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Introduction
About the Partners
The Itasca Project
The Itasca Project is a group of community leaders including forty-plus CEOs, the Governor, the Mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and the President of the University who have come together to provide leadership for long-term regional development and competitiveness of the metropolitan area; accelerate efforts that are underway to address critical issues from a regional perspective; and encourage organizations to work together and better leverage their resources.
Over the last 3 years Itasca Project participants have made significant strides in understanding the nature, magnitude and long term economic implications of the socio-economic disparities of the metro Twin Cities community. Using the compelling data compiled by the Brookings Institution and the power of committed and united business, community and civic leadership, project participants have started a meaningful community dialogue around Mind the Gap and have begun to spark community action. Resolving the issues of the Mind the Gap findings also requires broad public awareness. Itasca has partnered with the Twin Cities Public Television (tpt) to create Close the Gap, a new documentary series that highlights the region's socioeconomic disparities.
Twin Cities Public Television (tpt)
Twin Cities Public Television (tpt) is a not-for-profit educational, civic and cultural resource whose mission is to "harness the power of television and other media for the public good." Twin Cities Public Television informs, engages, enlightens and delights our viewers, to the benefit of all. One of the most watched PBS affiliates in the nation, tpt is based in St. Paul, MN and operates seven digital television channels, produces programs for regional and national broadcast, and distributes information worldwide via the Internet. Through the innovative Minnesota Channel, tpt creates partnerships that magnify the impact of Minnesota's finest public service organizations. The Minnesota Channel features a variety of programming that is from or about Minnesota and its close neighbors, including the five-part Close the Gap documentary series created in partnership with the Itasca Project.
University of Minnesota Human Rights Center
The mission of the University of Minnesota Human Rights Center is to work locally, nationally, and internationally to provide training, educational materials, and assistance to professionals, students, and volunteers working to promote and protect human rights. The Center was founded in December 1988 on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Our principal focus is to maximize the effectiveness of human rights advocates and educators by providing them with the tools they need to be successful in their civic engagement work.
The main programs carried out by the Center include the Human Rights Library (http://www.humanrightslibrary.org), This is My Home: A Minnesota Human Rights Education Experience (http://www.thisismyhome.org), the Upper Midwest Human Rights Fellowship Program http://www.humanrightsfellowship.org, and the Human Rights Resource Center www.hrusa.org. The Human Rights Center also carries out a variety of events and special research and educational projects. Through these endeavors, the Center has forged strong partnerships with a variety of other entities in the Upper Midwest human rights community, including other University of Minnesota Departments and Centers, prominent non-governmental and community-based organizations, governmental agencies, Human Rights Commissioners, educators, and schools. The Center collaborates with community partners to coordinate conferences, training sessions, lectures, presentations, panel discussions, film screenings, and performances to promote civic engagement on human rights issues.
Twin Cities Compass and Wilder Research
Twin Cities Compass is a new, non-partisan initiative developed to measure the 7-county Twin Cities region's well-being and inspire people from all sectors - government, business, nonprofit and concerned individuals - to get involved in coordinated efforts to address needs. Led by Wilder Research, in partnership with Itasca Project, and supported by a consortium of foundations, Twin Cities Compass tracks topics that impact our quality of life, including civic engagement, early childhood, economy and workforce, education, health, housing, public safety and transportation. Believing that the strength of the region is dependent on all who live here, Twin Cities Compass also highlights disparities across all topics and includes trend data by race, place, age, gender and income whenever possible. In addition, it includes information on how individuals and organizations can help end disparities. Learn more at http://www.tccompass.org.
Wilder Research (http://www.wilderresearch.org) is one of the nation's largest nonprofit research and evaluation groups dedicated to practical research to improve the community's understanding of major social issues. It is part of the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation in Saint Paul.
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