MHC Grantee Highlight: Civic Bridgers’ New Youth Leadership Development Program, Beyond Civics

On January 15, 2025, Civic Bridgers launched its new program, Beyond Civics, at Banyan Community located in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis. Facilitated by Jasmine Nguyen, Program Engagement Coordinator and 2024-2025 Fellow at Civic Bridgers, the Beyond Civics enrichment program trains teens to become Bridgers: community leaders who engage and solve problems across lines of difference. The project-based curriculum, led through the inquiry method, kindles curiosity, wonder, and awe as engines of learning. By the end of the program, students will have created a community engagement model–or Community Action Initiative–to address local challenges or opportunities of the students’ choosing.

Ten students joined the program, ranging from 8th-11th grade, all of whom have spent years in Banyan Community’s afterschool programs. When asked why they wanted to join Beyond Civics, many students shared their hope to become more engaged in their local community and educated about local issues such as: gun violence, human trafficking, and drugs. Additionally, Beyond Civics aligns with Banyan Community’s asset-based community development approach for young people to be leading citizens. Civic Bridgers continues to connect with community leaders across the state of Minnesota to prepare emerging leaders to bridge divides.

In the first session, students learned what it means to be a Bridger with the bridging concept of the day–pluralism! Bridgers approach community organizing with the central purpose of pluralism: a worldview that embraces multiplicity of identities, viewpoints, experiences, and values. Bridgers also uphold pluralism by observing three norms of humanity, humility, and accountability to recognize equal inherent worth of all people. Students reflected on the kinds of communities they would like to be a part of and the open, honest, understanding space they want to share together. In the second session, students reflected on what community means to them and came up with a collective definition, “a group to lean on, where everyone is valued and works together to improve life. It’s like a half-family.”

Other topics include, but are not limited to, media literacy, digital citizenship, and intercultural competency as students develop their Community Action Initiatives. As Beyond Civics programming continues, students will add to their toolbelts bridging skills to strengthen civic dialogue, navigate the veracity of media sources, build awareness of cultural identity, and much more. Most importantly, students will have fun affirming their sense of purpose and taking action.

Thank you, Minnesota Humanities Center, for your support in Civic Bridgers and Beyond Civics. Interested in bringing Beyond Civics to your school, church, organization, or youth-serving community? Contact Jill Carey (jill@civicbridgers.org) Jasmine Nguyen (jasmine@civicbridgers.org).