African Development Center

The African Development Center hosted the first annual Students Against Violence (SAV) recruitment event of 2010 at the Meridel Le Sueur center. The event was an informational meeting for at-risk Somali youth to join SAV’s Role Modelz program.

SAV is a five-member student project that works to find constructive solutions to end youth violence in the Somali community through advocacy, leadership and commitment. SAV offers leadership development to boys between 14-19 years old to become emerging leaders within their community. Part of SAV’s program is to work with these boys to empower, educate and entertain them in order to prepare them for a better future.

ADC sponsored this event as part of its ongoing community and youth development initiatives. ADC Executive Director, Hussein Samatar, served as the keynote speaker and talked about his own experiences coming to the United States as a young adult and trying to establish a secure and sustainable life.

Hanan Osman, 24, a senior at the University of Minnesota and one of the main organizers for SAV, said ADC was the perfect place to host such an important event.

“We really appreciate the support from ADC,” said Osman. “We want to expose these young men to an environment that is very safe and that gives them a lot of hope, and ADC is exactly that.”

ADC has provided financial success to African communities throughout the Twin Cities, it now continues to reflect another element of promoting community building by investing in the youth. SAV’s members say that without the support from ADC, the event would not have been possible and so motivational for the youth.

“Mr. Samatar is such an important figure in our community,” said Osman. “It meant a lot to us for such a brilliant exemplar of leadership to speak to the young boys about their future and inspire them as a successful person they can relate to.”