Ready Steady
When you’re young, falling down is usually no big deal. But falls often become much more dangerous as you get older. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in four Americans over age 65 falls every year, and about one in five of those falls causes a broken hip, concussion or other serious injury. Currently considered the leading cause of death from unintentional injuries for older adults, falling is increasingly becoming a serious public health issue.
Nourishing Youth through Kinship, Resistance, and YPAR—Friday, January 17
The University of Minnesota’s YoUthROC Youth Research Team will facilitate a half-day immersion into youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR). This event is for groups of young people with accompanying adults or others interested in learning alongside. Come ready to interact with others in an exploration of examples of YPAR that cultivate kinship and resistance.
Meet Makeda
The University of Minnesota Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC) was still years away from opening when Makeda Zulu-Gillespie began working as its community liaison in 2006. A life-long Northside resident, she has helped UROC become what it is today by forging genuine connections between the community and the University of Minnesota.
Economic Inclusion and the Promise of Cultural Districts: A UROC Critical Conversation—5 p.m. Thursday, December 5
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins, Council Members Alondra Cano and Jeremiah Ellison, and other members of the council have been working on the establishment of "cultural districts" within the city limits. Cultural districts are defined as contiguous areas with cultural and/or linguistic identity rooted in communities significantly populated by Black, Indigenous, and immigrant people of color. Join community leaders and residents in a UROC Critical Conversation discussion of the possibilities and potential of cultural districts in North Minneapolis and beyond.
Policing in Minneapolis: Northside Voices community forum—5:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 10
The public is invited to "Policing in Minneapolis: Northside Voices," a community forum on the past, present, and future of policing in North Minneapolis. The event will build off a University of Minnesota research project that examines how neighborhood residents in North Minneapolis understand policing in the wake of the Movement for Black Lives and related local organizing.
The North High Green Team
Photo: Amie Mondl (far right) works in the North High Garden with students and community volunteers.
North High 10th-grader Kyree Wilson has a full morning of classes and an afternoon science field trip, but she has one thing she needs to do in between: harvest vegetables in the school’s Growing North gardens with the North High Green Team. She is joined by Candis McKelvy, a community elder volunteering with the program.
Makeda Zulu-Gillespie named U of M UROC Executive Director
Makeda Zulu-Gillespie has been named executive director of the University of Minnesota Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC). A staff member of UROC since its inception, Zulu-Gillespie has served as UROC's first director of community outreach since 2009.
As UROC’s executive director, she will serve as the center’s chief executive with primary responsibility for securing the UROC’s success in all aspects of its work. She will provide executive oversight of UROC’s strategic planning, revenue generation, financial stewardship, organizational development, staff management, and operational activities.
A Voice for Women and Children
U Professor Rachel Hardeman works to improve birth outcomes for African American women.
UROC Community Day—3 to 7 p.m. Thursday, September 26
Celebrate North Minneapolis and the great state of Minnesota at UROC Community Day 2019. This year's event features an appearance by University of Minnesota President Joan T.A. Gabel, research demonstrations and learning ctivities, Goldy Gopher, live music, giveaways, and foods representing Minnesota's communities. The event is free and open to the public.
Rethinking Transportation
Professor Yingling Fan, a UROC resident researcher, and research fellow Frank Douma have launched a three-year study to investigate how shared autonomous vehicles may benefit the most challenged communities. Their work is one of the core components of a $1.75 million grant from the National Science Foundation entitled Leveraging Shared Autonomous Vehicles for Greater Community Health, Equity, Livability, and Prosperity (HELP).