area with views of Lake Waconia. (Jeff Wheeler/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
With so many people out of town, there’s no better time to visit some of the Twin Cities’ most popular eateries.
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