Trillium Family Foundation grant supports Mac Project Corps

By Talia Bank ‘23

St. Paul, Minn. – In January, 110 students completed the second iteration of Mac Project Corps with support from the Trillium Family Foundation. This year’s virtual, two-week micro-internship program connected three community partners — The Loft Literary Center, the City of Saint Paul, and Ramsey County — with teams of 3-5 students who were tasked with coming up with potential solutions for the challenges each partner presented. The students received a stipend and three teams were awarded $1,000 prizes. 

Previously a summer-long and in-person program, Mac Project Corps has operated as a virtual micro-internship during the pandemic. The idea behind the shift was to offer students a chance to gain experience in collaborative problem-solving and to network with professionals without the need for a long-term commitment or to be physically present on campus. Though the virtual format came with its challenges, such as navigating different time zones, it provided students the opportunity to engage with more than 60 alumni from all over the world. 

“Students overwhelmingly said they loved getting to work with peers, contributing to an organization in the Twin Cities, and meeting with alums,” said internship director Kate Larson. “Albeit in this Zoom world, it’s really powerful that you can see rad human beings that were at Mac doing what you’re doing and are now out in the world.”

This year’s community partners invited students to devise potential solutions to a variety of challenges and goals. The City of Saint Paul sought to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion programming for its employees. Ramsey County focused on alternatives to police response for non-emergency 911 calls. And the Loft Literary Center aimed to expand their Bring the Loft to You initiative. 

Sid Layesa ’25, Grace McDonough ’24, Sukari Wright ’22, and Xiu Mei Golden ’23, worked together as “Team Top Hat” to tackle Ramsey County’s challenge. They proposed an approach to non-emergency 911 calls modeled on community response in the Philippines and initiatives like CAHOOTS in Oregon and Grady EMS in Georgia. Their plan included dispatching a harm reduction specialist, a community member trained in crisis response, and a licensed social worker. 

“The idea was if it’s a nonviolent situation, you can call this multidisciplinary team in place of the police, and they would be able to handle the situation without weapons,” said Golden. 

Their plan also emphasized de-escalation, direct involvement of neighbors and community members, and long-term resources to prevent incarceration.

“One of the other goals we had was to provide resources for mental health and substance abuse so that people calling 911 can get long-term help and hopefully not have to call again, preventing more encounters that could lead to harm,” added Wright. 

Despite having just two weeks to craft an effective and workable plan, Team Top Hat and the rest of the 2022 Mac Project Corps cohort rose to the challenge. 

“One of the highlights is really the collaborative aspect, which has been such a learning experience,” said Layesa. “I was just really grateful to be able to learn new things working under pressure within a short period of time and putting this beautiful thing together.” 

About the Trillium Family Foundation 

The Trillium Family Foundation is based in Saint Paul and focuses on grant-making and philanthropy towards leadership development, increasing civic engagement, and advancing racial equity and environmental solutions in the Twin Cities and Lander, Wyoming.