Sponsor: Transforming Systems Together
Title
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Grant Agreement with Youth Lens 360, LLC for the Guns for Cameras Program
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Recommendation
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1. Authorize the County Manager to execute a grant agreement for the use of Ramsey County assets with Youth Lens 360, LLC, 370 Wabasha Street North, Saint Paul, MN 55102, for the Guns for Cameras Program.
2. Authorize the County Manager to enter into a grant agreement and execute amendments to agreement in a form approved by Finance and the County Attorney’s Office provided the amounts are within the limits of the approved program.
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Background and Rationale
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Ramsey County has been working to address gun violence with several different interventions. Guns for Cameras is an innovative program from Youth Lens 360 where “kids can shoot a camera instead of a gun.” Through this grant agreement, Ramsey County will provide county assets to Youth Lens 360, LLC, to support the Youth Lens 360 program, which equips impacted youth with the necessary skills in videography through Guns for Cameras Program. Youth Lens 360 is a nonprofit that works with young people by harnessing the power of local youth and young adults craving to tell stories while they build their careers. Youth and young adult participants gain the opportunity to learn from experts in the field about various skills related to videography and to create portfolios that can be used to express themselves and earn income. In this agreement with Youth Lens 360, Ramsey County agrees to provide video equipment to enable this programming that aligns with the county’s commitment to gun violence intervention. To learn more about the Guns for Cameras Program, visit: <https://vimeo.com/636923210>.
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County Goals (Check those advanced by Action)
☐ Well-being ☒ Prosperity ☐ Opportunity ☐ Accountability
Racial Equity Impact
Ramsey County’s work around group and gun violence has been centered in racial equity by working with people of color who have been impacted by gun violence to heal. Supporting Guns for Cameras Program adds an additional dimension to this commitment by investing back into youth and young adults who have been engaged with and effected by gun violence, many of whom are survivors of the Ramsey County public safety system.
Community Participation Level and Impact
To give community members impacted by group/gun violence opportunities to explore new pathways, Transforming Systems Together will partner with Youth Lens 360 to provide access to state-of-the-art cinematography and videography equipment for community members to develop new innovative life skills. Community members will also have access and will be guided by photography experts to reduce/end community gun violence.
☒ Inform ☒ Consult ☒ Involve ☒ Collaborate ☒ Empower
Fiscal Impact
The Transforming Systems Together budget was utilized to cover the cost of equipment, which amounted to $204,435 which were purchased through a cooperative contract. The equipment was purchased on May 10, 2022. This agreement has no financial impact and outlines the relationship between Youth Lens and Ramsey County.
Last Previous Action
None.
Attachments
1. List of equipment
2. Guns for Cameras presentation