Being involved with WE WIN Institute for over 20 years, Board Chair LuAnn Yerks spoke to Unicorn Riot after WE WIN’s groundbreaking. “It’s an amazing community organization and it’s all about the children … we are very excited to have a building, so we are not moving to different locations,” Yerks said.
Founded in 1996 by award-winning educator Titilayo Bediako, WE WIN Institute has served thousands of youth in Minneapolis with a mission of creating academic and social success for all children. Students participate in free after-school, in-school and summer school programming featuring an Afrocentric and multicultural curriculum.
Known locally for its vivacious Kwanzaa Celebrations, large urban garden, Harvest Fest, and back-to-school and Black-authored book give-away events, WE WIN has also offered parent groups, tutoring, entrepreneurial programming, a litany of arts related programming, as well as cooking, gardening and mentoring.
For nearly three decades, the educational nonprofit WE WIN Institute has been nomadic, serving youth in Minneapolis out of rented spaces. But that era is coming to a close — on November 19, 2024, WE WIN held a groundbreaking event for their new building in Minneapolis’ Bryn Mawr neighborhood. Unicorn Riot was there to document the historic occasion and interview board members, organization partners and a former student-turned-staff.
