Week 10: Reflection – Detroit Community-Engaged Research Program

Week 10: Reflection

Over the course of the last ten weeks, I think I struggled a lot more than I initially thought I would. It is very easy to look at Detroit from an outside perspective and think that change can be easy in quick. That if people in Detroit just did this or that then everything would be better! I would be lying if I didn’t have a similar view when I moved to Detroit ten weeks ago.

Through these ten weeks I struggled with many of the same issues that native Detroiters face everyday. Am I safe walking home? If I don’t have a car, how can I get around? Why are there no grocery stores in the city? Where can I get good medical care in non emergent situations? How can I get my medicine on time? While I am blessed with the privilege of resources to overcome these issues, it is very clear that many native Detroiters don’t have the same luxury.

Throughout the ten weeks I have come to realize that change is slow. Change requires so much work and understanding than one could ever imagine. I often felt during the summer that I was doing nothing. I felt as thought no matter how hard I reached out, change was never going to happen. This is a very distressing feeling. However, I now realize that change can only happen after planting seeds and watching it grow over very long periods of time. I know now more than every that this is not a business of instant gratification.

The most important thing I got out of this program is the idea that change requires patience. That in order to be successful in creating change, you have to be patient and meet people where they are at. You have to guide people and work with them to create the most effective change. While my time hasn’t always been smooth, that is a very valuable lesson to learn.

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