Box City Vigil to Highlight Homeless Youth Issues

The Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless encourages you to show your support for a dedicated group of Bloomington area high school students who have spent the last five months organizing Box City Vigil 2006.

Six high school students (three from Jefferson and three from Kennedy) have spent the last five months organizing Box City Vigil 2006. They hope that this year’s all-night event at the Minnesota State Capitol will succeed in raising awareness about the realities of homelessness among young people in Minnesota.

They have scheduled the all night vigil for Saturday, April 22, 2006, which coincides with National Youth Service Day.

The student organizers have invited a slate of speakers that they hope will give attendees an opportunity to understand youth homelessness and what our state lawmakers can do to address it. They have invited a variety of speakers from different homelessness advocacy groups, youth who have experienced or are experiencing homelessness, and elected officials.

The student organizers are also planning a couple of fun and effective activities that attendees will be able to act on to influence this year’s legislative process.

When thinking about this year’s planning, Mike Davey, the Coalition’s organizing director, said, “It’s amazing to see these students in action. They are building relationships with area businesses, churches, high schools across the south metro and a variety of youth agencies to support their organizing efforts.”

In fact, they already have secured the support of Bloomington United for Youth, Normandale Highlands United Methodist Church, Cub Foods, Target, and Whole Foods.

To register to attend this event, please visit www.BringMinnesotaHome.org or contact mnboxcityvigil@hotmail.com.