Self-Advocacy Classes
Upstream Arts is proud to offer arts-based
Self-Advocacy classes for adults with disabilities!
Your story is yours to tell.
Our Self-Advocacy classes offer a fun, creative, and experiential learning environment for adults 18+ to strengthen self-advocacy skills with and alongside Upstream Arts artists and peers.
We use the arts to explore topics related to informed choice and person-centered planning, integrating theater, dance, visual arts, poetry and music into our weekly classes.
Through these classes self-advocates will have the opportunity to explore their interests and strengths, increase their ability to express what they want and need, and rehearse independent living skills through theater and role-playing real life experiences.
Our Final Self-Advocacy Class
As you may know, in April 2025, Upstream Arts shared the difficult and pivotal news that we will be sunsetting the organization in the next fiscal year. After 20 years of incredible impactful work, we will be closing this chapter with dignity and care—for our participants, artists, educators, staff, families, supporters, and wider community.
As part of this process, we are excited to offer one final opportunity to bring our Self-Advocacy community together—to meet, create, practice, play, and focus on our self-advocacy goals. Most importantly, we will take the time to say goodbye.
Our Self-Advocacy community began in 2020, in the midst of the COVID pandemic, and has grown in beautiful, immeasurable ways—from weekly in-person meetups to vibrant online classes, we’ve watched self-advocactes show up again and again with skills, voice, and powerful choices, showing and sharing who they are and what they want the world to know about them.
It has been one of our greatest honors to be in community with you all, learning side by side through the Art of Self-Advocacy. We are so looking forward to gathering one final time—in joy, in community, and in celebration.
***Registration OPEN!***
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Summer 2025 Self-Advocacy classes
meet in person weekly for 8-weeks
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Pillsbury House Community Center
3501 Chicago Ave S. Minneapolis, MN 55407
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FRIDAYS 12.30-1.30pm
July 11, 18, 25
August 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
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ASL Interpretation provided
Classes are FREE and open to the public ages 18+
Summer Classes are FREE!
Our deepest gratitude goes out to MSS Day and Employment Service provider for sponsoring the final Upstream Arts Self-Advocacy class. For more than a decade, we’ve partnered with MSS to grow not only our Self-Advocacy programs, but also our Art of Relationships and prevention work.
With every new idea and every moment of advocacy, MSS has stood with us—offering wisdom, support, and guidance.
Thank you MSS, for showing up once again to meet this moment. Thank you for helping us end well—and for making sure we can all say goodbye. 
www.mssmn.org