There are few things that spark joy like color! And even if you’re not an artist, a bit of art making can unleash creativity in calming, therapeutic ways. So, for our final joy-sparking Saturdays in Action activity, we colored the world by gathering art supplies for sanctuary spaces. These supplies will add extra, joy and creativity to places where people gather to find a sense of peace. All over the world, we work in places where people seek sanctuary and safety. These are the places we’ve been talking about for the last few days—place like a women’s center in South Sudan, a LGBTIQ+ safe space in Kenya, or shelters on the US-Mexico border. As we build and support these places, we’re looking for ways to intentionally create space for expressing creativity! We know that art making is also a form of mediation, so we’re making sure they have the tools they need. Friends in Minnesota brought in art supply donations by the bucketload—markers, crayons, colored pencils, coloring … [Read more...] about Art Explosion

A little care package can go a long way. So, as a part of our joy-sparking Saturday in Action, we decided to create joy kits that can be used for a bit of much-needed self-care. We decided to create these little kits for our friends in Kenya, a group of LGBTIQ+ refugees. This is a twice marginalized group, living under the pressure of uncertainty and constant movement for safety. When you’re always moving around, it can be hard to find a moment to breathe. We wanted to send them something that might help create a little oasis, one they could bring with them wherever they go. Our friends in Minneapolis were up to the task! They pulled together notes of encouragement, relaxation oils, stress balls, art supplies, and other goodies to create a sense of calm. Inside each kit are the tools they’ll need to create a little bit of comfort, no matter where they are. Though these are just little things, we hope they'll go a long way in making days brighter. If you’d like to … [Read more...] about Self-Care, Anywhere

Sometimes joy can come as a mini message of affirmation. In South Sudan, we’re working to build women’s centers for women to build community, learn new skills, and find respite. As sanctuary spaces, we wanted to make sure they were joyful, too. These spaces seemed like the perfect places to leave nice notes of encouragement. Communicating and support in these kinds of spaces are so important. The connections that women make with one another in these safe spaces can be life changing—just ask Grace, our Protection lead in Ulang, South Sudan. Though most of us can’t travel to support these connections and communities in South Sudan, we can certainly support from afar. So, during Grace’s visit to Minneapolis, she convened a group of volunteers to write special messages of hope, solidarity, and belief for the women she works with in the center. She shared with us that just knowing someone cares, that someone is thinking of you or creating space for you, makes all the difference. … [Read more...] about Messages in a Bottle

When it comes to marking special occasions, nothing beats a beautiful bouquet of flowers. They’re bright, colorful, and full of joy—what could be better? For our last Saturdays in Action series, we focused on spreading and sparking joy, and flowers played a central role! We wish we could send a fresh bouquet to everyone we work with. After all, our global teams work so hard and certainly deserve celebration! But fresh flowers tend to be spendy, and they don’t last long. So, we had another idea for spreading joy in the world: paper flowers! Paper flowers are a great way to add lasting color, texture, and a bit of fun to any space. For this project, we focused on spreading joy at the U.S.-Mexico border. Over the past few months, we’ve been working at the border in sanctuary spaces with Catholic sisters. For many folks staying in these sanctuary spaces, the days can be drab and dragging. This is especially tough around the holiday season, which should be a time for celebration and … [Read more...] about Budding Joy

On a cold Saturday in November, Alight guests were transported to the aromatic streets of Southeast Asia. With over 300 vendors, stalls at Hmongtown Marketplace sell everything and anything the heart desires - from soaps, beauty products, colorful fabrics, to vibrant spices, exotic produce and even live ducks! During our tour of the market, we wanted not only to see but to help the market thrive. And what better way to do that than by taste testing some of the delicious offerings available? We treated our guests with bubble tea from a local vendor, Coco Island Papaya & Deli, to not only support them but to also entice visitors deeper into the two large complexes of the bazaar. We wandered the stalls of the market, chatting with people as we went, and meeting many first generation migrants from Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. One story in particular stuck out - a vendor, also a grandmother who sells clothing and beauty products, was proud to talk and share a photograph of her … [Read more...] about Bubbling Over With Excitement

In the Hmong tradition, beautiful and elaborate story quilts are created to preserve family history. Toua, who we first met yesterday at the Hmongtown Marketplace, has a family story quilt that is not only beautifully handstitched but also recounts the Hmong exodus as far back as the 1800s. His personal journey starts in Laos and Thailand, ending with the arrival of Toua and his family in St. Paul, Minnesota. That's where another adventure began, as he learned English while already enrolled in a 21 credit-load at a local university. A couple of guests that were invited to sit in on his story were recently resettled immigrants from East Africa. One of them, Emmanuel, chose to stand up and say a little bit about himself following Toua’s presentation. He said that he was honored to hear Toua's story, and was inspired to know that he was indeed able to support his family through all his hard work. Emmanuel had just arrived in the U.S. 7 weeks ago (!) and feels that after hearing … [Read more...] about Preserving History

Hmongtown Marketplace has been an important destination for the more than 100,000 Hmong people in the Twin Cities. As a central meeting place, it has served to preserve tradition and foster community. It's founder, Toua Xiong, a refugee himself, created this market space from the ground up. He's been able to persevere because for Toua, the challenges of building a business pale in comparison to some of the challenges he's been through. After he made is safely to Minnesota, he had a vision to not only to create a space that Hmong people could call home, but also a marketplace where first generation shop owners could start a livelihood and thrive. Now is a pivotal time for the marketplace, as many shop owners are thinking about passing down their businesses to the second generation. There’s a desire to reach out and invite in a broader community to learn and celebrate this culture and help preserve its legacy. So Alight decided to bring 30 guests to come and experience the … [Read more...] about Welcome to Hmongtown Marketplace

For many of the newly resettled refugees in Minnesota, this will be their first experience of a bitter cold winter. As you can imagine, winter can be shocking for new arrivals, especially if they don’t have the right gear to stay warm. So partnering with the International Institute of Minnesota (IIM), we put a call out for donations of winter gear to bring some warmth and comfort for these families experiencing the cold for the very first time... And boy were we amazed by the response! Donations came in from all over the Twin Cities – some people brought in their gently used things, and others purchased brand new gear on our Amazon wish list. In just a short amount of time, we gathered dozens of winter items: coats, snow pants, gloves, and hats. They're going to families who are new to this area - now they'll be better prepared to handle the months ahead. We were inspired by the generosity of so many Minnesotans. Jesse and Kristen recently moved back to their home state … [Read more...] about Keeping Cozy

International Institute of Minnesota (IIM) helps hundreds of individuals and families every week that are in need of citizenship applications support, English-learning classes, skills trainings, and more. But mothers and fathers tend to be limited in the time they can spend there or the type of support they can receive - they need to take care of their children. So when we gathered volunteers to support individuals with their citizenship applications, we wanted to make sure that those parents could give their full attention to the process. The quick solution? Setting up a kids' play room! We brought toys, coloring books, and games to entertain the kids while their parents worked on the long and detailed process. Corleen, who has worked at IIM for over 20 years, explained how valuable this was for the session today. “We don’t usually have this," she said. "It allows parents to focus on the important things while the kids have their own space.” We had a group of volunteers … [Read more...] about Leave the Hard Stuff to the Grown Ups

The International Institute of Minnesota (IIM) is an incredible resource for permanent residences in Minnesota, seeking to become U.S. citizens. These are individuals and families who love this country and want to contribute. But the process can be confusing. So IIM offers free appointments for people to receive guidance and support through all the complicated steps. In a typical session, they have 3 or 5 volunteers helping individuals with their application. While this makes an incredible difference for those they are able to help, there are many more families on the waitlist - and they're at risk of missing their window of opportunity to apply. So we decided to help IIM do the doable. We put out a call to our own network, and over 40 volunteers signed up to help! On a Saturday no less! Danielle and Michelle have been friends since middle school. Each of them married a non-U.S. citizen - Danielle’s husband is from Mexico, and this last February he finally received his … [Read more...] about A Guide Along the Way