Impact Report — RiseUp Red Wing

Impact Report
2022 - 2023

Dear Friends and Supporters,

In 2022, we began our next chapter as RiseUp Red Wing. By centering youth in our programs and through our advocacy work, a more connected and caring community is rising.

We can all agree that a vibrant Red Wing – one that attracts young, intelligent, and capable individuals to continue to make Red Wing their home for years to come – cannot come to fruition without those very people at the center. Over the past year, we have proudly stepped into the challenge of serving our youth how and where they want to be supported by listening and engaging with them in strategic processes. They have challenged the structures we have in place, and we have shifted the way we work to enable this continued youth-adult partnership.

In this impact report, you’ll learn more about our shared progress toward a more vibrant and equitable Red Wing for all. From the caring connections mentors and mentees are building to the shared action many local nonprofits and government partners are undertaking together, we are joining forces for a brighter future.

We invite you to find your place in the movement. Each of us has a role in building a Red Wing where every young person has access to opportunities, youth and families are embedded in leadership, and all community members feel valued, included, and empowered.

Whether as a mentor to a Red Wing student, a financial supporter, a member of the Youth Partnership, or an advocate for policies that better support our young people, we are making a difference together!

In partnership,

Mandy Arden
Executive Director
RiseUp Red Wing

About RiseUp Red Wing

Mission

We are on a mission to ensure Red Wing offers abundant opportunities for all young people to unleash their potential. We serve youth and families through caring, responsive programming, and we foster shared action among partners committed to supporting youth.

Vision

We envision a safe, vibrant Red Wing for all: Every young person has access to opportunities that help them reach their goals, youth and families are recognized as collaborators and leaders, and all Red Wing youth and community members feel valued, included, and empowered.

How We Work

Caring, Responsive Programming

Youth Services

Caring, trusted relationships are at the core of all of our work with youth. Specifically, we support youth by connecting them with caring adult mentors and growing their social-emotional and independent living skills.

Parent Engagement

We hone the advocacy skills of parents and caregivers – creating a more participatory and inclusive Red Wing. We support parents and family members who want to get more involved on behalf of youth and help connect adults to one another to build community.

Service in Action: The Mentoring Relationship

Jim, a dedicated RiseUp Red Wing mentor, has found mentoring to be a rewarding life experience, having built a strong bond with his mentee, Eugene, over the course of eight years. With all of his own children having either graduated from college or on the cusp of doing so, Jim has found immense joy in staying engaged with local youth.

Jim knows that the core to their connection has been building a trusting bond, and their relationship has extended far beyond school-year meetings. Eugene frequently visits Jim’s home, where they’ve shared afternoons swimming, playing video games, or collaborating on various yard work projects. Their adventures have taken them to high school games, movie outings, and trips to the local zoo.

Some of Eugene’s fondest memories center around special shopping excursions with Jim, whether celebrating birthdays, embracing the spirit of Christmas, or simply reveling in the joy of togetherness. Occasionally, Jim’s wife and Eugene’s two sisters have joined in, turning these outings into family affairs.

Above all else, Jim has tried to ensure that Eugene felt safe and at ease in his presence, allowing Eugene to share his thoughts and dreams or simply enjoy the companionship in silence. Jim is profoundly grateful to have Eugene in his life, recognizing that their friendship will endure through the years to come.

RiseUp Red Wing is seeking more adult mentors who want to create a lifelong both with our exceptional youth.

Join Now

Fostering Shared Action

The Youth Partnership includes 14 local organizations and agencies. Facilitated by RiseUp Red Wing, but very much a collaborative effort, the Partnership works together to identify inequitable systems and break down barriers for youth success. The Partnership’s work is grounded in three goals and, together, partners supported the following related projects:

Every youth has access to opportunities to learn and lead

• Provided tutoring and academic support to middle school students who are part of Hispanic Outreach of Goodhue County

• Brought on a Black Student Union adult advisor through HOPE Coalition’s high school support services; provided support for students to participate in culturally relevant experiences

• Funded program and activity fees for student members of the Native American Student Association to participate in culturally relevant experiences

• Implemented culturally relevant curriculum in Goodhue County Education District and Red Wing Public School District

Every youth has the knowledge and the resources they need to thrive

• Hired a Home Visiting Coordinator through Three Rivers Community Action

• Provided medical care for students from C.A.R.E. Clinic

• Facilitated transportation for high school students in Flight Paths program

• Supported driver’s ed courses through Community Education and Recreation

• Paid down Goodhue County Education District’s unpaid student meal debt

Every youth is respected, included, and seen as a valued member of the community

• Provided access to Language Line and translation services

• Sponsored community projects, including:

• Honoring Dakota: Community Healing and Mural Project

• “We Are All Related” book project for K-4 Red Wing students

• Hosted community speakers, including:

• Wing Young Huie: We Can Be More Than Strangers: Challenging Our Own Assumptions

• Ovi Vásquez: Motivational Leadership Keynote and Workshop

• Identified barriers and assets within systems that impact youth outcomes through equitable data practices:

• The City of Red Wing developed a report card: redwingreportcard.org

• Goodhue County Education District implemented eduCLIMBER, the central data repository and reporting tool to support implementation of the Redefining Ready college and career readiness indicators

Partnership in Action: Supporting Community

Three Rivers Community Action is a nonprofit human service organization that has provided anti-poverty strategies to communities in southern Minnesota for over 50 years. Today, the organization operates more than 40 programs in Goodhue County in the areas of housing, community development, early childhood, transportation, and older adult services. The Youth Partnership supported Three Rivers by:

Convening early education network members who help guide Three Rivers’ work to advance statewide priorities that support young children and their families
Advocating on behalf of Three Rivers for future supportive housing projects that serve families
Providing financial, network, and referral support to the Three Rivers Birth-to-3 home visiting program, which serves pregnant mothers, children up to age 3, and their families in Goodhue County

14 Participating Partners

Youth Voice

Community Youth Council

We are currently recruiting high-school-aged youth to collaborate with adults on forming the first-ever Community Youth Council. The Community Youth Council is a pathway for young leaders to collaborate, advocate, and shape our community’s future. We hope to launch the first iteration of the Community Youth Council in spring 2024. The Community Youth Council will then develop a work plan with the goal of making a meaningful difference in the Red Wing community and ensuring youth voice is embedded in decision-making spaces.

Youth Advocacy

We facilitate opportunities for youth in Red Wing to engage with the community through service learning and leadership opportunities.

“I feel more involved in my community than ever before. This program has made me realize how important feeling like a part of the community is. I’ve been challenged to think about situations from new perspectives and gained new understanding. I have also had the opportunity to share my voice with state representatives. It is so impactful on all parts of my life to know how valued I am by my community.”

- Youth response from survey

Youth Leadership

This past year, we were able to pay high school youth to mentor middle schoolers. They had the opportunity to plan, direct, and deliver programming.

Unleashing Youth Potential

RiseUp Red Wing’s direct services, the collaborative Youth Partnership, the Community Youth Council, and our parent engagement program have determined five protective factors our shared work is aiming to enhance:

Commitment to Learning: I care about doing well in school, pay attention in class, go to class prepared, am interested in learning, and find school learning useful. Being a student is an important part of who I am.
Positive Identity and Outlook: I have a sense of control in my life, feel good about myself and my future, deal well with disappointment and life’s challenges, and think about my purpose in life.
Social Competence: I say no to dangerous/unhealthy things, build friendships, express feelings appropriately, plan ahead and make good choices, resist bad influences, resolve conflicts without violence, accept differences in others, and recognize the needs and feelings of others.
Empowerment: I have a sense of safety at home, at school, and in the community. I feel valued and appreciated; am included in family roles; and have responsibilities.
Family and Community Support: I feel cared for by parents, other adult relatives, friends, and other adults in the community.

What’s Next

Caring, Responsive Programming

In the coming year, we will continue to help make a difference in the lives of youth by:

Creating new opportunities to improve outcomes for youth through culturally relevant experiences and field trips and access to support services

Implementing new curriculum, including WayFinder and an Independent Living Skills workbook

Piloting a project with the University of Minnesota to support improved mental health in middle school students

Increasing one-on-one time with students and building quality connections between youth and the community

Supporting a diverse pool of caring adults, including parents and mentors, through increased access to resources and training and development opportunities

Fostering Shared Action

In the year ahead, our collaborative Youth Partnership will be forming and convening new committees connected to the three shared Partnership goals. The three committees and their corresponding goals connect to all five of the protective factors and include:

Community Youth Council Steering Committee

Every youth has access to opportunities to learn and lead

Education and Resources Committee

Every youth has the knowledge and the resources they need to thrive

Community Climate Committee

Every youth is respected, included, and seen as a valued member of the community

Financials

Our programming year runs July - June, and our fiscal year runs January - December. In order to to better demonstrate financial impact, we are reporting revenue and expenses from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023.

Our Supporters

FUNDERS

GOVERNMENT GRANTS

Minnesota Dept. of Public Safety
Youth Interventions Program

Minnesota Dept. of Education
IgniteAfterschool and ESSER

Goodhue County Health and Human Services
STAY in the Community

State of Minnesota
Education Partnerships Coalition

NATIONAL & STATE NETWORKS

RiseUp Red Wing is a member of StriveTogether, a national network of nearly 70 partnerships across 29 states and Washington, DC, working to ensure every child has every opportunity to succeed in school and in life. Together, the StriveTogether network reaches more than 14 million young people.