Minnesota Youth Collective (MYC)

History

Minnesota Youth Collective, with the affiliated Minnesota Youth Collective Education Fund, was founded in 2018. ¹ MYC began as a left-of-center organization for young people, especially people of color and LGBT youth. ² It claims to represent those “who aren’t represented by the wealthy, old, white men who historically hold positions of power.” ³ MYC is based in Minneapolis-Saint Paul but has previously had local offices working with colleges and cities in Duluth, St. Cloud, Mankato, and Northfield. ⁴

MYC is a state affiliate of the national Alliance for Youth Organizing, ⁵ which is funded by George Soros’s Open Society Foundation, New Venture Fund, Ford Foundation, and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. ⁶

Organization and Activities

Minnesota Youth Collective focuses on issue advocacy, civic engagement, and leadership development. ⁷ In issue advocacy, MYC was a proponent of Yes 4 Minneapolis, a ballot initiative to eliminate the Minneapolis police department and replace it with a department of public safety. ⁸ The proposed initiative took a “comprehensive mental health approach” to public safety, stating that a new department could include police officers if necessary. ⁹ Voters rejected this ballot initiative in 2021. ⁹

In 2021, MYC worked to pass a rent stabilization act in Saint Paul. ⁸ However, a year after the act passed, the Saint Paul city council voted to roll back some of the provisions, asserting that the act was one of the strictest rent control policies in the country. ¹⁰ MYC hosted a get out the vote concert to raise money for abortion advocacy. ¹¹ It is actively pursuing gun control by leading student walkouts in schools and hosting the gun control group March for Our Lives. ⁵

MYC advocates for canceling student loan debt. ¹² It has called the United State a settler colonial empire and advocates celebrating “Indigenous People’s Day” instead of Columbus Day. ¹³ In November 2022, MYC began working with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union to organize and train college students on union organizing. ¹⁴

With civic engagement, MYC has volunteers fill out a pledge card stating areas of interest and acknowledging people will vote in elections. ¹⁵ It registers college and high school students and younger people to vote. ¹⁶ MYC provides voting guides, sample ballots, and online resources to check registration, find polling locations, and information on early voting. ¹⁵ In 2022, MYC produced and distributed more than 110,000 guides to voters in Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and Northfield. ¹⁷

MYC provides leadership development by offering paid fellowships. ¹⁸ It seeks to lead in the short term through voting participation, creating youth engagement in the political process, and pushing left-of-center policies and positions. ¹⁹ Long term, MYC seeks to elect future leaders of this movement, create a critical constituency of youth, and prioritize left-of-center causes. ¹⁹

Finances

In 2019, Minnesota Youth Collective had net assets of $51,298. ²⁰ According to the organization’s tax returns, in 2019 MYC recorded $196,390 in revenue and $202,480 in expenses. ²⁰ In 2018, it had $471,807 in revenue and $414,378 in expenses. ²¹

Leadership

Rahhel Haile is a co-founder of Minnesota Youth Collective and is executive director of program and policy. ²² Haile has stated that she tries not to let ambition drive her because it is rooted in capitalism and individualism. ²³ Haile has said that she is most passionate about abolishing the police and fighting global warming. ²³ Outside of MYC, Haile is active in abolishing the police movements in the Twin Cities. ²⁴

Emily Wellen is a co-founder of MYC and is currently executive director of resource development. ²² From 2016 through 2018, Wellen was Minnesota political and field director for left-of-center America Votes. ²⁵ She worked for the Bus Federation (precursor of the Alliance for Youth Organizing.) ⁵ Wellen has worked for left-of-center groups Raise the Wage Oregon, Chicago Votes, Grassroots Solutions, Al Franken for Senate, and Organizing for America. ²⁵