Minnesota Department of Health Great

Minnesota Department of Health Great

 

2. Is your organization led by people of color, American Indians, individuals with disabilities, and/or LGBTQ individuals?

• Yes, our organization has at least 51% people of color, American Indians, individuals with disabilities, and/or LGBTQ individuals in our board and leadership positions.

3. How does your organization share power with communities of color, American Indian communities, disability communities, and/or LGBTQ communities and involve them in your decision-making? *

 

Zintkala Luta is a non-profit organization serving Native people in South Minneapolis.  Its mission is to promote, protect, and preserve the D/Lakota culture and language through Training and Technical Assistance.   Zintkala Luta utilizes art and theater as a platform for cultural engagement and education. Our organization has excellent interests and a long tradition of working closely with communities of color to provide relevant, timely, and responsive approaches that increase the individual and collective capacity in Trauma-Informed Healing through the bicultural lens.

In partnership with the Encouraging Leaders and New Youth program, the organization has created a strong foundation within the community through various engagement methodologies such as social media and physical meetups. These partnerships work underneath a collaboration program called Be True to Who You Are. It involves allowing the different minority groups to express their feelings, form accountability partnerships, and pass through trauma to achieve healing and provide a support system.

The collaboration spearheads 50% American Indians and 39% LBGTQ members. Our partnership has gained a prominent role within the community, and this has been achieved by working with leaders from different subgroups. This includes community leaders from the LGBT group, American Indians, among other minority groups.  We have ensured that the various programs we have carried caters to the different groups’ needs are bought on board through their leaders and the members themselves and met according to the expectations. We assess their challenge through various forums we organize and devise solutions while amplifying their challenges to different stakeholders for their challenges to be considered.

Char:2000

4. Which community will you primarily engage through this contract (select one) *

• LGBTQ

5. Which other communities will you engage, if applicable? Applicants are not required to serve more than one community. (check all that apply)

• American Indians living off-reservation
• American Indians living within tribal boundaries

6. What is the geographic reach of your community engagement? (check all that apply) *

• Twin Cities metropolitan area

7. Where is/are your office(s) located in Minnesota (city/county)?

 

 

8. Please indicate any other relevant demographics of the target population that you will intentionally reach, if applicable. (check all that apply) *

• Low income
• Youth

9. Please describe your Tribe’s or organization’s history and experience relevant to this work, including similar work you have done in the past and how you have established trust with your community.

Zintkala Luta has a robust, proven community engagement experience that has effectively reached out to the community members. The organization serves over 2,000 individuals each year through culture and language classes, public education, community outreach, community-based collaborations, and donations to families in need. The organization’s critical track record projects include Regalia Classes conducted as Historical Arts Preservation projects in the Minneapolis area.   The organization spearheads a workshop at the NACC health facility of Minneapolis.   Zintkala Luta Regalia Workshop works with recovering adults centered on family values. It gives ACCESS to traditional arts and dance through song, regalia-making techniques to articulate historical and cultural moral story-forms in the values-based approaches on native language revitalization through a Community Engagement process. The organization is also part of the Multi-Cultural Community Alliance (MCCA), which spearheads advocacy in the community. Key partnering organizations that form MCCA include Neighborhood Youth Academy, Asian Media Access, Encouraging Leaders, and Zintkala Luta. The organizations work together in interventions focused on reducing education, economic, and health disparities among people of color (BIPOC) and other minority groups such as LGBTQ. Through school and community engagement projects, Zintkala Luta has gained trust among the youth through working with youth leaders and influencers within the community.

Char:1500

10. Describe the community engagement methods and strategies your Tribe or organization uses, including the partners, leaders, and networks you work with. *

 

Zintkala Luta majors in Community engagement using proven traditional strategies such as town hall meetings, door-to-door advocacy, and innovative visual storytelling approaches to empower the community members. In conjunction with the Encouraging Leaders (EL) and New Youth Program, the organization has been able to amplify the plight of the LGBTQ group through the Be True to Who You Are collaborative program. During this Covid 19, the LGBTQ members have experienced various challenges due to the already stigmatization in society. On the other hand, the American Indians already have few job opportunities due to education inequality. The onset of Covid 19 has led to the loss of jobs leading to depression among most family heads. Therefore, Be True to Who Are has been an avenue to foster support, accountability, and mental wellness among the LGBTQ group. Just like Zintlala Luta, the Encouraging Leaders and New Youth program have got a track record in community engagement and has worked amicably through different engagement roles.  EL has a passion for youth and human development in general. The organization has a strong foundation and trust among the community members, which has given it a cutting-edge in commanding influence and transforming lives. EL has spearheaded the Drug-Free Communities’ project. They worked closely with high schools, people of color agencies to conduct culturally sensitive Training on Trauma-Informed Healing and a social media campaign.  On the other hand, the New Youth program spearheads mental health outreach to more than 200 LGTTQ members annually.  These organizations work under different roles to spearhead the emotional support and acceptability among the LGBTQ and American Indian members.

11. Please estimate how many community members you will engage through the activities in your work plan. * (Note: please do not include duplicate contacts.)

Number engaged via one-on-one conversation (in-person, phone call, video, or text):

Number engaged via small-group conversation (in-person, phone call, video, or text):

Number engaged through other approaches, please specify:

12. Please indicate the funding amount you are requesting. (Please make sure this amount matches the total amount shown in your budget.) *

$75,000

 

 

 

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