Center School, Inc.
- Primary Cause
- Youth Development
- Secondary Cause
- Education
Nawayee is an Ojibwe word that means "the center" and for over 40 years Center School has been a fixture in the Phillips neighborhood, the heart of the Minneapolis Native American community, by providing educational resources for students struggling in a traditional academic environment.
At Nawayee Center School we provide high quality, culturally specific education to urban youth in grades 7-12. Smaller class sizes and innovative curricula allow us to better serve the needs of our students. We provide a strong network of passionate and hard-working educational innovators that create a well rounded, targeted learning environment and strong support system to give the greatest chance of academic success and a brighter future for our students.
Center School, Inc.
Our academic programs integrate indigenous wisdom and hands on learning experiences tailored to help at-risk students struggling with depression, homelessness, early pregnancy and substance abuse by providing a variety of enrichment opportunities that keep kids hopeful and engaged.
Indigenous language and life-ways education that includes rice harvesting, sweat lodges, drum making, and Native crafts to help develop and strengthen cultural pride are a highlight of Nawayee Center School.
Center School, Inc.
Many students choose Center School because they value the close relationships with teachers, the emphasis on indigenous education and the many field trips and enrichment opportunities.
As has long been the case, many Native American communities are economically depressed, and their jobless rates are high. Only when Native Americans have a high and steady employment rate and education will their poverty rate decline and their wealth begin to grow.
"Our students really need to feel connected within our school," said Tara Graves, an American Indian Education director in Cloquet, MN. "They need to feel a part of it. A way of doing that is to make sure that they're seeing themselves in that curriculum."
Teachers at Nawayee Center School have done that by introducing Native American literature to students and by pairing our young female students with Native women mentors from the community.
Center School, Inc.
NAWAYEE Center School is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We appreciate the contributions from foundations and generous donations from the community.
We also welcome volunteers to help with the school garden, field trip chaperons, after school tutors, arts learning instructors and health and wellness coaching.
Center School, Inc.
Funding Needs
With your support Nawayee Center School can continue our innovative experiential learning programs, including:
A Healthy Choices program that provides nutritious meals, health education, an on-site community garden, exercise opportunities, and health screenings to combat the diabetic epidemic in the Native American community early on.
The Children of the Seventh Fire, which is an Ojibwe prophecy that urges us to wake up and reclaim our children, that offers support and gender specific programs focused on family dynamics, parenting, positive sexual health, gender roles, leadership development, mentoring, internships and employment readiness.
Adventure learning through a wide range of outdoor hands-on activities that include: science lessons, visits to historically significant Native American sites, and challenging physical education opportunities like rock climbing, bicycling, canoe trips, hiking, and urban youth expeditions through Outward Bound.
