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Community Partners

The Department has been developing community based partnership programs in Education and Community Strengthening. It is our goal to interweave these partnerships with student learning and consciousness raising experiences about issues impacting the Latino Communities in the Twin Cities and regionally. The partnerships are a work in progress that we hope to see evolve and expand over time as we identify resources to assist us in reaching our objectives. Follow the links to our partners' web pages if you wish to learn even more about them.

Academia Cesar Chavez Charter School opened in the fall of 2001 on the East side of St. Paul. ACC serves students in kindergarten through sixth grade. The ACC school community consists of 95% Latino students, 85% of the families qualify for free and reduced lunches, 52% of our students are English language learners and an equivalent percent are new immigrants. The staff and faculty of Academia Cesar Chavez is highly committed to being a part of a developing school dedicated to a community-based, holistic approach to education through quality academics by utilizing Latino culture in an environment of "familia" and community. That mission is the foundation of Academia Cesar Chavez Charter School.

La Escuelita (Spanish for “The Little School”) was founded in 1991 as collaboration between Chicanos Latinos Unidos en Servicio (CLUES) and Minneapolis Public School (MPS) District teachers. La Escuelita was developed to meet the challenges of newly arrived Latino immigrant students in Minneapolis public schools. In 1999 La Escuelita became an independent youth development nonprofit organization and ALC provider of the Minneapolis Public Schools.

La Escuelita’s mission is, “To develop and implement strategies that increase Latino youth academic success in Minneapolis.” They offer award-winning academic enrichment and leadership opportunities for over 125 Latino youth ages 12-18 years currently enrolled in MPS each year. Program services include technology-enhanced academic assistance, one-to-one tutoring, cultural arts enrichment, leadership opportunities, college preparation, civic engagement, teen health peer programming, and education focused workshops for parents. All agency staff is bilingual and bicultural and has extensive backgrounds in working with Latino and ELL youth in an educational setting.

Edison High School Thomas Alva Edison High School was founded in 1922 and is located near the University of Minnesota campus in Northeast Minneapolis.. With a student population just under 1500, there is always something exciting happening at Edison. Bilingual support is available in Spanish, amongst other languages, and beginning fall 2006, Edison hosted the Welcome Center for all level I and II Spanish language ELL students. Student learning revolves around a team approach with ninth and tenth graders incorporated into “Integrated Houses”. Eleventh and twelfth graders choose one of five Small Learning Communities.

Centro Campesino is a membership organization that was born and exists to create positive social change with the mission to improve the lives of migrant workers and rural Latina/os and to create a strong southern Minnesota Latino/a voice. Centro Campesino was founded with the philosophy that farm workers, rural Latino/as and allies must work together to positively change institutional structures that create and maintain oppression. Centro Campesino's campaigns focus on worker justice, immigration policy reform, and health promotion. Centro Campesino also offers youth leadership training and opportunities through the Youth Organizing program. Centro Campesino's values are faith, hope, unity and justice.