‘Miscellany’ Archives
Part 1: Consequences of War on Russian-Speaking Community
By A RUSSIAN SPEAKING COMMUNITY MEMBER War brings destruction, loss of loved ones, and cultural conflicts between people who were once like one family. In the context of the ongoing war, the internal experiences of Russian-speaking immigrants have become more acute. These people are stuck between cultures, facing feelings of guilt, fear, and isolation.I interviewed Russian and Ukrainian immigrants to explore how their lives have changed since the war began. The main focus of the interview is on the consequences of the conflict in an emotional, social and cultural sense, including internal conflict of identity, attitudes toward the dynamics of the society in which we live at the moment, and how people cope with the complexities of war. To protect the identities of the individuals I interviewed, I have chosen not to use their full names, ensuring their privacy while sharing their experiences. K left Ukraine before the war began, L is a Russian immigrant who came to the U.S. after [...]
“Mayor for a Day” Essay Contest Invites Students to Share Ideas for Improving Their Cities
By LEAUGE OF MINNESOTA CITIES The “Mayor for a Day” Essay Contest, hosted by the League of Minnesota Cities, is now open for submissions. Contestants in fourth, fifth, or sixth grade may answer the prompt “What would you do if you were mayor for a day?” for a chance to win $100 and recognition in Minnesota Cities magazine.Essays must be submitted by Friday, Dec. 13. Students and parents/caregivers can submit essays via an online form, a PDF email attachment, or through the United States Postal Service mail. All contest details and materials are available at lmc.org/mayorforaday, including a primer on what it’s like to be a Minnesota mayor. The contest is in its 12th year and received 540 essays from all around the state in 2023. The winners were from Byron, New York Mills, Shoreview, and St. Louis Park. In addition, judges selected four honorable mention essayists from the cities of Dilworth, Grand Marais, Lauderdale, and Windom.“I always look forward to learning [...]
Bus Stop Guardians – The Objective is Keeping Kids Safe
What do you need? What are you willing to do? By KALI PLIEGO, Crime Prevention Specialist Residents of the neighborhood have been telling me what they need—someone to look out for the safety of the neighborhood children amid an opioid epidemic and unsheltered homeless crisis. We are painfully aware of all the areas where we do not have any control, so what can we do?Bus Stop Guardians is a program that adds protective factors on school bus routes by directing neighborhood volunteers to take intentional walks in the morning hours. We soft launched the program two weeks ago and are building out the details to 1. Provide uniforms for the volunteers, 2. Inform parents of the program, 3. Ensure that our volunteers are safe people to encounter children as they wait for their bus. One volunteer has been out walking every single morning since we began and let me know how good she feels by doing something helpful for the kiddos and their families. Today I walked my [...]
