Collaborative Projects
Duluth Community School Collaborative works collaboratively with community partners on a variety of leadership teams to support youth and families in Duluth. Read here about a few of our latest collaborative projects.
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Community Co-Design
In partnership with Generations Health Care Initiatives, DCSC invited community partners to participate in a three-part co-design series led by Jess Roberts. Too often, design and decisions about important policies, practices, and programs are being made for communities most impacted instead of with them. Co-Design is not a set of tools, but a way of collaborating directly with, and investing in, community members that are most (and often disproportionately) impacted by challenges.
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Duluth Youth Program Finder
Duluth Youth Program Finder was created in the spring of 2021 to increase access to free and accessible youth programs in Duluth in partnership with the Duluth Youth Agency Coalition. It is a free resource where youth, parents, educators, youth workers, & everyone who knows a young person can find accessible after school and summer activities and programs in the Duluth area for ages 4-24.
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Education Matters Campaign
In 2020, Duluth Public Schools were forced into distance learning due to COVID. Student engagement was of the highest priority.
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Duluth Community School Collaborative leveraged our partnerships with ISD709 and the members of the Duluth Youth Agency Coalition, as well as partners in Duluth Workforce Development and Generations Health Care Initiatives, to create a campaign for re-engaging families and students in their education.
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The project resulted in four large poster designs with tear-off cards packed with contacts for additional resources, along with creation of our online Youth Program Finder tool and resources page on our website. The campaign was shared on social media and posters were placed throughout Duluth in community locations like grocery stores, gas stations, liquor stores, community centers, and schools.
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!["[Rachel] joined us as a summer site coordinator during the pandemic, and then took on the huge job](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/529566_525ed6daec3b404c81462c33ae49b461~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_49,h_49,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/529566_525ed6daec3b404c81462c33ae49b461~mv2.png)
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Duluth Youth Worker Appreciation Week
The National Afterschool Association hosts an annual Afterschool Professional Appreciation Week, which DCSC celebrated in 2021 by hosting our own Youth Worker Appreciation Week.
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Outstanding youth workers were nominated by members of the Duluth Youth Agency Coalition, and the top 5 were highlighted with profiles on our social media.
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DYAC members also voted on the most outstanding youth worker from Duluth, who was then highlighted by Ignite Afterschool, Minnesota's statewide afterschool network.
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Duluth Youth Worker Appreciation Week is a way for us to lift up not only the professionals in the field doing a great job in Duluth, but also the work itself as a profession that deserves recognition, respect, and holds value to the strength of our Duluth communities.
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If you have a youth worker you'd like to nominate, click the contact tab on the main menu and send us a message. We look forward to this annual celebration of Duluth's youth work professionals.
Community Collaborations
Duluth Community School Collaborative staff participate in a variety of collaborative teams across our community and our state. Here are a few examples of the types of work we are doing in partnership to make life better for youth and families in Duluth.
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Have a group we should know about? Click the contact tab on the menu and let us know!
We love to hear about the wonderful youth-centered collaborations happening in our city, state, and nationally.
01
Duluth Youth Agency Coalition
The Duluth Youth Agency Coalition is an inclusive and diverse partnership of youth serving agencies focused on establishing and maintaining a coordinated approach to accessible and equitable programming , sharing resources and funding, while elevating the prioritization of youth in our community.
There are currently over 40 individual members representing 25 youth-serving agencies who provide accessible resources for youth in Duluth.
DCSC Director of Programs currently chairs the Education Committee, and was asked to create a presentation on the state of out of school time programs for the Duluth Funders Collaborative in March of 2021 which can be viewed here.
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02
Together for Health
Together for Health is an innovative, collaborative approach to improving the health and well-being of the students, families, and community members in Duluth’s three Full Service Community Schools — Myers-Wilkins Elementary School, Lincoln Park Middle School and Denfeld High School.
The work builds on the strengths and diversity of the schools and neighborhoods, health care and mental health providers, public health, and local community agencies.
Generations Health Care Initiatives, in partnership with Duluth Community School Collaborative, convenes a Leadership Team committed to sharing resources and expertise to address needs and develop broad prevention and wellness initiatives.
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Community Resource Hub
Leadership Team
In partnership with Duluth Early Childhood Education and the Northland Foundation, DCSC supports the Community Resource HUB navigator project. This project connects organizations and individuals who work with families of young children to ensure they have access to the benefits and services available to them.
Community School Coordinators are able to assist families of young children, including teen parents, in navigating the Bridge to Benefits and Help Me Connect networks to find resources.
DCSC staff are also connected to a wider network of providers who support young children and their families to ensure additional relationships are built and bridged for families who are looking for resources.
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Every Child Ready Duluth
The Every Child Ready Duluth initiative is collaborating with community partners and developing a coalition to help bridge the gaps in school readiness throughout Duluth. The collective planning process has involved organizations, individuals, and businesses already working to educate, care for, and support young children in Duluth. There are four Action Teams: 1. Ready Community, 2. Ready Education System and Early Childhood Educators, 3. Ready Families and Caregivers, and 4. Ready Child.
