Urban Village Inc

Connect programs: our connect programs align with our belief that connecting starts inward and then bravely grows outward into relationships that reach across divides. This includes our k'nyaw and karenni summer camps and our archive. Our youth deserve to be rooted in who they are and have opportunities to explore their cultural heritage, history, and homeland in order to understand their identity as they go out into the world as connectors and peacemakers. The urban village camp is a summer immersion experience centered on creating a safe space for knyaw youth to explore and engage the intersection of their identities as both knyaw/karenni and american youth. Lastly, our k'nyaw digital archive where karen youth set up recorded interviews with elders to preserve their stories, experiences, and wisdom for generations to come. This content is expanding, and will live on the urban village website for free access to all.

Heal programs: given the realities of violence and displacement our community has faced, we believe creating opportunities for youth to engage with and heal from past and present traumas/hurts/ injustices are necessary for a more robust and sustainable launch. This is why we offer heal programs known as asian youth outreach (ayo) and urban village outdoors. In an effort to provide a hopeful alternative for struggling youth, the urban village has partnered with members of our community to create and grow the asian youth outreach (ayo) initiative. This program recognizes and addresses the issues of gang violence, truancy, and chemical dependency by providing consistent one to one culturally relevant mentorship and group facilitation for our youth. Our second heal program is the urban village outdoors which takes place in the boundary waters and at various state parks where rock climbing is accessible. We see getting outdoors as of paramount importance for youth, fostering physical, mental, and emotionalwell-being. Ln an era dominated by digital technology and urbanization, engaging with our indigenous roots in nature provides a vital antidote to our screen-centric culture.