Students react to receiving Act Six 2022 college scholarships

Our big goal is to send every child in our neighborhood to college or another form of postsecondary education. One of the greatest barriers to a college education is cost. Through the Act Six program, students receive full-need, full-tuition scholarships to one of our six parter colleges and universities.

One of the highlights of our year is sharing the news with applicants that they have emerged from hundreds of applicants to become one of the 50+ scholars chosen to receive the scholarship. The Act Six scholarship is a full-need, full-tuition scholarship made possible through incredible partnerships at Augsburg University, Bethany Lutheran College, Bethel University, Concordia College, North Central University, and University of Northwestern - St. Paul.

In addition to financial support, each of these young leaders will receive leadership development training and academic support through Urban Ventures during their college career. It is a crucial step in our cradle-to-career pipeline.

You make moments like this possible when you donate to Urban Ventures.

The Passing of Colin Powell

Gen. Powell at the opening of the Colin Powell Youth Leadership Center in 2007.

Urban Ventures joins the nation in mourning the death of Colin Powell. Gen. Powell was the nation’s first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and secretary of state. More than that, Colin Powell remained a friend of our South Minneapolis neighborhood for the last fifteen years.

The Colin Powell Center is the central hub of Urban Ventures’ work in the city, as well as home to the Cristo Rey Jesuit High School. Opened in 2007, the building has become a mainstay at the intersection of Lake and 4th Avenue and provided a home base for the important work of supporting local kids as they work towards a better future.

The cause was close to Gen. Powell’s heart. He often described himself as “a Black kid of no early promise from an immigrant family of limited means.” In 1997 he founded America’s Promise, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting at-risk youth.

That commitment to supporting the underserved made Colin Powell a perfect namesake for the new center in South Minneapolis. In 2000, Gen. Powell agreed to lend his name to the building, saying, “I’ve received lots of awards and medals in the course of my career. But what could be a better award — a better recognition — than to have your name on a place where young people will be educated and get ready to be leaders in the future?”

Colin Powell remained a supporter and advocate for Urban Ventures’ work in Minneapolis. In one of his numerous visits to the Colin Powell Center he remarked, "The major challenge we have in the twenty-first century is to make sure that every child is pointed in the right direction and given the character and competence they need to be successful in life. It begins in places like this where children come and see adults who are caring about them, and believe in them, and who give them what they need to be successful in life."

Urban Ventures is grateful for the legacy of Gen. Colin Powell. Not only as a public figure and leader in our nation, but as an example of the great heights we believe each of our local youth are capable of no matter the challenging circumstances of their childhood.

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If you wish to continue the legacy of Colin Powell’s work in South Minneapolis, you can make a donation in Gen. Powell’s memory.

Great Gains at Summer Ventures

Each summer, Urban Ventures provides daily programming for local students. The days are a mix of academic support, concentrated literacy initiatives, and various enrichment field trips.

The program is designed to fight against the “summer slide,” where students academically regress during the summer months, losing gains they’ve made during the school year. This year the program was more important than ever. Studies are showing that the Covid-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected students of color and  increased the achievement gap1.

Summer Ventures included a special focus on literacy training. Improved reading ability raises overall academic performance. Every subject in school requires reading, so when students are better at reading comprehension it removes barriers to becoming better at every other subject as well.

We are very happy to report that every student improved their reading scores over the summer. Not only did they avoid the summer slide, but they made gains over the summer break and will be better prepared as they head to the classroom this fall, and less likely to fall behind.

Students also participated in an at-home “read-a-thon” where they were encouraged to read in the evenings with family. Students tracked their time, racking up 46,267 minutes of on-their-own reading! That’s over 12 hours of reading per kid!

Beyond academic support, students also had the opportunity to choose from different electives. Activities included robotics with Create MPLS in our new Innovation Center, pottery at Northern Clay Center, tennis with Inner City Tennis, watersports with Inner City Surf, and trips to Mall of America, Valleyfair, the 3M Open, and Twins games. We’re grateful for the many partners who made the enrichment activities possible.

It was a great combination of work and play, and we’re eager to see how our students do this fall as they return to the classroom. We logged over 15,000 interaction hours with our Summer Ventures students. With 100% making academic gains over the summer, it was well worth it. And it wouldn’t be possible without donors and volunteers, people like you, who continue to support, encourage, and selflessly give to the people in our neighborhood. Thank you!

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Work like this is only possible through donations from people like you. Make a donation today to keep programs like Summer Ventures going.

Statement Regarding Shooting Incident Near Urban Ventures

Yesterday evening (May 24) there was a shooting incident near the Urban Ventures soccer fields during soccer practice. While thankfully no players were hurt, one of our beloved coaches suffered a minor injury from a stray bullet. We are grateful that his injury did not require further medical attention.

The shooting took place on the corner of 5th Avenue and 29th Street. Two vehicles stopped near each other and exchanged gunfire. Coaches worked to quickly encourage students to seek cover. Some of the shooters ran away on foot while others drove away. The police arrived and are investigating the shooting. Urban Ventures has provided security footage and will work to help the investigation in any way possible.

Although this incident did not take place on Urban Ventures property—nor were UVA programs targeted—it is nonetheless a terrifying incident that was far too close to our students.

Due to the traumatic nature of this event, we have cancelled all soccer activities for Tuesday, May 25. On Wednesday, May 26 at 6pm, we are inviting soccer players and their families to meet in the Colin Powell Center auditorium to discuss this incident. In addition to the coaching staff and members of the Urban Ventures management team, we are working to have trauma counselors and members of the Minneapolis Police Department on hand to meet with players and parents.

As we remember the life of George Floyd, exactly one year after his life was taken in such a horrific way, I am reminded of how strong and resilient this community is—and how, even in the most difficult times, we support each other.

We will remain steadfast in our efforts to protect children when participating in Urban Ventures programming.

We thank God that nobody was seriously injured tonight, and we hope you will join us in praying for lasting peace in our city.

Sincerely,

Dave Hawn
President & CEO

Students react to becoming Act Six 2021 scholarship recipients

Our big goal is to send every child in our neighborhood to college or another form of postsecondary education. One of the greatest barriers to a college education is cost. Through the Act Six program, students receive full-need, full-tuition scholarships to one of our six parter colleges and universities.

One of the highlights of our year is sharing the news with applicants that they have emerged from hundreds of applicants to become one of the 50+ scholars chosen to receive the scholarship.

In addition to financial support, each of these young leaders will receive leadership development training and academic support through Urban Ventures during their college career. It is a crucial step in our cradle-to-career pipeline.

You make moments like this possible when you donate to Urban Ventures.