Project Optimist: Building Bridges - Ep. 1 A Hero's Journey
'I heard some really moving stories that were, like, similar to mine but different in some ways. Different cultures have different experiences. I was moved.'
Nora Hertel
63 posts
Co-parenting program aims to reduce pains of divorce in central Minnesota
New research shows the program is 'highly acceptable and effective at targeting a key mechanism of change — reducing animosity between co-parents.'
Project Optimist wins 2 Minnesota news awards
The Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists 2026 Page One Awards recognized Project Optimist for its 2025 work and approaching fifth anniversary.
Fraud: What if we treat for-profits the same as nonprofits when they get public money?
Q&A with Minnesota Council of Nonprofits about new laws and efforts to fight fraud in the state.
Can philanthropy bridge our divides? Q&A with the Council on Foundations
'Philanthropy has the resources, has the ability, has the convening power to model a different path forward, to model a kind of leadership that is reaching across differences.'
Men build health, community, and little libraries at Hopkins Men’s Shed
'Sheds are grassroots. It's whatever the members want to do. That's number one.'
Can we expect to see more U.S. citizens denaturalized?
"We are in this place where a lot of the processes and procedures that we used to count on, certainly as lawyers and as advocates and policy folks, are really breaking down in ways that we didn't expect."
In polarized times some MN Democrats and Republicans find common ground
Minnesota Legislative Exchange makes time and space for lawmakers to connect.
Community Voices | Somali Americans in St. Cloud share impact of ICE
The Somali American Rights Coalition launches amid immigration enforcement surge, and a St. Cloud truck driver recounts his story of arrest and detainment.