Friday night lights of another kind

It was an unusual gathering for a Friday night in Eden Prairie, maybe any American suburb. Friday nights in September mean high school football games as autumn and cooler weather arrive. Fans, cheerleaders and a marching band rustle up electricity as two teams charge the gridiron.

But at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 20, some 35 sharp-looking Eden Prairie High School students were packed around circular tables at the Eden Prairie Community Center. The teenage boys were there to prepare for their post-high school journeys.

Sixteen-year-old Ayman was applauded as he hustled from one of the tables to the front of the large room. Dr. Asad Aliweyd handed the high school junior a microphone. Ayman read a handwritten report held in his free hand. 

The report was peppered with words like “accomplishment,” “self-awareness,” “development,” and “racism.” It summarized his table’s responses to questions put to the entire room – questions about life goals and the potholes and practical strategies young Somali Americans will encounter.   

“When you’re young, especially the age these guys are,” says Omar Abdullahi, “it’s a bridge between childhood and adulthood.” As the convener and head of this particular cohort or group, he said the decisions these teens make today will affect their entire lives.

Abdullahi knows. He’s not much older than these high school students. He is studying for a bachelor’s degree in finance at St. Paul’s Metro State University. He also plans to earn a master’s degree in accounting.

The Eden Prairie Youth Leadership and Workforce Training Program is designed to teach skills needed to enter the workforce for the first time and pursue post-high school training and education.

The program is run by the New American Development Center headed by Aliweyd. The longtime Eden Prairie community leader and educator graduated from high school in Somalia. He now holds a doctorate in management and public service from Hamline University.   

Aliweyd talked to the group about the importance of preparing for the real-life challenges and opportunities Somali American youth face. He finds merit in building relationships with the larger community. There are better options than just hanging with friends and gangs.

Program associate Jacfar Khalif agrees and adds that too many young Somalis do not have the resources to move on.

The program empowers cohorts of teens who share cultural and religious values and practices with teachers who are like them but who know how to thrive in Minnesota. It includes learning how to craft effective résumés and job applications and provides tips on how to present oneself in job interviews and beyond. 

“Mentoring can be important to students,” says Khalif. “It will keep them to a straight path and just make it easier for them to get along.”  

Meeting people, managers and executives with years of workplace experience is one of the program’s features. Information technology (IT) entrepreneur PG Narayanan met with the students in mid-September. As an 18-year-old immigrant from southern India with little money, the story of the beginning of his American journey resonated with teens whose parents or grandparents had arrived from eastern Africa.

Narayanan washed dishes in a restaurant to pay for college and learned the person-to-person and management skills that helped him succeed as an IT entrepreneur and executive. He is also running for reelection to the Eden Prairie City Council.  

During his presentation, student Yusuf Mahmoud spoke of India’s Mahatma Gandhi. Another mentioned Martin Luther King Jr. These were men, said Omar Abdullahi, who were moral and had knowledge, vision and purpose.  

The implication was clear. Lights began to glow in a community center room that Friday night.

Editor’s note: Writer Jeff Strate is a founding Eden Prairie Local News board member.

For more information

• Signing up to join a new training cohort
The Eden Prairie classes are limited to around 35 students. Currently, NADC has a waiting list for upcoming programs. For more information and to register, contact the New American Development Center in Minneapolis.
Email: info@nadcmn.org
Phone: 952-212-7446  

• The project partners include two other nonprofit and nongovernmental agencies. Youthprise and Ka Joog partner with Aliweyd’s group. The program receives funding from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.