Virtual Tour

May…….2:35 p.m……..high school is out for the day ….. buses and cars are headed to the Mosaic Youth Center.  It's a beautiful May day, full of sunshine and warmth. Sunshine gleams down through the vaulted ceilings of the Mosaic Youth Center entryway, bouncing off the mosaic tiles on the floor, creating a "box of color" which welcomes our soon-to-be adult citizens into their own "laboratory for growth" into adulthood. 

As the buses and cars enter the parking lot of the Mosaic Youth Center, the youth are full of excitement about finishing the school year and fulfilling their summer dreams.  As we watch the youth enter the center, we are pleased with the diverse youth that are coming together under one roof, learning from each other and accepting each other. 

As we move through the Mosaic Youth Center, the first room we enter is the "expressive art" room.  Youth are creating various forms of art -- from sculptures to jewelry to greeting cards -- all for distribution in the northwest suburbs for just a small donation to the Center.  Artists in Residency, on loan from the University of Minnesota, are supervising youth in this room.

The next room we enter is the wireless computer room.  Here youth are finishing their finals, searching the Internet for college loans and scholarships and learning about various career options.  One section of the lab is set aside for post secondary schooling options and school-to-work options.  This room is staffed by two school/career counselors funded in part by Robbinsdale School District Perkins funds and in part by funds raised by the youth.  Also on staff is a workforce development specialist, provided in partnership with the Brooklyn Park Workforce Center.  In addition, there are many volunteers who assist students in the computer lab of the Mosaic.  As we view another section of the lab, we find a Rotary foreign exchange student sending email to his family in Russia.  Sitting next to the foreign exchange student, we see a young teenage mom sending an email to her out-of-state grandparents and attaching the latest digital photos of her baby for her grandparents to enjoy.  The grandparents are her only available relatives to share her bundle of joy with. Next to the teenage mom, we see a junior from Armstrong High School designing a web page for skateboarders, identifying local parks and listing bus routes and fees for each park.  This student has been asked to serve an externship with a local indoor skate park to change the image of skateboarders in the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis. 

Adjacent to the computer lab, we see youth studying in the study hubs, catching up on that last-minute assignment and preparing for finals.  The walls of the study hubs are decorated with youth magazines and newspapers, all on loan from the Hennepin County Libraries.  In one area of the study hubs, youth can access kiosks that hold the latest and greatest youth happenings in the surrounding Twin Cities.  This "What's Up" information is all updated by youth in our community.  Also available to youth through the kiosks is self-assessment and self-help information for concerns they may be having or experiencing.  One youth may wish to find out if he has a chemical addiction.  Another youth may wish to find out how to help a friend who seems chronically depressed -- "How do I help my friend?"  Another youth checks in on eating disorders and yet another on the facts and fiction about tattoos. 

We exit the study hub and enter the Mosaic’s state-of-the-art conference room.  Here we have the spacious room divided in half for multiple use this afternoon.  In one half of the room, we see youth participating in a free financial forum being put on by Citizens State Bank.  In a previous poll of youth, many expressed interest in learning more about opening a checking account as well as saving for college, a car, a home and even retirement!  Today's forum is the first in a series of five about financial stability and responsibility.  The topic for today is checking accounts, credit ratings and budgeting.  The room is packed.

In the other half of the divided conference room, we see a diverse group of youth and adults working together.  As we listen more carefully, we discover it is the "municipal celebration task force" identifying ways youth can become involved in the seven municipal celebrations within Robbinsdale Area Schools.  Representatives from the local Lions clubs, Kiawanis clubs, Rotary clubs, Elks clubs and Parks & Recreation representatives are working side by side with youth interested in promoting positive youth involvement in the celebrations this summer.

As we exit the conference room, there is a receptionist who is speaking with a young man.  We get permission to observe.  The young man was referred from the high school chemical health representative to the Mosaic Youth Center.  The receptionist phones upstairs to an intake wraparound counselor.  The intake wraparound counselor arrives and greets the young man and takes him into a private intake office.   We observe for a few minutes, long enough to find out there are multiple issues in this young man's life. 

Exiting the intake room, we have the choice of going downstairs to the "noisy floor" or upstairs to the floors which house services for youth.  We opt for the noise.  The lower lobby, "the noisy floor," is buzzing with excitement.  In the lounge area we observe youth visiting with friends while sipping on Espresso.  Some are watching replays of last Friday night's "Battle of the Bands," which featured seven local bands, all competing for "Band of the Month" title.  The game room houses many youth who are all playing foosball, billiards, video games or competitive knowledge games on overhead screens. 

The dance floor is buzzing with setting up for Open Mic Night, a Monday night ritual where youth come from surrounding school districts to share poetry, musical talent, comedy acts and various other talents.  Many youth attend Open Mic for the joy of sharing and many for the extra credit their literacy teachers give them for attending.  Youth coordinators are posting the "house rules" for Open Mic -- no hate speeches.  The room is sure to be buzzing by 7:00 p.m. 

Local youth outreach workers have been circulating throughout the building the entire time we are there -- some from the local Parks and Recreation Departments and some from other nonprofit youth serving agencies.  Volunteer retired teachers are also around, supporting youth in their various areas of interest. 

Directly across from the dance floor and open to eyesight is the Mosaic Youth Center Cafeteria.  Here youth are working behind the counter, serving peers their Espresso, pizza, and other food items.  The cafeteria is small with high top tables and built in circuitry to allow for loungers to participate in the overhead challenge knowledge games going on in the game room.  The cafeteria kitchen is small, but licensed for catering.  This catering license allows the youth to work with a local food chain to bring in food, prepare food there and serve groups who rent out the upstairs conference room during the day, when youth are in school.  Today the youth are preparing for a group of 60 who will be renting out parts of the building during the day for a strategic planning processing. 

The cafeteria opens up to an outside patio, where local artists are relaxing before their Open Mic performance tonight.  We notice there is no smoking by any of the youth, as this is a smoke-free environment.  There also is a group of youth working with the Master Gardeners and the Golden Valley based KEYS group, preparing the soil and planting the annuals that surround the patio and building.

We notice a group has formed outside in the parking lot for an informal game of basketball.  Within the two teams are adult volunteers and youth outreach workers.    On the other side of the parking lot, we see a bus -- parents and youth together loading a bus to tour local post-secondary schooling options.   They have stopped to get their Espresso first -- from the Mosaic Youth Center Cafeteria.  Another bus is being loaded by a group of youth heading out to clean up Becker Park in Crystal.  The group has adopted this park as a community service project, one of many on their annual plan.  We notice also a group of returning youth who are back in their hometown from college to help decide and award two Mosaic Youth Center scholarships to graduating seniors who have met the criteria for the $2,500 college scholarship. 

As we re-enter the building, we explore the top floors, the service floors.  First we find the Annex Teen Clinic, relocated from Robbinsdale.  The Annex shares its reception room with a youth housing shelter for homeless youth.  Youth are presenting themselves on this floor with questions about reproductive health and homelessness.  Annex staff are also preparing for tonight's session of "Celebration of Change," a program for young teenage girls and their parents.

The top floor of the Mosaic Youth Center houses Fairview Adolescent Recovery Services.  Here youth are able to continue to receive schooling while recovering from drug addiction.  Fairview staff and Robbinsdale Area Schools staff are co-facilitating peer and parent groups, as well as meeting state educational requirements and counseling youth for transition back into their high school setting. 

As we return back downstairs, we check in on the young man in the intake room.  The intake process has been completed.  We learn that a wraparound team has been identified to address the many issues this young man faces and he seems a little bit relieved.  We learn that this young man wants to be an architect and that an educational plan has been identified that will keep him on course for graduation.  Everyone seems a little bit more comfortable.

As we return to the foyer, we see parents who are now done with work, arriving to pick up their "almost adult" child to go home.  For those youth that need rides home, a shuttle bus is circulating, available for drop off points in the community.  We notice the after school activity buses arriving to drop off youth for open mic night and other building functions.  We see a new game of basketball has started in the parking lot -- this time local law enforcement has joined in for a little one-on-one with the team.

As we enter our van to leave, we notice a picnic table (donated by the Boy Scouts) holds the Mosaic Youth Center Programming Committee, who are planning summer programming and service learning activities.  Approaching the Mosaic entrance is a Cable 12 television camera crew.  Word of a donation from Twin West has captured their interest and there are hopes of featuring the donation on the next edition of the Cable 12 news.  The Mosaic Youth Center Resources Committee is waiting to greet Cable 12 and share their exciting news.  The present Twin West Chamber of Commerce President is sporting a giant-sized check, ready for the cameras.

To help make the Mosaic a permanent reality in the northwest suburbs, call the Mosaic at 612-749-9561 or
email info@mosaicyouthcenter.com.