The Next Step Program 2010 First Session

·March 17th: Ron Mallory and his Bear Claw Junior drum band and hoop dancer from the Ho-Chunk Nation, Black River Falls. There will be explanations about the drumming, singing and dancing. Members of the Winona Dakota Unity Alliance are invited, including Chief Wabasha who may say a blessing. Chief Wabasha has not confirmed yet. Program overview.

·March 24th: Field trip: Visit Featherstone Farms, Rushford. They will cook dinner for us, give us a tour, discuss sustainable and community supported organic farming. We are hoping to have some of the Mexican migrant workers there to hear about their experiences in this country. Jack Hedeen, the owner, has reached out to the workers and the Rushford community to help create a safe, welcoming.

·March 31st: Dan Book, recently retired game warden with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will discuss his work with the DNR, his love of turkey hunting and respect for nature, and his outreach to the Hmong community. Dan was also instrumental in reaching out to people with disabilities.

·April 7th: Joe Morse to discuss his work in the Civil Rights Movement, then and now. Joe will also say a few words about his work to end violence against women and his work to protect the environment.

·April 14th: Cecil Adams discuss Program Overview and Assessment.

·April 21st: Field Trip: Visit to former Rep. Ken Tschumper's Organic Dairy farm on a ridge above La Crescent. Pizza at the Pizza Shop in La Crescent.

·April 28th: Eric Errthum, a professor at Winona State University in the department of Mathematics and Statistics, will explain why math-related careers frequently rank at the top of the most desirable jobs. He will then give a brief overview of the history and mathematics of cryptography, and students will create and break various codes.

·May 5th: Donna Buckbee to present Harriet Tubman, known as the "Moses of her people." Over the course of 10 years, and at great personal risk, Harriet led hundreds of slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad, a secret network of safe houses where runaway slaves could stay on their journey north to freedom. She later became a leader in the abolitionist movement, and during the Civil War she was a spy for the federal forces in South Carolina as well as a nurse.

·May 12th: Karla Kinstler and the Houston Nature Center. Karla is a world expert on owls. Dress warmly; she may take us on an owl-listening walk. Alice the Owl, an injured owl who can never return to the wild, is Karla's "assistant" and will help Karla present.

·May 19th: Bob Bovee and Gail Heil, old time musicians will discuss the African American influence on old-time music. They will play some tunes composed by African Americans and perhaps they will show a brief video of an African American jug band, ending with some hands-on experience with the participant's very own jug band using simple, household items..

AAMAN is committed to giving at-risk children of low-income families the resources to realize the possibility of a successful and productive life. We believe the quality of the investment we make in them and their families will help to positively shape their future. These children represent the promise of accomplishing great things and deserve every opportunity to fulfill that promise without restrictions. AAMAN inspires children to learn, adults to teach and communities to move  forward together.