The EAST program is funded by the state’s Collaborative Urban Educator program and seeks to graduate and license K-12 teachers of East African origin. In the article, Lensmire is quoted as saying, “Typically, becoming a professional teacher has been available only to people who have money and the means to get the license.” The EAST program offers financial assistance by providing students with full tuition scholarships as they seek licensure.

Augsburg’s program is one of several made possible by the CUE program. In the article, Ali notes that he knows many Somali students in similar programs at Hamline University and the University of Minnesota. “A lot of us are in the education field right now. Many are doing social studies and ESL programs and counseling licenses,” he said.

Read: on the MinnPost site.

The post Audrey Lensmire and Salah Ali contribute to MinnPost article on Somali-Americans choosing careers in education appeared first on News and Media.

In addition to the concert performances, Mursal participated in public discussions, workshops, and community events, as well as a live radio performance on The Current that featured an Augsburg alumni jazz band and Somali musicians from around the world.

Read: on the MPR News site.

The post MPR previews Maryan Mursal’s Midnimo residency finale concert appeared first on News and Media.

The Cedar Cultural Center, in partnership with Augsburg College, on Sept. 15 kicks off “Midnimo: Music for Unity, Campus and Community,” a two-year project to build cross-cultural awareness, knowledge, and understanding of Somali culture through music.

Midnimo during this academic year will bring six artists or groups to Minnesota for week-long residency programs that include classroom activities and culminate with a public concert. The schedule includes:

• Sept. 15-19: Global Roots Festival. This free series includes performances that feature former Augsburg Prof. Bob Stacke and current Auggie musicians. Learn more in “” by Mary-Laurel True.
• Oct. 26-Nov. 2:  Taleex Band. This group is Minnesota’s only Somali performing artist group that has a live band. 
• Nov. 9-16: Cali Dhaanto. Known world-wide for his ability to perform and teach traditional Somali dance, Cali Dhaanto will make his first visit to Minnesota as part of the Midnimo project.
• Feb. 8-15:  Waayaha Cusub. This Somali music collective is famous for its lyrics that criticize violence and extremism. Two members of the collective are based in Minnesota while four live in Kenya.
• March 1-8, 2015: Xidigaha Geeska. This famous group will come to Minnesota directly from Somali where the artists live.
• April 5-12, 2015: Aar Maanta. Returning to The Cedar from his breathtaking 2012 performance, Aar Maanta is known as the “voice of the next generation of Somalis” and is famous for pioneering a mix of Somali music and themes with a multi-cultural band of people from Mali, Italy, Poland, and England. 

More information on each of the Midnimo performers and groups is available on The Cedar .

Midnimo is made possible through a $200,000 grant awarded to the College and the Cedar and as part of the highly competitive Building Bridges: Campus Community Engagement grant by the Association of Performing Arts Presenters funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.

About APAP: The Association of Performing Arts Presenters, based in Washington, DC, is the national service and advocacy organization dedicated to developing and supporting a robust performing arts presenting field and the professionals who work within it. Our 1,500 members, from all 50 states and 34 countries, represent leading performing arts centers, municipal and university performance facilities, nonprofit performing arts centers, culturally specific organizations, foreign governments, as well as artist agencies, managers, touring companies, and national consulting practices that serve the field, and a growing roster of self-presenting artists. As a leader in the field, APAP works to effect change through advocacy, professional development, resource sharing and civic engagement. APAP is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization governed by a volunteer board of directors and led by President & CEO Mario Garcia Durham. In addition to presenting the annual APAP|NYC conference – the world’s leading forum and marketplace for the performing arts (January 9-13, 2015) – APAP continues to be the industry’s leading resource, knowledge and networking destination for the advancement of performing arts presenting.

About the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation: The mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is to improve the quality of people’s lives through grants supporting the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research and  child well-being, and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Duke’s properties.

About the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art: The Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art is an operating foundation funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The mission of DDFIA is to improve the quality of people’s lives through the study, understanding and appreciation of Islamic arts and cultures. Based in New York, the Building Bridges Program is a national grant making program of the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.

The post Cedar Cultural Center, Augsburg kick off Midnimo on Sept. 15 appeared first on News and Media.

The post Somali women open boutique with support of Augsburg appeared first on News and Media.

The grant will be used to launch a two-year project titled MIDNIMO: MUSIC FOR UNITY, CAMPUS, AND COMMUNITY.  Through Midnimo, the Somali word for “unity,” Augsburg students, Cedar Riverside residents, and the general public will engage in a series of educational and experiential events focused on Somali music.

“This is a particularly exciting opportunity for The Cedar. It speaks to our core mission to further intercultural appreciation and acknowledges our location in the middle of the largest Somali diaspora in the United States,” said Adrienne Dorn, The Cedar’s Director of Development and Midnimo Project Director.  “We are excited to bring artists to Minnesota as a launching point to celebrate and learn about Somali culture and the Islamic religion.”

Midnimo will bring Somali musicians from around the world to Minnesota for week-long residencies that include public performances and lectures in the classroom and community and that draw upon their culture, religion, and personal experiences. Midnimo will allow The Cedar, Augsburg, and community partners to facilitate and inspire dialogue, interaction, and understanding through artistic and academic interventions.

“Midnimo will build on the important work we’ve already been doing over the past four years to engage the local Somali community,” said Fadumo Ibrahim, Development Assistant and Somali Community Liaison at The Cedar. Past and current Cedar projects that engage Somali communities have been made possible through generous support from the Minnesota State Arts Board’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Arts Access Grant Program.

“At the heart of Augsburg’s mission are our commitments to educating informed global citizens and to embracing learning about and serving our neighbors,” said Augsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow. “The opportunity to partner with The Cedar and our Somali neighbors offers our students an inspiring manner in which to engage in our world, to ponder that which we share, and to develop the intercultural understanding we all need in the 21st century.”

About APAP: The Association of Performing Arts Presenters, based in Washington, DC, is the national service and advocacy organization dedicated to developing and supporting a robust performing arts presenting field and the professionals who work within it. Our 1,500 members, from all 50 states and 34 countries, represent leading performing arts centers, municipal and university performance facilities, nonprofit performing arts centers, culturally specific organizations, foreign governments, as well as artist agencies, managers, touring companies, and national consulting practices that serve the field, and a growing roster of self-presenting artists. As a leader in the field, APAP works to effect change through advocacy, professional development, resource sharing and civic engagement. APAP is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization governed by a volunteer board of directors and led by President & CEO Mario Garcia Durham. In addition to presenting the annual APAP|NYC conference – the world’s leading forum and marketplace for the performing arts (January 9-13, 2015) – APAP continues to be the industry’s leading resource, knowledge and networking destination for the advancement of performing arts presenting.

About the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation: The mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is to improve the quality of people’s lives through grants supporting the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research and  child well-being, and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Duke’s properties.

About the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art: The Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art is an operating foundation funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The mission of DDFIA is to improve the quality of people’s lives through the study, understanding and appreciation of Islamic arts and cultures. Based in New York, the Building Bridges Program is a national grant making program of the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.

The post The Cedar, Augsburg receive one of six national grants appeared first on News and Media.

The post Jazz ensemble performs at local gala appeared first on News and Media.