As part of our Leading Local partnership with the Winona Post, we want your input on what big issue we should explore with a series of in-depth stories and community conversations this fall, as well as what other topics or skills you want to learn more about. Funded by a Press Forward Minnesota grant, Leading Local is focused on helping people better understand and take part in local civic life through skill-sharing workshops, in-depth journalism, and community conversations.

Please let us know what you want to see by filling out a four-question survey using the QR code below or at: bit.ly/4fow1xy. Thank you for your help! 

Volunteer organizers share advice. Volunteers are the lifeblood of many nonprofits, community organizations and events, but attracting and keeping committed helpers has become increasingly difficult for many groups. Earlier this month, as part of a Leading Local workshop organized by the Winona Post and Engage Winona, a panel of local volunteer organizers shared their experiences and advice.

Engage Winona is kicking off summer, and there’s an invitation for everyone!

This summer brings a full lineup of opportunities to connect, get involved, and have some fun along the way. We're also closing the chapter on a season of work we're really proud of, and celebrating the community that made it possible. There's a place for you in all of it — keep reading to find yours.

Winona County Housing Fact Sheet from MN Storycollective Housing Sensemaking Session

Engage Winona wraps up this year’s community builders book club. Over the past year, we’ve gathered to read books covering a wide range of topics, connecting people and ideas while making new friends and neighbors.

.Together, these ideas help participants envision how our community was formed, how it can further be shaped, and how they can get involved in the community they love.

On April 14, Engage Winona and the Winona Post hosted a Local Government 101 workshop. It is the first of many upcoming workshops and other events the two organizations are offering under the umbrella of Leading Local.

Engage Winona Program and Communications Manager Isabel McNally said, at its core, the Leading Local partnership is about civic health, meaning, “... creating communities where people can contribute, they can collaborate, and everyone feels like they have something of value to share in this community, because they do,” McNally said. “And kind of creating those structures for everyone to feel like they do have power and voice and they know how to use it should they wish to.”

Leading Local is a collaboration between the Winona Post and Engage Winona designed to strengthen civic participation in Winona County and beyond. The initiative brings together trusted local journalism, practical civic learning, and community conversations to help people better understand and engage with their communities.

In 2026 and 2027, Leading Local will offer workshops on how to get involved and take action, in-depth reporting on local issues, and community forums where residents can learn, ask questions, and share perspectives. These efforts are meant to make local news and civic information easier to find and easier to use. All activities are nonpartisan and open to the public.

The goal of Leading Local is to build confidence among residents to get involved in their communities, increase access to reliable civic and community information, and raise awareness of local news as a trusted resource.

A community survey to help shape the project is open through April 2026. Take the survey here!

Engage Winona’s January Newsletter - Coming together through connection, creativity, and care

Program Development Fellow, Angelina Rueda reflects on practicum meeting she facilitated with Civic Bridgers Fellows.

Engage Winona is excited to partner with the State of Minnesota on an innovative new project: MN StoryCollective. At its heart, the project is simple but powerful. People across Minnesota are invited to share short, anonymous stories from their own lives. These stories then form a collective resource that helps shape how the state invests in communities through future funding, programs, and policies.

You can share your story today at ourtomorro.ws/engagewinona. This partnership builds on Engage Winona’s ongoing work of valuing lived experiences, creating connections, and centering community voices in shaping our shared future.

August news from Engage Winona!

July 2025 Newsletter - MidYear Check-in at Engage Winona

Engage Winona Celebrates Lived Experience Leaders Graduates!

Mural unveiled at Habitat for Humanity Winona. The mural was created as a collaboration of the Winona Area Kitchen Table, and the Joy Labs.