National and Community Service programs, such as True North AmeriCorps, facilitated by the Duluth Area Family YMCA, address issues that impact Northeastern Minnesota’s citizens. While the Northland is rich in green spaces, lakes, good people, and opportunity, too many of our neighbors face obstacles that disrupt their quality of life. Children are especially vulnerable to

  In this time of “virtual communication” many adults have turned to applications like Zoom and Google Hangouts. These are great tools for holding meetings or conference calls, and are finally starting to feel a little less awkward than they did a month ago. While Zoom and Google are great, it seems that the youth

“This is what we do in Duluth. We show up for each other!” — Mayor Emily Larson On April 7, 2020 over 75 people gathered for a virtual celebration of National Service Recognition Day in Duluth. This annual event typically takes place within City Halls across the county. Due to the widespread stay-at-home orders caused

AmeriCorps members across the county are stepping up to provide relief in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. With guidance from the Corporation for National and Community Service and Serve Minnesota, we’ve been able to provide our members with a variety of opportunities to safely get involved. True North AmeriCorps Members are tackling new challenges:

True North AmeriCorps members change lives. Below, members are participating in The Brain Architecture Game. Created by Harvard Educators and facilitated locally by Superior Middle School faculty, this hands-on activity shows the impact early childhood trauma (poverty, parental instability, abuse) AND positive experiences (caring adults, emotional support, consistency) on brain development. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Laura, our True North member at the Little Y, has the youth at her site getting ready to revamp the community garden! As part of their Global Youth Service Day project, the kids have been busy planning out what vegetables they want to plant this year, taking down the old fence to build a new

What a wonderful event we had up here in the Harbor Highlands community last Friday evening, April 26. The sun was shining, the kids were all enjoying outdoor activities supplied by Duluth Parks and Recreation, and the smell of fresh baked bread filled the community center. We had visitors from Valley Youth Center, Neighborhood Youth

Noel and the youth at Congdon Elementary raised $600 for Animal Allies during their Global Youth Service event. With the financial support from K.E.Y. Zone Outdoors, they were able to purchase baked goods to sell them at a bake stand at Congdon Elementary during their after school hours for four days in a row. The

This story is written by Katie, the True North AmeriCorps Member with Duluth Community School Collaborative Myers-Wilkins. For their Global Youth Service Day project, the youth at her site decided they wanted to visit with elderly folks who do not get a lot of visitors. Enjoy this touching story about how these youth brought some

This is a story from last summer by Dani Barto, former TNAC member with Youth Outdoors-Duluth, current Program Coordinator for TNAC. Youth Outdoors-Duluth (YOD) is one of our many community partners. This organization works to remove barriers that youth face when accessing outdoor recreational opportunities. During the summer months, YOD puts on a, “Explore Series”