Community Engagement Program (CEP): serves 10,000+ individuals working to build power within our community and with other African immigrant communities. We also work to connect community members to resources they need to meet their basic needs.

Current Initiatives

1. Partnering with the Hennepin County and Department of Health to conduct COVID-19 outreach, education, PPE distribution, as well as testing and vaccination events

2. Partnering with City of Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center to provide entry level healthcare career training to 90+ members that lost jobs during the pandemic.

3. Partnering with the city of Brooklyn Center in the planning work for the city in ensuring that our community helps shape real estate development projects being planned.

4. Renovation of an expanded Liberian Community Center located in the same building as the existing OLM offices. This work includes space reconfiguration to maximize the use of the space for OLM activities as well as for the space to be used by community for gatherings

5. Technology hardware and software upgrades for both the office staff and volunteers as well as for a soon to be launched community computer lab

6. Partnering with others as Project HOPE that is advocating for housing assistance through our work with Community Mediation and Restorative Services (CMRS). Project HOPE, secure needed funding and technical assistance that allows small BIPOC and immigrant organizations to support their community in accessing housing assistance at Hennepin County.

7. Work with others in the city of Brooklyn Center as part of the Brooklyn Center Multicultural Advisory Committee (MAC) that advises and influences police practices, particularly as they relate to racial disparities and service gaps, as well as to support the building of relationships between community members and the department. This work is important changing the nature of contact with police for a community whose experience with the police is negative based on experiences in Liberian as well as what we see in media in MN

8. Partner with the city of Brooklyn Center on the Opportunity Site Taskforce that advises on the work to develop for mixed use a site in Brooklyn Center. This work will shape the future of Brooklyn Center’s largest project 80 acre mixed use development near Shingle Creek.

9. A member of the West African HIV AIDS Taskforce – that brings together multiple organizations from the West African immigrant communities represents in MN including Liberia, Ghana, Cameroon, Sierra Leone etc, to educate community members about HIV and how to stay safe as well as advocate for funding to do the work to end HIV among the West African immigrants. This taskforce was able to secure $100K in funding from the federal government for HIV outreach work in the West African community.

10. A member of the Minnesota African Coalition that works to build capacity and create economic power among African-owned businesses and African-led nonprofit organizations. This work led to the realignment of grant funding criteria to ensure Immigrant small business owners can get access to funding.

 

Recent Initiative (completed in the last 2 years)

1. Voter/civic engagement in the last four election cycles including a 2020 project funded by Hennepin County that provided education and assistance to 3000+ people.

2. Conducting monthly food distribution serving 250 families/month funded by Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center, and Hennepin County

3. Providing housing navigation and application assistance, connecting members to rental/mortgage assistance.

4. Purchase of two additional suites for an expanded Liberian Community Center located in the same building as the existing OLM offices.

 

Past Initiatives (completed in the last 3-5 years)

• Engaging community members and stakeholders in response to the Ebola crisis.

• Advocating (with other partners) for a path to citizenship for Liberians on Temporary Protective Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED).