My First Recession

I recently heard about MPR's "My First Recession," project and received a request (below) to help expand outreach to the younger demographic. As they tell it, "For young people, recessions can be formative experiences, marking them for the rest of their lives. As part of a special project, MPR News' Public Insight Network partnered with the Neighborhood House and local artists to help teens tell the stories of their first recession." Explore the project online and feel free to contribute or pass it along to your fellow Minnesotans!

I’m writing today because we just launched a project called My First Recession.

The goal was to give kids a creative outlet for expressing the toll of the recession in their lives -- and to use the teens' stories as a catalyst for a deeper conversation about how recessions shape our lives.

As someone who works with teens, you are in a unique position to help us gather more stories from teenagers to feature on our website.

We’ve created this form that kids 13 and older can use to share their experiences with us: http://tinyurl.com/teenstories

We’d really appreciate if you could help get this in the hands of as many teens as possible, and encourage them to participate. Stories can be submitted as short essays, songs, videos or in any format of their choosing.

With your help, we can give kids a creative outlet for expressing what’s happening in their lives and to see that they’re part of a larger story.

Please feel free to call or email with any questions. I look forward to hearing from you and to hearing the teens’ stories.

Many thanks,
Molly Bloom
Analyst, Public Insight Journalism
Minnesota Public Radio News
mbloom@mpr.org // 651-290-1370

Blue Zones: Minnesota Edition

A native Minnesotan, Dan Buettner wrote about Blue Zones for National Geographic in 2005, which is his term for "the regions on Earth with the longest life expectancy, disability-free life expectancy or concentration of persons over 100." Buettner published, "The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest," in 2008 and has since received funding from United Health Foundation to launch the AARP/Blue Zones Vitality Project in Albert Lea, Minnesota.

I heard Dan speak in May 2008 about his research of centenarians (people aged 100+) who not only live long lives, but more notably, live these long lives in good health. What he proposed is that while the typical recommendations to eat well and exercise play a part in a healthy living, lifestyle and culture are also key. Numbered below, from bottom to top, from left to right, this pyramid composes the Power 9.

1. Right Tribe (developing a health-conscious and supportive network)
2. Belong (religious community allows for faith and help in times of need)
3. Loved ones first (benefits of living near multiple generations of family)
4. "Hara hachi Bu" (stop eating when you're 80% full, as the Japanese do)
5. Plant Slant (more veggies, less protein and processed foods)
6. Wine@5 (a glass of wine a day with antioxidants is good for your heart)
7. Purpose or "ikigai" (know your purpose in life)
8. Downshift (prayer and meditation)
9. Move naturally (find ways to move mindlessly throughout the day as part of life)

1-3 are about connecting, 4-6 are about eating wisely, 7-8 are about the right outlook, and 9 is about moving naturally. These findings about the lifestyle, diet, and culture of centenarians may seem simple but can have a lasting impact: "The average American could live up to 12 more good years by putting these habits to work."

While we won't know the results of the Vitality Project in Albert Lea until October 13, 2009, there's no time for Millennials to waste in incorporating some of these tips and working on shaping a more supportive local culture. While we're far from being centenarians, we've got a lot of change to make and we'll need those additional 12 years to get things done around here!

Collaborations making work smarter, not harder

Volunteers have become ever more important as struggling nonprofits in a troubled economy experience mounting pressure to provide resources and services. Despite the trying economic times and the first decline in charitable giving in 20 years, the Volunteering in America report finds that rates of volunteerism continue to hold steady from 2007 rates.

As a Co-Chair of the Steering Committee of the Nonprofit Network in Dakota County (NNDC), I'm excited to share that our network is facing the challenge of diminished resources despite greater need by banding together to work smarter, not harder. A project of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, the network formally known as the "Dakota County Social Leaders Action Network," has transcended its initial goals of engaging nonprofit board members to become a coalition of collaborative local organizations.

The Nonprofit Network in Dakota County has promoted partnerships amongst our member nonprofits since the beginning. In 2007, on National Make a Difference Day, three nonprofit groups co-hosted the first-ever "Birthday Bag Blitz" to assemble Cheerful Givers birthday gift bags for less fortunate children. In doing so, mentors and mentees from Kids 'n Kinship were able to share a common volunteer experience as well as hear from Smoke-Free Dakota about the new statewide smoke-free workplace law.

Other Nonprofit Network groups joined together to host a series of 5 Emergency Preparedness workshops in Spring 2007. Individual nonprofits walked away with individual emergency plans as well as the opportunity to discuss with other community institutions how to coordinate their distinct roles in times of crisis.

In August 2008, the Nonprofit Network recognized and thanked the county’s many volunteers at the first “Honoring Volunteers Day” at the Dakota County Fair in Farmington. Rather than require individual organizations to pay booth fees and staff their tables for 12 hours a day for a full week, Honoring Volunteers Day allows for nonprofits to recognize their volunteers and recruit new supporters in one afternoon! This year's Honoring Volunteers Day is slated for Sunday, August 16, 2009 from 1:00PM-4:00PM at the Dakota County Fair. Stop by to learn about nonprofits across the county, participate in speed-volunteering opportunities, and be recognized for your own volunteering efforts in our community!

Social media for social good, with a side of bacon

This Friday marks Social Media Breakfast - Minneapolis/St. Paul #17. Social Media Breakfast, with local chapters across the nation, is a networking and learning opportunity for local social media users to talk about using social media and social networking tools in their business or careers. The July 2009 #SMBMSP topic is, "Nonprofits & Social Media," and I will be speaking on a panel with several other folks who work in Minnesota's nonprofit sector. Our conversation will run the gamut on a wide variety of issues stemming from our use of social media for organizational outreach, fundraising, and communications.

Unfortunately, SMBMSP 17 sold out within an hour after it was announced (there are a lot of do-gooders in the Twin Cities, as my last post evinces). Those who can't join us in person can follow our video stream: http://www.livestream.com/smbmsp on Friday morning from 8:00AM-10:00AM. You can also check out our panelists' podcast, recorded late last week, to provide a brief glimpse into our upcoming conversation. Hope to see you there or get your feedback here!

Nonprofits & Social Media
Nonprofits and social media have been a popular discussion topic recently. Mashable launched the The Summer of Social Good in June, an online charitable campaign to raise funds online through the power of Social Media and the Internet. Groups like Social Media for Social Change (SM4SC) been created around this concept and coordinates fundraisers around the US. The first Social Good Conference will be held in New York this August focusing on the topic of “Social Media for Social Good.”

What are local nonprofits doing to harness the power of social media? Has it helped to increase awareness, funds, volunteerism? What role does it play now and in the future? Join us and our panel to explore these issues and more.

Moderator:
Meg Canada, Senior Librarian, Hennepin County Library

Panel:
Sarah Burt
Systems Administrator, Office of Congressman Ellison

Lindsi Gish
E-communications marketing manager, Second Harvest

Dania Toscano Miwa
Development associate, Great Plains Institute

Ashley Schweitzer
Marketing Coordinator, Nonprofits Assistance Fund

Diane Tran
Staff Consultant, Catalyst

Twin Cities ranked #1 for volunteerism!

The Corporation for National and Community Service released their annual Volunteering in America report today, which highlights Minneapolis-St. Paul as the number one ranked large metro area for volunteerism in the country. The state of Minnesota ranks 3rd in the country with 38.4% of residents volunteering, for a total of 1.6 million volunteers giving 169.7 million hours of service this past year. Most Minnesotans volunteered with religious organizations (34.1%), followed by educational institutions (26.3%) and social services (13.5%). Of particular interest to @MinnesotaRising, Minnesota ranked 4th in the nation for volunteerism amongst both Baby Boomers and the Millennial generation. However, Minnesota Baby Boomers volunteered at a rate of 42.9% in the past year, whereas only 29.6% of Minnesota Millennials volunteered. The National Conference on Citizenship highlights these two special generations for their potential for civic participation, given their sheer sizes (77 million Baby Boomers and 82 million Millennials nationwide) and their current statuses in life stages suited to high levels of civic engagement. Their 2008 Civic Health Index: Beyond the Vote finds:

"Compared to the Baby Boomers when they were young adults, Millennials are somewhat more likely to volunteer. They are less likely to vote and to participate in face- to-face civil society, as reflected by questions about attending meetings, belonging to groups, and attending religious services. Declines in face-to-face engagement occurred before the widespread use of the Internet; but clearly, today’s youth have new opportunities for online interaction. Overall, if we compare Millennials to previous generations when they were young, the Millennials appear more engaged than Generation X and engaged in different ways from the Boomers."

Minnesota has a rich history of civic engagement and innovation that continues to thrive today, thanks in large part to long-standing community organizations like the Citizens League and the League of Women Voters of Minnesota. As Minnesotans continue to build on this impressive legacy by engaging all generations in supporting our statewide community, the true measure of success will be an educated workface, vibrant economy, and engaged citizenry in the years to come.