Until We Meet Again, Detroit Week 10 – Detroit Community-Engaged Research Program

Until We Meet Again, Detroit Week 10

I am sad to see the program end. Looking over my first blog post, I noticed a lot of grammatical errors in my writing. I was so excited to start, I probably should’ve read over my blog post. But on to the more important topic, the content. I agree with everything I stated in the post. I am very grateful to have had this opportunity to work with Brilliant Detroit and to participate in the DCBRP. I learned a lot about myself, such as my love for working with kids and my love for speaking Spanish. I also learned about myself through the strengths test I took. My top 5 themes were belief, responsibility, significance, activator and relator. I was able to use this information, to the organization’s advantage. I had more fun in the program than I thought I would but my high expectations of excitement and fun were met. I had a few close friends in the program and we were able to make memories together. I loved how well I worked with Dominique and how loving and supportive Cindy was to me. I wasn’t expecting to make so many meaningful connections with everyone at my job, but I did. I left my going away party feeling so much love and unity; it was amazing.

I agree that I made an impact in the neighborhoods, Southwest and Central like I wanted to. I did things that I didn’t think I was yet qualified to do. I researched different ways children should be learning to help with their development then compiled my findings into activities for an 8-week program. I even came up with fun and appealing names for the activities. I also got to work with children more than I expected. The kids were drawn to me and they enjoyed me being there with them and listening/playing with them. Each child was different and I really got the chance to learn every one of them. Elijah, a 4-year-old, was one of my favorites and he always invited me over his house to hang out; it was so cute. I enjoyed watching them learn and explore unfamiliar things. This is what made me love Brilliant Detroit even more. I got the chance, through the Tuesday events, to go visit other organizations that was trying to make a difference in the communities like Focus: HOPE. I loved seeing these non-profits make a difference because all of them combined makes a huge impact on Detroit. Detroit still needs some more help but the non-profits I encountered gave me more hope for the city of Detroit, my home.

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