African Community school (Minneapolis, MN)

General

• Mission:

The African Community School, a 501 (c) 3 organization located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has identified the needs of the African immigrants in Minnesota for services that will support their transition to the American society. It has also found the significance of the African immigrants in the economy of Minnesota. According to Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs-University of Minnesota (2009), “Immigration stimulates job creation. As industries expand and hire new workers, jobs are created to maintain this larger workforce and to supply its needs for goods and services. Without new, young workers, certain sectors of the economy will continue to contract. By one estimate, if immigrants were removed from the labor force, Minnesota would lose over 24,000 permanent jobs and $1.2 billion in personal income.

Organizational Capacity
Immigrant parents and children also have separate concerns to live successfully in the United States. Children need to fit and excel in school. Parents, on the other hand, need to find better opportunities to be able to support their families. For these reasons, parents and educators from the African community in Minnesota formed the African Community School in 2008. A 501 (c) 3 organization, its primary mission is to inspire and educate African immigrant students and families to enable them to maximize their potentials in education and employment. Specifically, it hopes to operate an African community center, where programs and activities will be held for immigrant parents and children.

The African Community School is a relatively new community-based organization; but, its members possess an intimate understanding and deep knowledge about the needs of the population it wishes to serve. It is governed by a board of directors and an executive director that will provide overall leadership, oversight, and guidance to the organization. With at least 10 years of experience in the field of education, they are all responsible for the overall business operations and policy-making decisions. They also possess an intimate understanding and deep knowledge on the needs of the population served.

The African Community School is in partnership contract with the Minneapolis school district and is a licensed community partner. To ensure quality of services, more than 90 percent of the staff will be comprised of licensed teachers. Currently, it has 4 volunteers, who spend two hours a day to provide tutoring service for English and mathematics subjects. They came from colleges and universities.

The primary applicant, Mohamed Mohamud, has 7 years of related experience. He is a member of the Somali confederation and east African communities. He is a Somali and Arabic speaker who has the energy to bring the community together as he did in the past. He had worked with the African communities since 1992 and acted as a community liaison person since 2002.

His most recent involvement was with the African Refugees Education/Cultural Services, Incorporated and with the Franklin County Child Development Council, Incorporated as project coordinator and family social worker. In both of these capacities, he was responsible for placing employment, housing, and other social resources for the immigrants. He has also conducted orientations and individual skill assessment and training to prepare them for the best employment opportunities available and to teach them how to keep their jobs long-term.

The African Community School has identified three sources of income: student fees, funds through partnerships, and grants. Revenues from these sources will cover all operating expenses of the center, as well as future expansion programs of the organization.

• History:

African Community School was established in 2008 by a number of concerned parents and educators from the African community in the State of Minnesota to respond to the growing needs of African immigrant students. The main objective of African Community School is to establish and operate an African community education center and offer after school assistance for middle and high school students, college readiness classes, English language proficiency courses, career counseling sessions, and connect African immigrants to educational institutions and employment resources.

• Year established:2008
• Endowment:Unknown

Staff

• Executive / Trustee board size:5
• Advisory board size:3
• Staff size:5

Board and Executive Names

• Board Members / Trustees:

Mohamed A Mohamud, President
Jamila Ahmed, Secratery
Fatima Mohamud, Treasurer
Abdihakim Abdinur, Board Member
Tony Skooi

• Executive Director / President:

Ahmed Elmi, Executive Director

Staff Names

• Key Staff:

Warsame Keyton, Teacher
Gadalla Ib, Teacher
Dahir Jibril, Teacher
Dr. Weli, Teacher
Synab Ali, Youth Mentor

Registration

• Organization type:Grantseeker
• Country of registration:United States
• Tax Determination Letter:Received Determination Letter
• IRS Section:501(c)(3)
• IRS Subsection:509(a)(1)
• Tax ID:26-3037445