SHAPE & the Somali Community in the Twin Cities

What is SHAPE? Stands for South Hennepin Adult Programs in Education Been in existence for over 25 years Began as an adult literacy program Currently offers a wide variety of programs ESL programs have been especially effective Locations in Edina, Bloomington & Eden Prairie, but students come from all over the Twin Cities and as far away as Hudson, WI

Who are SHAPE’s students? For the ESL programs, students come from Peru, Mexico, Vietnam, Poland, Netherlands, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Benin and other African nation Most of the ESL students are originally from Somalia Many are new arrivals to the US or to the Twin Cities area The Somali community in particular is tightly knit and there is an unofficial “network” of resources that includes SHAPE

Demographics Difficult to estimate- Many are transitory and it is not uncommon for students to stop showing up to classes Many have no familiarity with English Whole families tend to move together to wherever there is work or assistance. Many arrive in MN as their 2 nd or 3 rd destination The State of MN estimates the Somali population at 14,000-15,000. Estimates from Somali people place it more at 80,000!

Welcome to the Twin Cities MN has become the “de-facto” capital of the Somali community in North America. MN population doubled in a decade Initial immigrants were attracted by a well organized set of resources and plentiful job opportunites that did not require English skills, such as jobs in the meatpacking industry. Momentum increased as civil war drove more refugees out of their homeland and to the US. Common for a household to be anywhere from people and move en masse. (Dunbar 1-3)

Unique Challenges The majority of Somalis are war refugees, like many immigrant groups before them. However, the Somalis have a unique culture, and have arrived with little knowledge of English. They are Muslim and African, unlike the predominantly Mexican or Hmong immigrants who preceded them in the rural Midwest. This combination of a minority culture, religion, and race therefore provides for a different type of immigration issue.”- Schaid & Grossman

The bad… 82% of Somali families live at or near the poverty line 68% of adults do not have a high school diploma or equivalent Many families are suffering from traumatic experiences that forced them to leave their home Cultural proscription for diet and prayer often conflict with traditional school practices (Dunbar 1-3)

The good… 2004 census counted 5,734 Somali students in Minneapolis/St. Paul schools. There has been a substantial uptick each year as more immigrants are granted refugee status and citizenship (Minnesota’s Somali Community 1-9) Somali people tend to have large families and the first generation of immigrants are seeing their children graduate from high school Programs like SHAPE are helping to provide literacy and act as agents for resources It has become much more acceptable in Somali culture for students to wear American style clothes and speak English

The ugly… More easily identified as a foreign “other” (Dunbar, 1- 3) Language barrier Illegal immigration and slowdown of the processing of refugees skews the counts of Somalis which prevents the accurate distribution of resources. Many surveys count Somali children as African American. Cultural barriers- Post 9/11 misunderstandings, “disappearances” of young males, high turnover rates can create unstable school enrollments “I hate the Tech High” (Espinoza, 1-2)

Time The single biggest factor in improved conditions for Somali people and students is time Other minority groups provide an example of how a group reacts over time Schools are becoming more and more used to working with Somali youth and their families A strong network of established families will assist new arrivals in finding resources

Resouces SHAPE- Ameriprise VISTA Volunteer Connection Feed My Starving Children Somali Women’s Association East African Women’s Center Youth!!!

Works Cited Dunbar, Elizabeth. "Comparing the Somali experience in Minnesota to other immigrant groups." Minnesota Public Radio 22 Jan. 2010: 1-3. Web. 10 Dec 2010 Espinoza, Amber. "Somali population, cultural tension rising in St. Cloud." Minnesota Public Radio 15 Mar 2010: 1-3. Web. 10 Dec Ronningen, Barbara J. State of Minnesota. Estimates of Selected Immigrant Populations in Minnesota: St. Paul, MN: State and Community Services, Print. Schaid, Jessica, and Grossman, Zoltan. "academic.evergreen.edu." Evergreen State College. The Center for Excellence for Faculty/Student Research Collaboration, Summer Web. 2 Dec University of Minnesota-Academic Health Center. Minnesota's Somali Community. Seattle, WA: Pac-Med Clinics, 2002`. Print. Woessner, Paula. "Size of Twin Cities Muslim population difficult to determine." Community Dividend Aug 2002: n. pag. Web. 10 Dec