Grant to expose Duluth's Black youth to different careers

DULUTH — A recording studio, a makers space and a hair salon are part of a new trades and technology program offered by a Duluth nonprofit, intended to expose Black youth to a variety of tech-driven careers.

It was made possible by by a major grant announced Monday.

Family Freedom Center, a Black-led organization critical to youth and their families in a low-income neighborhood in the center of the city, was gifted $100,000 by Duluth's Ordean Foundation.

The Freedom Center absorbed the longtime Neighborhood Youth Services last summer after its former operator closed, leaving the organization in jeopardy. The nonprofit has since worked to bolster its youth center offerings, aligning with its mission of offering community outreach and economic development opportunities that focus on building generational wealth.

Inadequate access to technology, such as broadband internet, is among the host of challenges Black and Native American youth face, said Jacob Bell, executive director of the Family Freedom Center.

Grant money, which is already at work with a creative space that includes a high-tech recording studio opening this week, "has inspired us to be bold," Bell said. "This program is big."

Called START — Skilled Trades, Arts, Robotics and Technology — the free program is launching with one full-time employee financed by a city grant. It's housed in the Washington Center, where youth services have been offered for three decades. More space and staff are necessary to run the program in its entirety, Bell said, plus help from professionals in related fields, such as filmmakers and hair stylists. Styling hair is considered an art, he said, and a space to do hair was requested by youth.

The grant stemmed from the retirement of Ordean Foundation program director Joe Everett. The foundation's board allowed him to choose a nonprofit recipient of a monetary gift for his years of service. Everett grew up in the Central Hillside neighborhood and attended all of its now-closed schools. With youth programs historically underfunded, he said, he wanted to do more for African American kids growing up in the area, especially in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.

The nonprofit is helping families build neighborhood ownership, said Don Ness, executive director of the Ordean Foundation and former mayor of Duluth.

"This project is a great outgrowth of innovation and the kind of entrepreneurial spirit" that the Freedom Center stands for, he said.

The youth center also offers meals, homework help, counseling, clothing, space to play sports and other life-building resources. Bell said he will seek additional grants to complete the program's vision.