The Twin Ports Transportation Academy is an eight-week course, hosted by Zeitgeist Center for Arts & Community, designed to educate, empower, and engage everyday citizens on the community mobility issues that matter most. The Academy is open to anyone aged 15+ living in the Twin Ports region who is interested in bringing lived expertise to local and regional transportation planning processes in order to increase equity, safety, inclusion, health, accessibility, and dignity in our transportation systems. The Academy is free of charge and a stipend is available for participation and to cover costs associated with family caregivers or transportation to/from classes, as needed. Participants will come away with an understanding of how we got here with our current transportation systems, who's been historically left out, and what we can do to create transportation systems that provide mobility access to people of all ages, abilities, races, genders, and income levels. Over the course of the eight weeks, participants will hear from local transportation leaders, technical experts, engage in a variety of learning materials from videos and films to articles and podcasts, and develop individual research projects and presentations.

The Twin Ports Transportation Academy will take place weekly on Wednesday evenings from 5:30 -7:30 pm, September 16th – November 4th, 2026. Classes will primarily occur in-person at Zeitgeist or at a predetermined site in the community (accessible by public transportation). Light appetizers will be provided. Participants are expected to attend all sessions barring illness or emergency.

People of all ages 15+, abilities, and levels of experience are encouraged to apply. The application process ensures that participants represent a diverse, intergenerational, cross-section of the community and prioritizes those who use walking, biking or busing as a primary form of transportation. The deadline to apply is by 11:59 pm on Sunday, August 23rd.

This application should take roughly 10-20 minutes to complete. If you require assistance with the application, and/or have questions about the Academy, please contact Andrea Crouse at andrea@zeitgeistarts.com or 218-590-1139.

Please note applying does not guarantee acceptance into the Twin Ports Transportation Academy. Applications will be reviewed by Zeitgeist staff and applicants notified by Friday, September 4th. Applicants accepted into the Academy will be expected to accept/decline participation in the course by end of the day Monday, September 7th.