Walk, Bike, Thrive: Empowering Youth and Strengthening Partnerships in Grand Portage

Efforts are underway to address active living challenges in Grand Portage, which is home to the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and shares geography with Cook County. In places where it’s safe and convenient to walk, bike, and roll, it’s easier for people to be active, stay connected, and access everyday destinations. So, a Walk Audit was conducted in July to assess these issues, and importantly, it became a youth-driven effort to empower local kids.  

Kristina Campbell Mattson (Cook County Public Health State Health Improvement Partnership [SHIP] Coordinator) and Julissa Swader, (Youth Program Director at the Grand Portage Community Center) engaged kids ages 6-14 at a summer day camp. They walked the streets, identified areas that felt unsafe or in need of improvement, and envisioned changes that could help them be more active and move freely through their community. Based on the results of the Walk Audit, the group is advocating for a sidewalk or curb extension to be added to the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) plan for Grand Portage.

Another benefit of this work is the ongoing relationship building between county and tribal staff. Grand Portage Tribal Council Chair Bobby Deschampe, looking for ways to make active living more accessible, initiated a conversation with Cook County Highway Engineer Robbie Kimmel-Hass. As a member of the Active Living Steering Committe and the Cook County SHIP Community Leadership Team, Kimmel-Hass was familiar with SHIP work and brought Campbell Mattson into the discussion.

This led to the revival of a Bike Safety Rodeo in Grand Portage, an event in which kids of all ages could learn or refresh bike safety skills. Held at the Grand Portage Community Center on September 21, all children attending could get their bike checked by a mechanic, ride a bike skills course, and take home a free bike helmet (made possible by Joynes Ben Franklin and the North Shore Collaborative). The SRTS Bike Fleet was on site, for anyone who needed to borrow one.

Looking forward, Deschampe, Kimmel-Hass, and Campbell Mattson hope to secure a SRTS Infrastructure Grant to realize the changes envisioned during the Walk Audit.

These events contribute to creating active and thriving communities. But Mattson stressed that a key outcome has been following the lead of the Grand Portage community, whose expressed needs and desires drove both the walk audit and the Bike Safety Rodeo.  

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