Love First

Rooted in decades of community organizing, mentorship and activism, Love First Community Engagement was created in 2020 by Saint Paulite, Chauntyll Allen.

Love First envisions abundant pathways and strong villages for liberated youth to grow, thrive and achieve lifelong success. We are building a school to success pipeline by dismantling barriers for youth, connecting them to community resources and creating safe, culturally centered spaces and events to cultivate joy and purpose.

Our values: 

• We believe that when Black youth are liberated, all youth will be liberated.
• We engage in trauma informed approaches 
• We support the self-directed identity and goals of young people 
• We work with a racial justice lens
• We cultivate a village response to systemic injustice

Our impact: 

• Direct support: We know that Black youth possess hidden or emerging skills and abilities that have been buried or actively undermined by the stress and trauma of being immersed in systems of structural and institutional racism. We provide direct financial assistance to disrupt poverty and displacement, specifically around food security, emergency housing assistance for the household, bus passes and IDs, and clothing and shoes. From January through October 2024, we distributed nearly $75,000 in direct financial assistance to more than 120 households. 
• Community Dinners: We believe deeply in the strength and solidarity of the village. By coming together in joy and fellowship, we can cultivate the intergenerational connections and shared knowledge we need to create lasting social change. In 2024, we debuted our Community Dinner series, a monthly convening with free food and programming for all ages. Over just 10 months, more than 500 people attended 15 community dinners, not just enjoying healthy foods from local experts and entrepreneurs, but also watching and discussing films, learning about mental health and legal rights, painting and singing karaoke and so much more! 
• Community Safety: Continuing in our founder’s footsteps, Love First recognizes that community safety work must be holistic and comprehensive, involving our ancestor’s teachings, restorative practices, healing, community response, and youth mentorship. In 2024, we hosted more than 10 pop-up engagements in outdoor spaces like UniDale Mall, offering free food, hygiene supplies, clothing and on-the-spot training in overdose prevention to more than 150 folks experiencing housing instability or chemical dependancy. 
• Glow & Grow: Glow & Grow creates intentional space for Black girls to embrace and be affirmed in their unapologetic Black brilliance, joy and resiliency. Through connection, education and healing activities, Glow & Grow builds networks among Black girls and bridges opportunities in the community for them to step into their full power and chart successful futures on their own terms. In 2024, we hosted more than 50 Black girls at our day-long Glow Up Conference and held space with dozens of girls in our monthly programming over the course of the year.  
• HBCU Tour: Unlike other programs that are focused solely on higher education, the Akoma Cohort visits HBCUs that are inclusive of scholars with lower GPAs and provides access to opportunities, cultural pride and the bond of sisterhood for Black girls who are often left behind. More than a one-time trip, this tour integrates Black history and culture, relationship building among participants and proactive support before and after the excursion to provide ongoing assistance and connection. Since 2022, we've taken more than 75 Black girls from the Twin Cities to HBCUs nationwide.
• Events: To bring joy and hope to our young people, we hold free community events focused on art, activism and healing, bringing our community together with food, music, dancing and give-aways. We partner with Black and BIPOC vendors and entrepreneurs to invest in our economic development and integrate local healers and organizations like Irreducible Grace. In 2024, we hosted more than 25 events, including our largest annual UnityFest yet — an afternoon-long celebration filled with mental health resources, free food, local performers, dancing and more. 

Testimonials:

• HBCU tour participant: “I didn’t even want to go to college, but I thought, if I do, I want to go somewhere I can be with Black people. The moment I stepped foot on the campus at Central State it felt like home. [The trip] was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
• HBCU tour participant: “I learned that there are dozens of communities and spaces for us Black girls, and we can be just as, if not more, successful than the majority. My favorite part was the experiences and meeting new people. I made tons of new friends and every day was something new and fun.”
• Glow Up conference: "What I’ll remember most is being around all Black sisters. Living in a community with nothing but whites, I felt connected and comfortable."