MAVA is proud to announce the hiring of Regional Promise Fellow Julie Ingmire Seminitis. Julie will be working in central Minnesota to strengthen the America’s Promise program and to promote MAVA membership. This is a great collaborative effort between the Minnesota Alliance with Youth and MAVA that will help build MAVA’s presence and voice throughout the state of Minnesota.

Hello, my name is Julie Ingmire Seminitis and I am very excited to be participating in the America’s Promise program by serving as a Promise Fellow. I recently completed the coursework in the Social Responsibility master’s program at St. Cloud State University and will be graduating in May 2004. The Social Responsibility program addresses a citizen’s responsibility to others, to society and to the environment as well as offers practical skills for involved citizenship at the local, state, national, and global levels within a democratic and culturally diverse context.

A lot of my time and energy has been devoted to campus organizing and I am really looking forward to applying this knowledge and experience at the community level. For the past five years I have worked primarily as a domestic abuse advocate at a St. Cloud area battered women’s shelter, and as a sexual assault advocate at St. Cloud State University. I have found that providing women with the tools and support necessary to heal, and empowering them in order to break the cycle of abuse has been extremely satisfying. It means a lot to know that I can help to make a difference in a person’s life.

I enjoy traveling and soaking up local culture, camping in state parks and selecting picnic ingredients from the farmer’s market. I share my home with my husband and two felines that I absolutely adore, and I nurture my creative spirit by sewing and going to see live music.

The late Senator Paul Wellstone said, “The future will belong to those who have passion, and to those who are willing to make the personal commitment to make our country better.” I am pleased to have this opportunity to share my passion and commitment to creating positive change. 

America’s Promise is a program headed by the Corporation for National Service. The idea is based on a simple premise. The more support young people receive from their community, the more likely they are to be successful. Every child needs a caring adult role model in her or his life; a safe place to learn and grow; a healthy start; an opportunity to learn marketable skills through effective education; and opportunities to give back through community service. These are the Five Promises that America’s Promise strives to fulfill for every child.  

What does a Regional Promise Fellow do? Regional Promise Fellows work to strengthen and support communities who have embraced the concepts of America’s Promise and have positioned themselves as Communities of Promise. In addition, the Regional Promise Fellow works to help build new Communities of Promise by working with agencies within a community that serve youth and bring them together as a Community of Promise.  

How does America’s Promise fit with the mission of MAVA? Much of the work done within America’s Promise is done by volunteers and by volunteer coordinators. By having a Regional Promise Fellow, MAVA is in a position to reach out to volunteer coordinators within the field of youth services and to help strengthen their profession and connect them to the larger field of volunteer administration.