Blog

Welcome to our blog! Here you can expect to find posts about current grant opportunities, job openings, staff perspective pieces, and youth-created digital stories and podcasts. Enjoy!

Announcing the Second Round of COVID-19 Response Fund Grantees!

Published on July 8, 2020 9:10 pm | Written by Maya Beck

Learn more about our grantees!

COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund Round 2 has Now Opened

Published on June 10, 2020 8:16 pm | Written by Maya Beck

To address the intersectionality of COVID-19 and systemic racism, Youthprise has focused the second round of the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund on African American youth-serving organizations statewide.

Dada, What Color Was George?

Published on June 10, 2020 5:03 pm | Written by Maya Beck

While getting ready to leave our Saint Paul home, I wanted to prepare my six-year-old daughter for what we would encounter. I told her people are really upset. Things...

Covid19 Response Update: Youthprise’s Response and Aid during Covid19

Published on May 7, 2020 12:18 am | Written by Maya Beck

Youthprise has been quickly pivoting our work to support the needs of those most impacted by COVID-19.

Covid19 Response Update: Office Closure Extension and Current Priorities

Published on March 30, 2020 8:58 pm | Written by Maya Beck

Youthprise’s goal during this unprecedented time is to center youth from indigenous, low-income and racially diverse communities.

Youthprise is Modifying our Practices to Aid in the Efforts to Support Public Health during COVID-19

Published on March 12, 2020 9:29 pm | Written by Maya Beck

Youthprise will be working remotely until further notice, and our office will be closed.

Partner Profile: Meet Saint Paul Urban Tennis!

Published on March 12, 2020 6:29 pm | Written by Maya Beck

For over 25 years, Saint Paul Urban Tennis has been using tennis to provide structured opportunities for youth to learn, grow, have fun, and develop leadership, employment, and athletic...

Partner Profile: Palace Community Center!

Published on March 11, 2020 5:44 pm | Written by Maya Beck

Palace Community Center is one of the largest recreational centers in Saint Paul.

Partner Profile: Meet Navigate MN/Unidos MN!

Published on March 10, 2020 3:08 am | Written by Maya Beck

Navigate builds power for gender, racial, and economic justice.

Partner Profile: Meet the Children’s Defense Fund’s Freedom School!

Published on March 9, 2020 3:58 pm | Written by Maya Beck

The Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools provides comprehensive, culturally-relevant enrichment.

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19 hours ago

Working MN High School Students Need and Deserve the Money They’ve Earned

Thousands of #Minnesota high school students have lost their jobs because of #COVID19, but a 1939 law means they don't qualify for #unemploymentinsurance. Contact your legislators and urge the #mnleg to pass a temporary fix this special session: bit.ly/3fr3zek

It's hard to believe that in July 2020—more than 80 years after the law was passed—we are having this conversation. Minnesota legislators have an opportunity this week when the special session convenes to provide these students with the money they’ve earned.

Lawmakers from both parties are working on a temporary fix that would make high school students ages 16+ eligible for the same unemployment assistance a non-student worker in the same job would receive. These are youth who have been part of the workforce and whose employers have already been paying into the system for them.

Many think of high school jobs as a source of “pocket change” for going to the mall or hanging out with friends. This perspective overlooks the very real inequities faced by the working poor and lower-income folks across our state. The reality is that many Minnesota high school students rely on these wages to support basic needs like food, rent, and utilities and are a vital part of their family’s household income. Access to unemployment benefits is about survival for everyone, not just those no longer in high school.

Here are just a few of the stories of young people impacted by this unequal law:

Carlos is an 18-year-old student who suffers from myelogenous leukemia. He depends on daily chemotherapy treatments to keep him alive and well. Because he lost his job and doesn’t qualify for unemployment benefits, he currently can’t afford the medication.

Walter is 17-years-old and worked for several years at a carwash before being laid off because of COVID-19. He used the money he earned to support several family members including his mother, younger brother, and aunt.

Kasey is one of the many high school students from Greater Minnesota who lost her job because of the pandemic. She used her wages to help her family pay the bills while trying to save some for college. Now, she’s left with no income because she was denied unemployment insurance.

Cole, an 18-year-old, applied for unemployment benefits before graduating from high school and initially received a check for $3,700, which he promptly used to pay for bills that were due. When the state discovered he was still a student at the time, they sent him a letter demanding the money back.
If these students lived in nearly every other state, including Iowa, North Dakota, and Wisconsin, they would be eligible for either state or federal benefits. Minnesota’s law is especially punitive because it not only makes high school students ineligible for state unemployment benefits, but the Department of Employment and Economic Development has ruled that it also prevents high school students from receiving federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA).

If these students lived in nearly every other state, including Iowa, North Dakota, and Wisconsin, they would be eligible for either state or federal benefits.

An inspiring group of youth behind the Don’t Forget Us Campaign have been leading the advocacy effort on this issue from the very start. This week, legislators have an opportunity to come together and provide equal treatment for the many enterprising high school students in our state who have lost their jobs because of a global pandemic. These students have been waiting for months—it’s time to give them the benefits they’ve earned.

You can help by going here: docs.google.com/document/d/1VqE7nqVRykDT3Bkf7C3uD2DYLRUu7ZBxtHnJBSLqXPg/edit and contacting your local legislators. Urge our leaders to take action and stand up for youth and all Minnesota’s families!

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