“Thank you so much for sharing. I worked with mostly people from other cultures. We laughed so much and now that I am retired I miss them so much. ... I loved them so much and miss them more. Know in this time of the intolerance of fools...you are all the best of us, the MAKING of us. Everything you bring makes us better. Everything. Thank you so much for bringing your gifts to my country and making my country yours” – Facebook comment “Nice to have such programs it’s always nice when people open up to conversations.” – YouTube comment “As a recently retired English language teacher, this is wonderful! I hope this gets out to our schools. Thank you.” – Facebook comment
STORIES OF VETERANS AND IMMIGRANTS
HF 1999 Article 4 Sec. 2 Subd. 6 (e) Public Television. $5,000,000 the first year and $4,500,000 the second year are to the Minnesota Public Television Association for production and acquisition grants according to Minnesota Statutes, section 129D.18. Of the amount in the first year, $1,000,000 is for producing Minnesota military and veterans’ history stories and unique immigrant stories from around the state.
Four Strangers
Distribution & Reach
Premiere Date: September 10, 2024 Format: 4 x 10-minute episodes
Platform
Reach (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025)
Description
Streaming
4 episodes available | 1 hour available | 118,853 streams
Social Media
6 posts | 157,797 video views | 6,008 engagements
In Four Strangers , four Minnesotans from different immigrant communities open a window into their experiences through intimate interviews paired with honest conversations over dinner party games. Each episode of this digital series takes the perspective of one individual as they share what it’s like to move to, live in, and prosper in the Midwest.
Four Strangers crew photo
Education
“Thank you for these stories! Olu is a gem.” – YouTube comment
Support materials for Four Strangers were created in collaboration with featured talent and a local ethnic studies specialist. The materials are designed for use with students in grades 9-12 in classroom settings, as well as informal learning spaces in community centers for seniors and in adult basic education programs. They include viewing guides with discussion questions for all four episodes, activity guides, and vocabulary terms (20 resources total). Resources were published to TPTLearn.org in July 2025 and will continue to be disseminated in the next biennium.
Impact
To produce this series, TPT collaborated with community producers to ideate and produce the episodes for a YouTube-first audience. The process of creating the series was as important to us as the audience reach. We wanted to ensure that mentorship was woven throughout the process and we wanted to listen to understand — this was not just about teaching people to make a video, it was about learning from them about how to collaborate better. Through that collaboration, we identified the following priorities for this project: • Does the series depict an authentic experience from the community? The overall goal of the content was to create a series with community, not just about community, focusing particularly on reaching younger immigrants to Minnesota and the Midwest who might find resonance with the stories we were sharing. The secondary audience goal was to build empathy with Minnesota/Midwest residents, also in that 35-55 age range. The videos have performed well on YouTube and Facebook, with many shares and comments. The series garnered 100 new YouTube subscribers for the station’s channel, anecdotally suggesting that we were successful in reaching a new audience through this work by and for community. • Is the series innovative within the way we produce at TPT? • Did our community producers grow from this experience?
Episodes
Puerto Rican in the Midwest: Where Do I Belong? | Episode 1 | September 10, 2024 Puerto Ricans are American citizens at birth, but immigrating to the Midwest can still feel like landing in a foreign country. Xavier meets three kindred spirits on similar journeys to share stories of Florecitas, the challenges of adapting to a new language, and the insights he’s gained since leaving behind his closest confidant: his father. How Hot Maté Got Rid of the Minnesota Cold | Episode 2 | September 12, 2024 Thinking about moving somewhere new but don’t speak the language? Dani, an Argentinean immigrant, navigated life in the Midwest with excitement but also guilt. With the support of friends and the comfort of a cup of hot yerba maté, she eventually found her place in her new home. Why I Moved to Minnesota and What Keeps Me Here | Episode 3 | September 17, 2024 In Nigeria, Olu was made to speak English over Yoruba, his first language. Now, he navigates the complexities of Black identity in America, while drawing comfort from South Asian flavors that evoke memories of home. My Minnesota Culture Shock | Episode 4 | September 19, 2024 Where is home when you can’t go back to the place you are from? As a pwa k’nyaw (Karen) refugee living in the Midwest and as an author, Remona creates stories that offer a sense of belonging for immigrant children.
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