Empowering U

The F. R. Bigelow Foundation has just awarded a grant to Heartland Democracy to scale up Empowering U in 2012, working with three partner groups: Twin Cities Rise!, 180 Degrees, and Unity Leadership. We will use that grant -- and other funds we raise -- to build and adapt the curriculum, train new trainers, and reach many more participants through our host and partner organizations.

Empowering U is about providing the motivation and tools to get our uninvolved neighbors into the great project of democracy in the United States -- and to do it in a way that is sustainable, that keeps them involved for years to come.

The Minneapolis Foundation made possible Heartland Democracy's first high school program for Empowering U. Empowering U works with schools, houses of worship, clubs, associations, lifelong learning classes, community forums, and more -- wherever two or more are gathered to talk about ideas and values. We have worked with nine houses of worship, several of which have invited us back for two to five programs. One student said of his Empowering U experience:

"I loved that class. It was deep and broad and outside the box. It did change me."

Another said, "It was a cool class. In this class, you get to know more about...things you don't really know about the world, and things you don't learn in other classes."

One church participant commented that it was the "best module" he had participated in through his church's adult education program "in recent years."