The YES! House Advisory Council

The YES! House Advisory Council Members (L-R): Michelle Vavricka, Jeremy Radtke, Allie Cole, Tamara Isfeld, Joe Hauger. Not pictured: Luwaina Al-Otaibi (The YES! House Program Director) and Shy Miguel (The YES! House Program Assistant).

The YES! House Advisory Council (Advisory Council) is committed to the shared vision for the operations and stewardship of The YES! House building, an in-progress creative community gathering space and home base for Department of Public Transformation (DoPT) in downtown Granite Falls, MN. The Advisory Council is comprised of local community members, as well as DoPT/The YES! House staff and board members. One spot on the council is reserved for a local Creative Collaboration Team (CCT) member, and other local community members are selected through a periodic Open Community Call process.

The Advisory Council’s work is guided by the following statements:

  • Shared Vision: The YES! House is an inspired inclusive space where staff and volunteers host locals, artists, and visitors in conversations, collaborations, and creativity.

  • Stewardship and Operations Statement: The YES! House is guided and cared for by a local group committed to transparency, accountability, and community connection in partnership with Department of Public Transformation (DoPT). The YES! House is staffed, financed, and managed by Department of Public Transformation (DoPT).

The Advisory Council meets 4-5 times per year (roughly quarterly) to discuss and advise on items related to the stewardship and operations of The YES! House building, such as:

  • Transparency, accountability, and community connection challenges and opportunities

  • Issues, interests, concerns, and needs of the local community of Granite Falls and the surrounding region

  • Revenue and rental opportunities 

  • How to communicate to the general public about The YES! House 

  • Creation and ongoing operations of volunteer activities (outside of the CCT which will remain responsible for supporting ongoing events and programming of the space)

  • Engage your network to build and maintain relationships and collaborations between The YES! House and other local businesses, organizations, and individuals

  • Other challenges and opportunities as they develop

The shared vision and Stewardship and Operation Statement for The YES! House was established by the 7-member YES! House Futures Committee (temporary task force) in early 2023. An Interim Group of 5 members representing the Creative Collaboration Team (CCT) and YES! House Futures met twice to design the structure of the Council in the Fall of 2023.

The Creative Collaboration Team (CCT) is a group of volunteers from the Granite Falls area that meets monthly to work together with The YES! House staff to help promote, plan, and host programming. CCT members extend our outreach to the broader community as each member connects The YES! House to their networks. Each CCT member co-hosts a number of events to help set up, host, and clean up during an event. They also each host “CCT Saturday Hangout” events, where they open The YES! House from 10-1 PM on a Saturday and share a fun activity with the community! CCT members may also help staff with other projects and events at The YES! House as needed.

 

 The YES! House Advisory Council is possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.