Detroit Community-Engaged Research Program
The Detroit Community-Engaged Research Program (DCERP) provides U-M undergraduate students opportunities to work with Detroit non-profits on research and creative projects led by the organizations themselves. Students selected for the 9-week summer program are paid a stipend and become part of an intentional learning community that shares a passion for social justice and making change. DCERP fellows attend program meetings and form small collaborative learning groups that delve into topics of mutual interest, such as the city’s culture and history through a social justice lens, community engagement, personal growth and professional development.
The DCERP is generously funded by the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. The program receives additional support from the Ford Fund (Ford Community Corps grant), the Katherine Redlich-Horwitz Family Foundation, and the Audrey and Ralph Goldberg Fund.
DCERP 2022 Student Blogs
- week 9 – Bridging Academia with community orgsThe biggest lesson I learned from the past few weeks is to bridge the data with ground knowledge. While we could collect data from many sources profiling the entrepreneurs or describing our impacts, the feedbacks from entrepreneurs themselves is …
- Week 9This was the most bittersweet week out of all the other weeks. I was excited but also sad that I was at the finish line. All I could think of was how these kids were going to feel when …
- Week 9: And That’s a Wrap…. For This ChapterCongratulations Everyone!! We have finished our summer with DCERP. I am very proud of everyone in DCERP and I know we have plenty more opportunities ahead of us! I am happy I was able to meet you all and …
- Ninth Week in Detroit: Farewell and ForewordI’m really glad I got to know Detroit this summer. I loved learning about the history of the city and how it has evolved over time. As a pillar of the midwest with a chip on its shoulder, the …
- Week 9: Thank You and Farewell!The end is finally here, and I just wanted to thank everyone for such an enjoyable and unique summer! In rereading my first blog post, I can tell how much I’ve grown within these past 9 weeks. I’ve learned …
- Week 9: Goodbye…For Now 🙂It has been such a pleasure to work with the Office of Homeless and Foster Care in the DPS Community District. In my first blog post, I mentioned that I was prepared to help make any input or opinion …
- Week 9: See y’all on campus:)Woohoo! Congratulations on being done everybody! This summer has flown by so quickly. So much learning happened so quickly, and I will definitely keep reflecting on and processing my work this summer as the school year starts. It has …
- Week 9: The EndHello, It has been so wonderful working alongside everyone and getting to know other fellows. I hope you all have been enjoying your summer and I cannot wait to see what everyone accomplishes. Looking back at when I first …
- Week 9: Looking BackWhen I began this program, I had a particular idea of the kind of work that I would do. It is interesting to see how that turned out to be similar in many ways, yet different in others, to …
- Week 9: Walaikum SalamAsalam Alaikum, Walaikum Salam, this is the proper response to the greeting “Asalam Alaikum” and it translates to “And unto you peace”. I chose to start my first blog post with the greeting Asalam Alaikum because I think it …
- Week 9: The ExitIt’s so fascinating to go back and reread the intentions I set at the beginning of the program. I feel that I’ve succeeded in accomplishing them and have come out of this experience with more professional and personal growth …
- Week 9: Final ReflectionsDang, it’s hard to believe it’s already August. Not gonna lie, I came into this experience feeling like I was ready to conquer my tasks and really blow people away with what I was already capable of. Boy was …
- Week 9 🙁I can’t believe we’ve reached the last week of DCERP. Although my time with HVR was short, it certainly was sweet, and I’ve learned so much about community health and non-profit work. In my first post, I said that …
- Week 9: Last Week😭In my first week post, I discussed that I really had a desire to learn everything I could about agriculture during my time at the DPFLI. I specifically said that I wanted to learn as much as I could …
- Week 9: Taxes, Money, and GreedAfter reading my first blog, I realized that I’ve accomplished most of everything I hoped to learn about. Throughout the duration of the program, I have learned how the laws of taxes affect my community. It seems throughout all …
- Week 9: A Reflection on “She Did Not, In Fact, Fix It Later”Well, I suppose I haven’t changed that much in the last 9 weeks, given that I still spent way too long staring at the prompt for this last blog entry, willing it to write itself. I’m still anxious and …
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- Week 8Week 8 went by in the blink of an eye. I feel good about where I’m at with my project and my site. I’ve been able to work on a few different projects ranging from data collection/management to creating …
- Week Eight: ReflectionIt has been a pleasure working alongside everyone and being a part of the CDAD team over the summer. I learned a lot about the right to counsel, the housing crisis, and the city of Detroit itself. I worked …
- Power in the SW Detroit non-profit networkI am sitting at my desk in the Bridging Neighborhoods office eating some delicious blueberries. They are warm from being out in the sun which makes them taste like pie! During lunch, my coworker Evan took me to the …
- Week 8The week before the last. I am excited to see how much progress the kids at archery has made. This project has allowed me to see the joys of working with children as well as the importance of environmental …
- Week 8: Exceeding ExpectationsAsalam Alaikum, It’s already been 2 months, and I feel as though we have barely cracked the surface. Going into this project, I was ecstatic to be joining this project and couldn’t wait to learn all about the work …
- Week 8: FOP EvaluationsOne week left! It’s hard to believe that our time in this program has almost come to an end. I can say that working on the evaluations for Friends of Parkside has definitely been a learning curve. It was …
- Week 8: Interview with Naim EdwardsThis week I interviewed my site director Naim Edwards about his inspiration for the DPFLIs project this year which is the food forest. This project will establish an edible forest at the DPFLI by will planting around 200 fruit …
- Week 8: Project Ready for PresentationThis week, the other intern at my site and I have been working together to ensure that our meditation program proposal is ready for presentation to the Director of the Office of Civil Rights, Inclusion, and Opportunity. This process …
- Eighth Week in Detroit: Art and AthleticsThis last weekend we finally made it out to the DIA and I had a great time. I spent nearly four hours in the museum and still didn’t see everything. While I had visited the museum on a school …
- Week 8: A Never Ending StoryNow that the program is nearing its end, it’s a little bizarre to think that it’s only been a couple months of my life. I spend almost every day working at a desk next to my mentor’s, and because …
- Week 8: What About The Kids?I am so glad I got to work with my community site to help identify which of the kids (they provided services to) are in the chronic absenteeism data collected from the school district. In general, they have been …
- Week 8: Feeling AccomplishedWhen I look back on the progress I have made working with ProsperUs, I can’t help but feel accomplished and confident that there will be more work put into the research I leave behind. I do feel like there …
- Week 7: Social JusticeOur guest speaker Dr. Peter Kim stood out to me because I had never heard about the murder on Vincent Chin and the amount of hate towards Asians and Asian Americans in the auto industry. I was aware that …
- Week 8: Wrapping Things UpThis week signals the end of a lot of things for me. My birthday is this Saturday, which means the end of being a teenager. It’s also the second to last week here at DCERP, which has definitely been …
- Week 8: Financial Literacy & the Housing CrisisThough I’m still working through my project, it has challenged me very much so, but most importantly, it enhanced the way I look at the world. Learning about taxes has allowed me to understand how our society works, and …
- Week 7: WoodwardOne thing about the DCERP Program that stands out to me is its location: the University of Michigan Detroit Center. It sits right on Woodward Ave, which is a street that holds much history. Due to the timing of …
- Week 8: Puzzle PiecesThis week at my site has been strictly focused on finalizing my project so I can present it next Wednesday. I believe that this project has brought me as close to the heart of the work my organization is …
- Week 7: PowerAsalam Alaikum! Last week I was scrambling for power, specifically electricity. In our planning of a community movie night in a newly acquired parcel of land, it was smooth sailing until the day of, when our hopeful power source …
- Week 7: Belle Isle FountainLast week when we went to Belle Isle the Learning Group gave a presentation on the James Scott Memorial Fountain. I found it very interesting that James Scott was a man with a horrible reputation yet he had a …
- Seventh Week in Detroit: Belle Isle and Buena ComidaOur trip to Belle Isle this past weekend was nice. I hadn’t yet been out to the island and going as a group was probably the best way to do it. The standout feature for me was the architecture …
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- Sixth Week in Detroit: Traversing the TownAs someone who is passionate about urban spaces, having an opportunity to explore Detroit has been wonderful. The DDP staff is full of people passionate about the shape of the city and how the cityscape has changed over time. …
- Fifth Week in Detroit: A Talented TeamThe Parks team at DDP is an excellent example of a team with diverse skills and backgrounds and how valuable that is. I figured this post might be an opportunity to highlight some of the skills that I hope …
- Week Seven:I have learned while working with this nonprofit, specifically since it is associated with political/legal issues, that the level of activity fluctuates constantly. Some weeks we are busier and it feels like I have so much to do while …
- Week 7This past week brought very mixed feelings. I’ve been working on content for the HVR website’s Health Wisdom section, where we will post comprehensible information on health conditions present within the community in order to increase residents’ awareness and …
- Week 6&7This past week has been sad wrapping up the first cohort of the summer camp. I’m going to miss some of the kids that are leaving, but I’m excited for the new group that is coming in. I feel …
- Week 7: A few scattered thoughtsThis week I have been feeling sad that the program is ending soon. I feel like friendships are just now becoming strong and everyone will be leaving soon. Hopefully I will see people around on campus, but things won’t …
