Our staff and partners highlight acts of courageous leadership, and opportunities for you and your community to engage in creating a vital shared future.
A block from my Frogtown home, 13 acres of vacant land once slated for high-density housing will instead become Frogtown Farm, Saint Paulʼs newest public park. Securing this new greenspace resulted from intense, concerted, community-based advocacy, which I helped to lead for the past three years. This advocacy work tapped my skills in public health, gardening and communication, allowing me to deploy decades of experience in the neighborhood that has been my home for 32 years.... more
Recently the Bush Foundation’s partnership with the South Dakota Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Dakota Resources on a regional systems engagement pilot was mentioned in the winter 2012 Dakota Resources newsletter Connections. The commentaries by President Beth Davis and Board Chair Jon Farris explained the concepts of community development and community capitals so well, we wanted to reproduce them here for you and also provide more information about the work we’re doing in partnership with these two organizations. ... more
What does it mean to be a leader? Servitude is what comes to my mind. Our Dakota traditions affirm this concept of serving the people. Leading is a form of responsibility we have to our relationships within the Dakota family and community. Sometimes this responsibility includes tough lessons as well. I’ve been afforded many opportunities to lead in my community, and for that, I’m very grateful. I’m grateful for the tough lessons, too. ... more
As a Bush Fellow, I am documenting Hmong art history. My vision is to provide a resource that will inspire, encourage and validate the experiences of young Hmong people exploring their cultural identity. At the root of this are my own experiences and those of almost every Hmong-American I have ever met who has struggled with the tensions of identifying with two different cultures at once.... more
I recently had the opportunity to attend a community gathering in Lakeville, Minnesota, convened by 360 Communities, an organization that uses community engagement to positively shape the future of communities, and InCommons, an initiative of the Bush Foundation. ... more
