We IMPACT!

We IMPACT! Mission & Vision

We IMPACT! solves problems, improves communities, and inspires hope. Through secular and spiritual programming, our bold four-fold vision is to:

• Eradicate generational poverty through education
• Empower individuals through financial literacy, economic dignity and entrepreneurism
• Encourage healthy lifestyles
• Eliminate recidivism

For the past several years, we have quietly been working in each of these fields to deepen our understanding of community needs, refine problem-solving strategies, assess the keys to successful implementation and results, reinforce relevant partnerships, grow our presence, and share our success stories.  We are excited to take our programming to scale and continue contributing to the betterment of our community

We IMPACT! Programs

Eradicating generational poverty through education:

• College Crew leadership development and college readiness program for African-American and Latino 7th -12th graders
  1. Meets every other Saturday during the school-year in Home Groups
  2. College Crew alumni and Page Education Foundation scholars (current college students of color) serve as mentors
  3. “Scholarship Academy” supports 10th-12th graders in creating personal plans on how to go to college with minimal or no debt
  4. “Say It!: Find Your Voice & Tell Your Story” writing workshop 
  5. Evaluated by a certified Youth Program Quality Assessment (YPQA) External Assessor in 4/2018
• INNOVATE 2 ELEVATE Summer Institute & School-Year Coding Camps
  1. One and two week-long intensive on increasing economic dignity through financial literacy, social entrepreneurism, and S.T.E.M. innovation in collaboration with the [YU?] Initiative and HOPE Community
  2. School-year computer coding mini-camps including a five-week Young Men of Color Coding Camp in collaboration with the [YU?] Initiative and HOPE Community
• IMAGINE IMPACT Urban Youth Leadership Public Forums
  1. “Innovate 2 Elevate” Forum focused on economic dignity through financial literacy, entrepreneurism, and S.T.E.M. innovation with internationally-known, John Hope Bryant, Author & Founder of Operation Hope
  2. “No More Drop Outs” Forum focused on reducing the high school drop-out rates for MN youth of color with national recording artist/ youth pastor, JSON, a former high school drop-out. 

Empowering individuals through financial literacy, economic dignity & entrepreneurship:

• Banking on Our Future economic dignity through financial literacy training
• Collaborative partnerships and educational events with Thrivent Financial, Federal Reserve Bank, and MN Private Colleges Fund 

 Encouraging healthy lifestyles:

• Annual RUN YOUR RACE Scholarship 5K Walk/Run for College Crew graduates at Bde Maka Ska (formerly known as Lake Calhoun)

 Eliminating recidivism:

• Welcome Home returning citizens prison reentry ministry 
• We Work felony-friendly employment partnerships

We IMPACT! Community Partners/Sponsors/Collaborators

We have had numerous local and national partners, sponsors and collaborators to date including, but not limited to, the following:
 Annie E. Casey Foundation, Appetite for Change, Birchwood, Blue1647 (Chicago), DeVos Urban Leadership Institute (Michigan), Goodwill Easter Seals, Graves Foundation, Hennepin County Community Corrections, Hope Community, JADT Group, Kitty Anderson Youth Science Center (KAYSC), North Central University, Operation Hope (Atlanta), Page Education Foundation, Minneapolis Public Schools’ Office for Black Male Achievement, MN Department of Corrections, MN Office of Higher Education, MN Private Colleges Fund, IMAGINE Print Solutions, Running Room, Science Museum of Minnesota, Thrivent Financial, U Care, University of Minnesota Office of Business and Community Economic Development, Why You Initiative [YU?], Youthprise 

For more information about We IMPACT!, please go to www.impactors.org  or contact:

Jessica Lynn Jackson, J.D.

Executive Director

We IMPACT!

3620 East 26th Street

Minneapolis, MN 55406

jljackson@impactors.org