Step-Up Applications Now Available

Applications are now being distributed for the Minneapolis STEP-UP Program
for kids aged 14 to 21.

STEP-UP is a paid, summer jobs program for Minneapolis youth. STEP-UP for 14-15-year-olds, operated by the Minneapolis Employment and Training Program, teaches students good work habits and provides them with wages and an opportunity to contribute to a local community based organization.

STEP-UP for 16-21-year-olds, operated by Achieve!Minneapolis, provides youth with paid positions with local employers and teaches them the skills they need to succeed on the job.

STEP-UP for 14-15 year olds
A nine-week, paid summer jobs program for low-income Minneapolis youth.
Participants:
· Work 30 hours a week from mid-June to mid-August.
· Earn $6 per hour at a job such as a landscaper, tutor, childcare
worker, computer intern, clerical assistant, peer educator, camp counselor or maintenance worker.
· Earn high school credit by attending C.L.A.S.S.
· Take part in a business mentoring program or spend a week, for
free, at a multi-cultural camp called Camp Sunrise.
· Learn new skills on the job.
· Provide valuable services at a local public or non-profit agency.
How to apply:
· The application deadline for STEP-UP for 14-15 year olds is Jan.
11, 2008.

Download an application here:
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/metp/docs/stepup_app_14.pdf

Applications are also available at:
Achieve! Career and College Centers in the MPLS public high schools; The South Workforce Center at 777 E. Lake St.; or The North Workforce Center at 1200 Plymouth Ave. N.

Complete every section of the application and return it to:
Achieve! Career and College Centers in the Minneapolis public high schools;
The South Workforce Center at 777 E. Lake St.;
The North Workforce Center at 1200 Plymouth Ave. N.; OR mail it to: Attn: STEP-UP Program, Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development, 777 East Lake Street, Minneapolis, MN 55407

For more information call Xuong Tran at 612-673-6231 or Anne Fischer at 612-673-6221.

Step Up For 16-21 Year Olds
A six- to 10-week paid summer jobs program for Minneapolis youth.

Participants:
· Work full-time or part-time (20-40 hours per week) from mid-June
through August.
· Earn $7 to more than $10 per hour in a field that interests you:
business, health care, creative arts and many other areas.
· Explore career interests and gain job skills in a professional
setting.
· Make future connections at top Minneapolis employers.
How to apply:
· The application deadline for STEP-UP for 16-21 year olds is Jan.
11, 2008.
· Applications are available for download at:
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/metp/docs/stepup_app_16.pdf and at http://www.achieveminneapolis.org/programs/stepUp.html
· Visit an Achieve! Career & College Center in a Minneapolis public
high school to pick up an application.
· Call Achieve!Minneapolis to request an application by mail at
(612) 455-1563.
· Complete every section of the application and return it to an
Achieve! Career and College Center in a MPLS public high school, or mail it to: Achieve!Minneapolis/STEP-UP, 111 Third Avenue S. Suite 5, Minneapolis, MN 55401

For more information call or email Jennifer Petersen at Achieve!
Minneapolis at 612-455-1563.

Request For Comment For Great Streets RFP

Recognizing that healthy neighborhood business districts are an important component of the high quality of life we enjoy in Minneapolis, the City is pleased to announce the new Great Streets Façade Improvement Program.

Great Streets focuses on areas of the City that have been identified in The Minneapolis Plan and other land use policy documents as places where the City supports commercial activity and development.

These areas include 11 commercial corridors, 45 neighborhood commercial nodes, 5 downtown neighborhood business districts, and 7 Hiawatha LRT station areas. The Great Streets façade improvement matching grant program seeks to (1) stimulate visible investment, (2) create healthy and attractive neighborhood business districts, (3) enhance the sense of place, and (4) provide a tool for assisting the administrative organizations in developing collaborative relationships with businesses in their service area.

Individual not-for-profit organizations will implement and administer the façade improvement grant program in their communities, on behalf of the City of Minneapolis. The organizations selected through this RFP process will provide matching grants to businesses and commercial property owners as reimbursement for exterior storefront improvements.

Façade improvement program funding is through a Request for Proposals (RFP) process.

The draft RFP is available for interested party review at http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/cped/facade_home.asp. Please provide comments by December 31, 2007 to Rebecca Brown at rebecca.brown@ci.minneapolis.mn.us