Aspiring to Impact
C. H. A. N. G. E.
Community Helping Advance Nurture Growth Empower
OSKMN was conceptualized in August 2019. Together Co-Founders, Ms. LaToya and Mz. Leigh have more than 30+ years of experience engaging in female youth advocacy, empowerment and mentorship in the Saint Paul Public School sector and through out the Twin Cities. In May 2020 it became clear the direction OSKMN would go in, serving and empowering women and their families. Out of compassion and as an assignment from God, we were called to support a woman whose nine year old daughter was an eyewitness to the murder of George Floyd. She was traumatized, and her family was impacted by unemployment, homelessness and needed mental health support during the Covid19 pandemic.
Our Purpose
Empowering women by providing and offering opportunities that will encourage and develop practical life skills, self-improvement and self-esteem that are critical to the empowerment and advancement of women and women of color in underserved communities impacted by gender and racial inequalities that affect productive and healthy lifestyles for women and their families
Our Vision
- To facilitate the empowerment and advancement of women and women of color to equip and prepare them to advance in positions of management, upper management and entrepreneurship that is often hindered by gender and racial inequality.
- OSKMN will offer solutions and resources that will support a thriving ecosystem, build a stronger community of women and their families that navigate through racial, social and economic and gender inequalities.
Our Goal
- To be a connector of resources; establish a pathway to sustainability through hands on advanced learning, entrepreneurship training, self-improvement programs and internships. Our programs will be self-sustainable, consistent and achieved through our “Empowerment Management” program.
- Bring communities of women together in safe spaces to address issues and provide solutions for the poverty, mental health, food insecurities and family issues that are present on a daily basis.
OSKMN has a strong focus on breaking the cycle of poverty, encouraging educational advancement, entrepreneurship and financial literacy. The key to financial prosperity for women, women of color and their families; is to leverage education, community resources and connections that will lead to successful advancement in positions of management, upper management and entrepreneurship.
Our Sister’s Keeper (OSKMN) is very humbled and honored to have launched an Empowerment to Success program in the Twin Cities, an empowerment program based in Saint Paul created for our middle and high school aged young ladies and our 19-24 year old young women.
Words We Live By
If not us…who? If not now…when?
What happens to our young women of tomorrow when they don’t have a village of women who look like them, who have experienced similar challenges and there is little hope of leveling up? The answer for us is very clear, we have an obligation to step up to the task to inform, educate, encourage, mentor and become role models for our young women of tomorrow and our women of today.
Our Sister’s Keeper MN stands on the foundation of “To whom much is given, much is required.” WE are Our Sister’s Keeper!
OSKMN has big plans to exceed the successful 2020 season as we recruit program participants, mentors and volunteers going in to 2022.
To accomplish these goals, OSKMN has set an ambitious, but achievable, fundraising goal of raising $25,000.00 as we complete the first phase of programming and enter into the second phase of OSKMN's Young Queens in Training Empowerment to Success programming for the 2022 upcoming year.
To make our Young Queen's in Training dreams a reality, we need your support and that takes money and volunteers! Funding OSKMN's Young Queens in Training Empowerment to Success programming, will enable OSKMN to:
Implement a community outreach strategy to increase the participation in OSKMN's Young Queens in Training Empowerment to Success programming and diversify our base of participants, volunteers and mentors.
Continue to host public and virtual outreach events and strategic partnerships that will allow OSKMN to build a broader base of support for the girls’ empowerment movement in the Twin Cities areas.
Ensure OSKMN's ability to facilitate impactful workshops that are educational, recreational and empowering. Resourceful workshops that will cultivate OSKMN's Young Queens to utilize positive, self-esteem building tools.
Assist OSKMN with funding for impact trips, events, equipment and necessities the participants will require during events.
Provide OSKMN mentors and volunteers the proper training and support needed to ensure the safety and best practices for OSKMN participant