EmpowerMT believes that each of us plays an individual role in creating a community that is safe, welcoming, and inclusive of all people.
Community
How We Impact The Community
We work to strengthen communities throughout the entire state of Montana by empowering marginalized groups, teaching allyship skills, and increasing communication and understanding across group lines. Each year, we partner with several agencies to provide community events and training locally, regionally, and statewide.
Our community work includes collaborating with businesses and groups for our two, annual, signature celebrations: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Diversity Day. We are proud to sponsor two events that engage hundreds of people each year in civil dialogue and action.
EmpowerMT also helps facilitate community conversations around divisive issues. Examples include leading a three-month process involving more than 200 people in the controversial issue of siting a new location for the city’s emergency homeless shelter and facilitating the UMatter forum on Sexual Assault for The University of Montana.
Would you like to host a workshop or partner with us for a community event? Do you need support facilitating a community conversation?
Youth Lead Now awards: In 2019, we created the Youth Lead Now Awards to celebrate Youth leadership and activism in Montana. The power of youth leadership is essential in creating positive change. Since 1998, EmpoweMT has seen young leaders transform their schools and communities, including creating Diversity Day! Montana is full of powerful youth-led action that deserves to be celebrated. EmpowerMT and our Youth Advisory Council are always inspired to honor some of these youth leaders at Diversity Day.
We are always moved by our awardees’ hard work, who create ripples of change without expectations of recognition or awards. We also want to recognize all the youth leaders making strides, big and small, to create a more safe and inclusive future across Montana.
Diversity Day
A History: Empowering youth leadership is central to the mission of EmpowerMT. On April 12, 2010, Missoula’s city council passed a non-discrimination ordinance protecting community members from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. EPIC, EmpowerMT’s afterschool leadership development program for 4th-8th grade students, played a crucial role in passing the ordinance. This group proposed an annual day of celebration and recognition of all that makes Garden City vibrant and unique. The city officially proclaimed Diversity Day. On the second Saturday of April, hundreds of Missoulians come together to show their commitment to making our city inclusive and welcoming for all.
Diversity Day offers a unique experience for local young people to get involved and have a voice in every facet of the event – visioning, planning, coordinating, and performing. Each year features an eclectic mix of youth talent and performances ranging from song, dance, video, spoken word, and a headliner, all-around a “Diverse City” theme.
To nominate youth performers, please email our Youth Programs staff at Youth@empowermt.org.
This annual celebration is every April and is always a free, family-friendly event. We hope to see you there!
Youth as Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement
Did you know that thousands of children marched for the Civil Rights Movement and helped end racial segregation? The Children’s Crusade was a famous march where hundreds of brave children marched to end segregationist policies in Birmingham, Alabama. Other children marched in Washington, DC too. Young voices can help us move forward into the kind of future we all want to see! This example might provide inspiration for the art and writing contest. Suggested ideas: We don’t have to march to help make a change. We can also help make a change through kindness and trying to help end bullying and racism among our peers. Students can write or create art about times that they were leaders, such as times they spoke out to help someone else, a time when someone helped them, or they can talk about ideas for how to keep moving society forward so that racism no longer exists.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
The Lynn Schwanke Youth Art and Essay Contest: Every year, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, EmpowerMT, in partnership with the Missoulian and the Missoula MLK Day Celebration Committee, hosts a Youth Art & Essay Contest for youth across Western Montana to create art that celebrates Dr. King’s legacy. EmpowerMT’s Youth Advisory Council (YAC) chooses powerful quotes from Dr. King that serve as prompts for participants. YAC also selects winning art and essays judged in age categories based on school grade (K-2nd, 3rd-5th, 6th-8th, 9th-12th).
