Focus Area: Youth Development

Grant Amount: $15,000

Located in Duluth. The Duluth Community School Collaborative (DCSC) provides a continuum of support from pre-K through high school to three schools in the low-income, ethnically diverse Hill community in Duluth. It is a regional leader in the movement to create full-service community schools supporting children and families holistically for life success. An important element of the collaborative is providing out-of-school time programming for struggling youth at Myers-Wilkens Elementary School.

Grant supports expanding DCSC’s Wolf Den summer and after-school program with its Howlin’ Hoops basketball program. Student surveys identified basketball as the activity that would get them most excited to participate in an after-school program. Students identified as disengaged in school will participate. Basketball will be augmented by gender and culturally appropriate activities with a variety of community partners, such as Men as Peacemakers and Girls on the Run. Additional activities include nature exploration, gardening, cooking, arts, and theater.