OUR STORY

Speaking Out Collective (aka SOC and Speaking Out!) came into existence in 2018 after pleas from concerned community members, parents and leaders, and  officially incorporated in 2019. We create arts-based curriculum and programming to nurture curiosity, creativity and critical thinking for all ages.

We are a collective of artists and teaching artists who believe that story is a vehicle for self expression, questioning, and creating new narratives together. Our staff and board are predominately BIPOC and have over 350 combined years of experience. Many are leading experts in their respective field.

In less than five years, we’ve grown to serve twelve elementary schools in Minnesota’s Metro (Minneapolis/St. Paul) in primarily Title I locations, along with multiple early learning centers, domestic violence shelters and local communities in Minnesota. That translates to serving nearly 3,000 kids annually, 500 teachers and countless adults. 

We develop, train and deliver our curriculum and methodology throughout the state of Minnesota from Duluth to Rochester. Our key stakeholders and participants where we operate most, often live in trauma riddled communities, receive free and reduced lunch and/or experiencing marginalization.