Where immigrant and refugee families find peace

Eric Ortiz lives in the Wedge with his family. He is executive director of the Strong Mind Strong Body Foundation, a nonprofit youth and community development organization based in Minneapolis.

I received a nice, unexpected email a few weeks ago.

The subject was “Quick anecdote.”

I just wanted to share that one of our new after school students, who came to us after participating in this year’s summer camp, asked on his first day if we were going to have journalism class! He was quite disappointed to learn that it was just for summer camp.:-)

You had an impact this summer!

The email was from Ginger Graham, the executive director of Centro Guadalupano, an education and human services nonprofit serving immigrant and refugee families in the Phillips community of Minneapolis.

In July, our Youth Community Journalism Institute at the Strong Mind Strong Body Foundation taught a journalism class with 2nd-6th grade students at a summer camp at Centro Guadalupano.

The journalism class was one week and four days of classes with 31 English- and Spanish-speaking students. In that time, three groups of students (second and third graders, fourth and fifth graders, and sixth graders) all created a print community newspaper.

Each student wrote a story for their group’s paper, and every student, from the youngest to the oldest, learned the power of community-centered journalism.

We documented the summer camp at Centro Guadalupano with our youth community journalism microinternship program, which we ran in collaboration with Conversaciones de Salud and Carmen Robles and Associates LLC at SPEAK MPLS, a community media center in Minneapolis.

This is the power of youth putting community-centered journalism into action.

This is the power of community organizations such as Centro Guadalupano, whose mission is to be companions on the journey with immigrant and refugee families and the poor by providing educational programs and human services. 

Centro Guadalupano was founded in 2000 by Sinsinawa Dominican sisters serving at Holy Rosary Church. The sisters recognized the need for culturally competent programming in the Phillips neighborhood of south Minneapolis. 

This diverse neighborhood has always been an immigrant community, first with Irish, German, and Italian settlers, and more recently with immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries and refugees from East African and Asian countries.

Phillips remains one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Minneapolis, and Centro Guadalupano continues serving the immediate and long-term needs of more than 1,000 individuals and families from this community each year. 

Many live at or below the poverty level, and Centro's programs serve all residents, regardless of religious affiliation, race, nationality, or ethnicity.

WATCH: Welcome to Centro Guadalupano in Minneapolis

They have English language learning (ELL) classes. This is Centro's largest and longest-standing educational service. It serves about 100 adult immigrants and refugees with more than 5,000 hours of total instruction a year. 

Centro Guadalupano also has a popular after-school program for youth called ¡Ándale! (Let's go!). The program started in 2008 in response to community demand and concern regarding the growing achievement gap facing Latino students in Minneapolis schools. 

The programs work.

In 2024, 30 ELL students gained employment or improved their current employment, and 75 percent of employed students began speaking English or increased the English spoken at work.

One of those students is a Vietnamese woman named Nhung, who has been coming to Centro Guadalupano for 14 years. When she started, she could barely speak any English. Now she is a leader in the advanced conversation class.

Another student is Marina, who quit school in the second grade because her teacher was so mean. Now in her 50s, Marina has learned how to read. After reading her first complete sentence without help, Mariana looked with a surprised smile. "I just read English."

In the 2023-24 academic year, Ándale had 40 students. Seventy-eight percent of them increased or maintained grade-level reading skills, 80 percent increased grade-level math skills, and 100 percent learned to play an instrument and to read basic musical notes.

"Ándale has helped me with everything," said a fourth-grade student.

"I've learned how to play the bass," said another fourth-grade student.

"I advanced so much in Ándale," said a sixth-grade student. "I got better grades … and learned how to play the piano and do my fractions."

I joined the board of Centro Guadalupano in May this year and have seen the impact firsthand.

English classes are busier than ever with students who represent a number of countries in conflict, including Syria, Afghanistan, Ethopia, and Venezuela. These students come looking for a place of peace and refuge. They find it in the community at Centro Guadalupano.

Whatever country or conflict Centro Guadalupano's immigrant and refugee families come from, they all need the stability that its education services provide. 

Without the critical support system that Centro Guadalupano provides, families remain isolated and struggle to adapt to their new life in the United States.

Now, Centro Guadalupano needs your help. The demand for services is rising, and expenses are increasing. 

You can help Centro Guadalupano continue providing critical services for immigrant and refugee families. Your support will help them grow to meet their needs.

Make a tax-deductible donation to Centro Guadalupano at guadcenter.org/donate, and join the effort to help a diverse and inspiring community achieve self-sufficiency and quality of life.

Eric Ortiz lives in the Wedge with his family. He is executive director of the Strong Mind Strong Body Foundation, a national youth and community development nonprofit based in Minneapolis.