BEMIDJI 鈥� It鈥檚 not often that the board for a nonprofit is formed entirely by people under the age of 22, but Lead for Inclusion was designed to be an exception.
The youth-led organization is a newly created Bemidji nonprofit with the goal of making every place in the community accessible and welcoming to people with and without disabilities. For the person who created the organization, Shannon Murray, having it led by local youth was the only way to go.
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鈥淭hey鈥檙e the people in our community with the most skills and the most knowledge on how to be inclusive,鈥� Murray said. 鈥淲ith all of their skills and their passions, and knowing what they鈥檙e capable of, I can鈥檛 think of any other way I would want to go about doing this.鈥�
Having the organization led by youth is also important to Murray since the reason they were inspired to create the nonprofit was to address the gap in inclusive services and support people with disabilities face after they graduate from high school.
鈥淲e have some really great programs going on in the schools, but there鈥檚 this gap after graduation,鈥� Murray explained. 鈥�(I wanted) to create and build a bridge so that we have inclusion everywhere in our community.鈥�
Supported by a fellowship from the Initiative Foundation and the Northwest Minnesota Foundation, Murray built the framework of Lead for Inclusion.
The nonprofit would have eight board members between the ages of 14 and 24, and include people of all abilities. While the youth lead the direction of the organization, Murray and another adult, John Rogers, provide guidance and support.
鈥淚鈥檓 on this journey with these young leaders,鈥� Murray said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e really just wonderful young folks with energy and ideas, and this is something they鈥檝e identified as missing in our community.鈥�
Young leaders
The eight young board members held their first meeting on Wednesday, which laid out the foundations of the organization and its mission. Lead for Inclusion will have three areas of focus: leadership and job skills development, community advocacy and outreach, and inclusive social activities.
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Each of these areas is a way to address systemic barriers faced by people with disabilities, and each of Lead for Inclusion鈥檚 members shares a passion for the work.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really important to show the community that we do care about people with disabilities,鈥� shared Courtney Frenzel, a junior at Bemidji High 歪歪漫画. 鈥淚 want people to be educated through this, and share with the community the work that we鈥檙e doing.鈥�
That work will often be challenging. William Duncan, a senior at Bemidji High 歪歪漫画, shared the obstacles that people with disabilities face in gaining employment, something he鈥檚 already experienced.
鈥淭here are times people with disabilities have tried to apply to jobs. Some of them are successful, but some of them are very rarely successful,鈥� he said. 鈥�(I want) to help people with disabilities be able to apply to jobs in whatever they鈥檙e most passionate about.鈥�
Lead for Inclusion hopes to address the ableism present in the job market by encouraging more local businesses and organizations to consider people with disabilities as equal contenders for employment.
鈥淚 just feel that we shouldn鈥檛 be ignoring people with disabilities,鈥� shared Connor Helm, a junior at Bemidji High 歪歪漫画. 鈥淲e should be able to give them equal opportunities to what I would have. I just don鈥檛 see why there should be a difference.鈥�
This means, in part, challenging common assumptions about the capabilities of people with disabilities through education and advocacy work.
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鈥淲e all have doubters,鈥� Duncan said. 鈥淚 want to make sure that there鈥檚 less of them.鈥�
But inclusion doesn鈥檛 stop with the job market, the members of the new nonprofit also want to ensure people with disabilities are included in every part of what it means to live in a community.
鈥�(Another focus) is social activities,鈥� Murray explained. 鈥淓verything that鈥檚 wonderful about being in a community: sports, music, being outside in nature, playing games 鈥� we want to do all of that inclusively.鈥�
While Lead for Inclusion is just getting started, Murray expects the youth leading the organization to truly make it into their own and create meaningful change in the community.
鈥淓verybody came excited (to the first meeting),鈥� they said. 鈥淭hey have a lot to give the community (and) all of this sets us up for doing the work together in a really good way.鈥�
Anyone interested in learning more about the organization or getting involved can reach out to Murray by emailing leadforinclusion@gmail.com .
The Trust Project
