The Northfield Healthy Community Initiative (HCI) Board recently approved mini-grants to support five projects and activities designed to benefit Northfield youth. Funded applicants included:
•The Northfield High School for the 10th Grade Career Fair. The high school will host a career fair for all 10th grade students, giving them an opportunity to explore career interests and make connections with adult community members. At the career fair, community members will speak to students about their careers and answer any questions that the students may have. Juniors and seniors from the high school will be involved with the planning and implementation of the career fair. The event follows a “Career Opportunities” lesson taught in all 10th grade classrooms.
•Northfield Area Learning Center students for the BWCAW Experience. A group of students at the Northfield Area Learning Center (ALC) is planning a trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. They are working to raise the money needed to outfit themselves and two chaperones for the experience, which is planned for mid-June. The trip offers outdoor experiences for youth who have never had them before and provides a place to talk about the life choices and challenges each student faces.
•Northfield Middle School TORCH for Celebrate Success. The middle school TORCH (Tackling Obstacles and Raising College Hopes) program is planning a celebratory gathering for all middle school TORCH students who make the honor roll (earn a 2.6 GPA or greater) at the end of each of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters. Each event would be held at the Northfield Middle School, where qualifying TORCH students will enjoy a pizza party and a movie. Middle school administrators will be invited to these events.
•Vayu Maini Rekdal, freshman at Carleton College. Rekdal and fellow members of the Carleton cooking club, FireBellies, will be giving cooking lessons to students of the Northfield Middle School Youth Center. Carleton students will teach basic cooking skills, sustainability, and nutrition, while promoting an understanding of different cultures and cuisines.
•Jennifer Lompart, teacher at Northfield High School. Ms. Lompart will host a celebratory gathering for all English as Second Language (ESL) students who have achieved good grades in all of their classes at the end of each of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters. At each event, students and their parents will gather to eat, visit, and watch a movie.
*************************************************
HCI offers mini-grants to projects and activities that:
- provide the opportunity for young people to develop positive intergenerational relationships with caring adults and/or
- connect Northfield youth with their communities (ex. neighborhood, school, wider Northfield)
Applications are reviewed monthly and are due by the second Monday of the month. Visit www.northfieldhci.org/mini-grants for more information and to access the easy-to-complete application.
Funding for the HCI mini-grants comes from the Northfield Area United Way, Women In Northfield Giving Support (WINGS), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
.
