Opening doors and ushering in belonging for young people

In the town of Frazee, Minnesota (pop. 1,308), CornerStone Community & Youth Center isn’t a typical community center. It’s a vital support system. Offering everything from maker spaces to a free food cupboard and a bistro, the center provides a variety of community events and programs, rental spaces, and educational workshops—all designed to create connection and foster personal growth for youth in the Frazee community.

“This is a space for everyone, but youth in particular, to come together,” says Mackenzie Hamm, executive director of CornerStone. “They eat together, they create together, they volunteer together, and they have a safe place to hang out together.” 

Parts of the programming were made possible when CornerStone asked University of Minnesota Extension Central Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships for help exploring youth-focused entrepreneurship programs.

"CornerStone’s purpose and the partnership with [Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships] came from recognizing a serious gap," says Hamm. "We saw young people in Frazee struggling, and we wanted to be part of the solution."

Rising together

In 2023, looking to take things to the next level (literally), the center’s leadership sought guidance on opening a youth-led business. Teaming up with Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, a project was launched to harness University research in developing a model that would meet the unique needs of Frazee’s young people. 

Graduate student Dalila Hussein at the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs teamed up with CornerStone leadership to conduct research. Hussein focused on studying youth centers throughout the country that offer entrepreneurship programs and offered insight into the types of spaces and programs that would work best for CornerStone’s community.

Informed by Hussein’s report, the second floor of the old church was recommissioned into the Corner Collective Bistro. It brought a much-needed dining spot to Frazee, with all proceeds going to the community center downstairs. Perhaps most importantly—guided by the research findings—the bistro is an opportunity for local youth to gain work and leadership experience. 

A need for belonging 

At the Corner Collective Bistro, 18-year-old Emma Ketter dons an apron and washes her hands. During her shift, she serves up coffee, crepes, and a variety of other treats to customers. Before the bistro was built, Ketter showed up at CornerStone as a volunteer. Before CornerStone, Ketter remembers feeling extremely isolated. “I used to have very bad social anxiety in my preteen years,” she says.

Ketter isn’t alone. Research published by Essentia Health in 2022 revealed that many local youth struggle with mental health issues. More than a third of students surveyed expressed feeling depressed, down, or hopeless. Insufficient local support systems were listed as key drivers, including the lack of places to gather, limited creative opportunities, and insufficient work opportunities.

“Student survey results showed that kids felt like there was nothing to do in the community and that the adults didn’t care,” recalls Hamm. “That was troubling, and we knew we needed to address it.”

CornerStone Youth Center was established to help meet these needs, launching as a safe space for youth across Becker County. It wasn’t long before the center was brimming with local kids. 

Hamm says Ketter is one of the youth members who was enthusiastic from the very beginning.

“She painted a mural at the center, volunteered on the center's board as a youth representative, and even wrote a testimony on behalf of CornerStone that was read at the state capitol,” says Hamm. “When she first started, she was very quiet and reserved, but the growth we’ve seen in her has been amazing.”

“I knew I wanted to work [at the bistro] even before construction was done,” says Ketter. “I really enjoy how many people I've gotten to meet. … I feel like it definitely has had an important impact on our community and also on my journey.”

In the fall, Ketter will attend the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, where she dreams of getting her doctorate in psychology. She acknowledges that leaving her small town for the bustling metro will be a big change, but she’s learned that moving past your comfort zone is often the first step into something bigger.