Happy Spring! Our youth newsletter this month highlights the theme of growth and resilience, inspired by the budding spring plants, the resiliency of Minnesota's communities over the last few months, and the need for healing and care in these times.
We will share exciting program updates, tips for young people getting through challenging times, and honor Sexual Assault Awareness Month by uplifting the resiliency of sexual assault survivors.
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We are so grateful to be welcoming three Youth Content Creator Interns to our team this spring! We love having youth voices leading in our social media, newsletters, and school curriculum, so youth interns are an invaluable piece of our work. Make sure to keep up with us on Instagram and Tiktok to see what they're up to!
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Bela is a sophomore at University of Minnesota studying advertising and psychology.
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Emem-Faith is a junior at St. Catherine University who plans to study law and practice law after undergrad. She is a twin, her favorite food is attieke, and she is ambidextrous!
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| Aria is a junior at Wayzata High School who is interested in law. In her free time, she enjoys playing video games and making complex coffee drinks!
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Getting through hard times isn't easy. It can feel like things
will never get better or like you're completely alone. Resilience is a skill that helps us get through life by adapting to and withstanding challenges, and using those experiences to become even stronger going forward.
Below are some words of wisdom from a young person in our Rapid Rehousing program who has demonstrated remarkable resilience.
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"Before I came to Tubman, I was experiencing homelessness and violence all while trying to finish high school...I got pregnant when I was 17 years old by my previous partner all while trying to find a stable place to live... I was also going through physical and mental abuse. |
...[Now], my future looks bright. I plan on going back to school to become a social worker. To help prepare my daughter for the future of starting school and life! And I am very excited about our journey and what God has in store for us next. |
Keeping hope and the world in my heart helped me keep going in life even when the lines looked blurry or I didn’t know what would happen next. |
It's important for me to tell my story because there could be someone out there just like me going through the same or similar problems, thinking how life is so hard and they don’t even know where to start for it to get better. |
I would like to say to someone who needs help, keep advancing for yourself till you can find someone who can advocate with you! Don’t limit yourself, keep hope in your heart and don’t be scared to reach out for help." |
- Tubman Rapid Rehousing Participant |
By Emem-Faith, Youth Intern.
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Sexual Assault Awareness Month |
Survivor Spotlight: Chanel Miller
By Aria Naik (Youth Intern)
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. It marks a critical
time to honor survivors and advocate for a necessary change.
This year, we spotlight the vehement impact of Chanel Miller.
In January 2015, Brock Turner was accused of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman, who was referred to as “Emily Doe” by the media. Turner’s trial lasted two weeks, leading to a guilty verdict on all three counts of felony sexual assault. However, despite the blatant brutality of the offense, Turner received a mere six-month prison sentence. This lenient sentence was issued because Judge Aaron Persky cited Turner’s lack of previous criminal activity, young age, and intoxication, deeming the crime as “trivial”.
In the midst of this injustice, the survivor revealed her identity as Chanel Miller and reflected remarkable resilience. Refusing to allow her trauma to be dismissed, Miller responded with a
12-page victim impact statement which emphasized the gravity of the assault and was read by millions. Miller’s case did not just spark massive public outrage at the lenient sentence; her case led to the expulsion of Judge Aaron Persky and urged the state of California to outlaw loopholes that allowed for lenient sentences through legislation. In addition, Miller reclaimed her identity by publishing her book Know My Name, systemically shattering her anonymity.
Resilience isn’t merely about “bouncing back”; it’s also about the power to alter a private tragedy into a stimulus for public reform.
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault, you are not alone. Support is available 24/7:
● National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): Call 800-656-HOPE or visit rainn.org for confidential support and resources.
● Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Counselor.
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"I survived because I remained soft, because I listened, because I wrote. Because I huddled close to my truth, protected it like a tiny flame in a terrible storm. Hold up your head when the tears come, when you are mocked, insulted, questioned, threatened, when they tell you you are nothing, when your body is reduced to openings. The journey will be longer than you imagined, trauma will find you again and again. Do not become the ones who hurt you. Stay tender with your power. Never fight to injure, fight to uplift. Fight because you know that in this life, you deserve safety, joy, and freedom."
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SAW-Awareness
By Emem-Faith Dalamo (Youth Intern)
A post
maybe just a picture,
an infographic
slipped between ordinary things.
But it brings attention.
It demands it.
Words.
It makes me remember
what I try to bury
the innocence I once carried
stripped
away
forcibly.
It reminds me of the shame,
the disgust
that never belonged to me.
A post
with so much power
to name what happened,
to say it out loud
when I couldn’t.
A post,
simple.
Yet it holds the weight
of truth.
It reminds me
that evil exists
but so does resistance.
That what happened
did not break me,
did not rewrite
my capacity for love,
even if it reshaped
my sense of safety.
The post
it does more than reopen wounds.
It reminds me
I am loved,
seen,
valued,
respected.
It reminds me
people care.
People speak.
People fight
so silence doesn’t win.
It turns pain into awareness,
awareness into voice.
The post reminds me
evil is not forever
and the innocence
I thought I lost
still lives here,
alive,
quietly thriving.
All because
someone chose to speak.
To post.
To make it known.
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Youth Educators Celebrate SAAM in the Community |
Our Youth Educator, Nia, and Youth Community Advocacy Manager, Brandi celebrated this SAAM at Hamline University's Take Back the Night Event alongside students and our amazing community partners! The evening was filled with empowering art activities, a self defense workshop, and survivor stories. Keep up with us on Instagram to stay tuned on upcoming community events we're attending!
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Check out the winning posters from our February Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month Poster and Video Contest! |
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See below for an exciting update on our NorthStar Youth Outreach Center!
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We’re here to answer questions, provide resources, hear your ideas, give you volunteer/internship opportunities, and chat with you.
You are always invited to add to our blog posts and newsletters, and if you have something you’d like us to promote on social media, let us know!
For immediate support, call our 24/7 line at 612-825-0000.
Contact us:
- Instagram/Tiktok: @tubmanyouth
- Email: youth@tubman.org
- Youth Website: www.mydefinition.org
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