Proposed digital platform could level the playing field for Minnesota youth, bill supporters say

Maitreya Reeder believes connecting with Catalyst for Change irrefutably changed her life.

Working with the program, Reeder, a St. Anthony Village High School senior who was recognized with a 2025 John Lewis Youth Leadership Award from the Office of the Secretary of State, created a piece of legislation to add naloxone administration training to middle and high school health classes.

Reeder sees contemporaries with similar passion, but without the resources to get involved. Even where youth workplace and leadership programs exist, access can sometimes be more about who you know instead of what you know.

That’s why Reeder supports a bill to create an online, one-stop shop for young people seeking ways to engage — a tool she hopes will ensure that “opportunity won’t be based on who you know, but your willingness to serve.”

Sponsored by Rep. Samakab Hussein (DFL-St. Paul), HF3004, as amended, would appropriate $1.3 million in Fiscal Year 2027 for a central digital platform to provide youth with information on internships, mentorships and job opportunities across the state.

The bill was held over Wednesday by the House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee for possible inclusion in a larger bill.

The platform would be required to target “the needs of youth ages 15 to 23 and, when possible, employ youth both to develop the platform and publicize it through an active program of social media and digital outreach.”

The idea grew in part from a November youth-priority session, said Samia Mohamud, a Bloomington Kennedy High School student. She said many students — particularly those outside metro areas — struggle to find workplace and leadership opportunities. Information is scattered across informal networks, email lists, and individual school or employer websites.

A statewide platform offers a practical solution, said Catalyst for Systems Change Executive Director Khalique Rogers. 

“For many young people, opportunity is not limited by talent but by access,” Rogers said. “If networks shape opportunity, we must give every young person a fair chance.”