I’m thrilled to be working at Chandler Park Conservancy (CPC) this summer. CPC is a fairly new nonprofit based on the eastside of Detroit, and works based out of Chandler Park to improve the health, education, and well-being of the surrounding community. CPC shares a building and works closely with Eastside Community Network (ECN), whose vision is to see the lower eastside of Detroit as a community of choice where residents can live, work, play and thrive.
This summer I’ll be working on multiple things mostly with CPC and some with ECN. With CPC I’ll be working to better understand and improve the perceptions associated with Chandler Park. In the past, the park has had a reputation of crime, but in the past two years CPC has been able to revitalize the park. I’ll be creating a survey to gage the perceptions and needs of community members who use the park. In addition I’ll be able to use social media to communicate with the community and show them how the park has changed, and invite them to participate in a variety of events at the park. My next project will be the CP SPY program. CP SPY stands for Chandler Park Sports Program for Youth. This project will essentially be a summer camp that I will help to organize for youth in the community to participate in multiple sports at the park. I’m most excited about this project as it will allow me to work with children in the community, and learn archery! Finally, with ECN I will be doing some work with the Healthy Neighborhood Initiative (HNI). The HNI is a grant funded program that 100 individuals in the community participate in. The program tracks the participants weight loss and overall health. Individuals are invited to participate in a variety of health driven activities including a walking club, yoga, and community dinners. This project particularly excites me as it directly relates to public health, which I plan to pursue in the future.
My first week with CPC was amazing. I was able to do so much and meet so many people. On Saturday CPC hosted the Chandler Park kick-off and we had over 500 guests. Everyone has been so welcoming and I’m really happy with all of the community engagement I’ve been able to take advantage of. This entire week I’ve been stuck at jury duty and have found myself already missing my work, co-workers and the community at CPC. I can’t wait to get back to work.
