Re: [Mpls] Referenda / Urban Ventures

[Elizabeth Greenbaum]

So, what are you saying exactly - the YMCA, YWCA and Girl Scouts are not 
affiliated with the schools or parks and would be (and already are) 
affected by not being able to put flyers through the schools - the girl 
scouts spoke, pointing out that their numbers dropped this past fall. 
Where do you draw the line as to what is "well-known" what is allowed 
and what is not. A cheerleading organization I never heard of is allowed 
to put flyers through because they have an affiliation with the parks - 
so where does that fit. I founded and am director of a 3 year old 
nonprofit arts organization, ArtiCulture, which is based in visual arts 
education. Our mission is to "educate, enrich and nurture through the 
visual arts" - and that is exactly what we do - so much so that we teach 
all ages starting at 12 months of age and go up through adults. If we 
were not able to put flyers through the schools we would have had to 
close our doors long ago. Although we are still young and have yet to 
get more exposure, we are very proud of our reputation and have a strong 
following of students who have come here and know about us. We are 
educators. Our area of expertise is specialized, therefore, it will 
always be an uphill battle to gain the exposure and reputation of those 
larger and more generalist organizations you mentioned. In addition, we 
do artist residencies in the schools, tying arts into curriculum to 
enhance learning through math, literacy, history, self-awareness, the 
list is endless. So, where does that put us and the merriad of other 
small educational nonprofits who are going good things. One bad egg - 
and we all get affected!

You also mentioned the Boy Scouts - who, if you'll remember, are no 
longer allowed to put flyers through the schools because of their 
"hidden" agenda in relation to religion and God.

Liz Greenbaum
Longfellow
ArtiCulture - www.articulture.org
* * *

Although Minneapolis Public Schools obviously have more pressing problems, I would like to comment on the Urban Ventures issue.  The most commonsense approach for MPS to take is to allow only school-sponsored and Park Board activities to recruit students in schools.

Even when parents research their children’s activities, this is not foolproof.  How many parents expected sexual abuse when they sent their children to classes at the Children’s Theatre Company in the 1980s?  If I recall correctly, Minneapolis had a “help-keep-kids-off-drugs” program in the 1990s that was actually a front for a drug dealer.  Parents generally know what to expect when sending children to the Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts, Jewish Community Center, and YMCA/YWCA, but if an organization is neither well-known nor direct about its religious affiliation, families can be easily mislead.  Any credible organization with a religious affiliation will be honest about the matter.  Anything else may be a cult.

Roberta M. Beach
Minneapolis Ward 7, Precinct 5
 

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