OUR MISSION: Building a school to success pipeline by dismantling barriers for youth, connecting them to community resources and creating safe, culturally centered spaces and events to cultivate joy and purpose
Created in 2020, Love First Community Engagement is rooted in decades of community organizing, building up local leaders, and activism guided by the leadership and ingenuity of Saint Paulite, Chauntyll Allen.
Love Firstenvisions abundant pathways and strong villages for liberated youth to grow, thrive and achieve lifelong success. We are building a school to success pipeline by dismantling barriers for youth, connecting them to community resources and creating safe, culturally centered spaces and events to cultivate joy and purpose.
Our values:
We believe that when Black youth are liberated, all youth will be liberated.
We engage in trauma informed approaches.
We support the self-directed identity and goals of young people.
We work with a racial justice lens.
We cultivate a village response to systemic injustice.
Current work
Black youth in St. Paul experience some of the highest levels of poverty and unstable housing, and lowest rates of graduation. Traditional non-profit programming, governmental control, and common distribution methods serve to oppress rather than liberate our communities.
Our programs tap into youths’ brilliant and resilient lineages, bridge broken connections with family members and honor the cultural principles that galvanize our young people to discover their unique course, not just to the livable wages and personal healing needed to acquire and attain stable housing, but to make contributions to our community.
To bring joy and hope to our young people, we hold free community events focused on art, activism and healing, bringing our community together with food, music, dancing and give-aways. We partner with Black and BIPOC vendors and entrepreneurs to invest in our economic development and integrate local healers and organizations.
Join us on May 28 from 5 to 7 p.m. for our first Independent Living Skills Workshop! This month, Faith Dietz will be our community host and lead us in creating our own cleaning supplies! This workshop is open to youth aged 16 to 24 and attendees will received a $50 stipend for participating — and leave with their own cleaning supplies! RSVP here!
Hosted by Love First Community Engagement, the Annual Glow Up Conference builds Black girls’ identities through active workshops centered on creativity, wellness, and healing. This year, sessions will focus on reclaiming our energy and girls are encouraged to invite their mothers, aunties or other adult women in their lives to join them for the first half of the day. The conference will include a keynote address from Kinshasha Kambui, a healer and founder of the Wellness Paradigm in Minneapolis, food and more!
June Revive & Thrive Training and Community Dinner June 6 | Lutheran Church of the Redeemer Watch a video reel from the event!
May Community Dinner & Conversation May 19 | Indigenous Roots
February Community Dinner February 18 | Lutheran Church of the Redeemer
MLK Day Community Dinner Jan 14, 2024 | Indigenous Roots Cultural Arts Center
In honor of MLK Day, Love First hosted a Community Dinner with free food, fellowship and a showing of the biopic “Rustin.” Following the film, we had a discussion about the film and how to organize with our youth facilitated by civil rights leader and youth advocate, Chauntyll Allen.
2023 Glow Up Conference
Overdose prevention training
Uno Tournament March 2023
Uno Tournament Dec 2022
Trunk or Treat
Joy Fest 2022
Uno Tournament Aug 2022
Uno Tournament July 2022
Glow Up conference
Fall Festival
Unity Fest
Black Joy Excursion
Prayers and Action
Art & Healing
Hope & Healing
Get Support
If you’re 16 to 24 years old and need housing support, apply for $200 in one-time rental assistance. Applications for June will close on May 24 and we’ll choose 10 applicants through a lottery process.
To receive the $200, you must attend the Independent Living Skills Workshop. This month we’ll be focused on creating household cleaning supplies, hosted by community member Faith Dietz, on May 28 from 5 to 7PM at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer; RSVP here!
The workshop is open to additional youth, who will receive a $50 stipend for attending.
