Well, it happened. I’m officially late posting a blog. We went to a Che Guevara event last night and I really loved it – so much so that I totally forgot about having to make this post. Oops! Anyway, time to get down to business.
I am working with Detroit Food Academy this summer, and I absolutely love it. DFA is an organization that teaches Detroit youth about food justice, water justice, business, and the culinary world. The organization grounds itself in the idea that, should youth be authentically engaged in after school and summer activities, they will experience better health outcomes, more pride in being from the city, and greater confidence in their ability to succeed. To do this, DFA relies on “more powerful motivators such as project ownership, peer acceptance, community connectivity, and earned wages to inspire disconnected youth to care and become change agents in their communities,” and it shows through in everything they do. They run several programs, including a year-long after school leadership program, pop-ups at places like Eastern Market, an advanced leadership cohort, and a summer leadership program. Their summer leadership program, which I am working on, will host twenty high school students who will learn how to shop for, make, and sell their own product. This program, which grounds students in justice and gets them ready for life after high school, is one that I am so honored to be a part of.
It took me awhile to figure out exactly how I wanted to approach my project with DFA, but now that I have, I am really excited. My goal this year is to, through research, help DFA develop a sustainable recruitment, retention, and engagement model. My supervisor, Yolanda, gave me two options – I could either do most of this work at the office, not spending time with the kids except to interview them, or I could work with them more directly. As someone who believes in working with, not for, I chose the second option, despite not being sure of how exactly I would engage students in this work. Then it hit me – I’ll bring them along and teach them how to do a research project as I complete mine. As I am developing surveys, inputing/analyzing data, and preparing for our research exhibit, I’ll be teaching youth what I am doing at the same time, involving them in the process. This will not only give them the tools to build a recruitment, retention, and engagement team in the fall themselves, it will give them the skills to complete a research project before they reach college – something l I wish I would have been taught at their age. I’m having so much fun planning out the five weeks I will be spending with them, writing lesson plans and centering my work around teaching them how to do research that is honest instead of manipulative, as so much research in Detroit has been.
Though it has been hard adjusting to a new city, DFA has helped make me feel so much more at home. I am grateful for them, as well as for everyone in our cohort this summer. I am loving exploring, learning, and being part of a city that holds so much history. I don’t know that I have totally processed all of the feelings I have had since the start of the program (I probably need to build more reflection and meditation time into my weekly schedules), but I know I am lucky to be here, doing work that feels important and meaningful.
Here’s to a great rest of the summer.
Hi Lia, It sounds like you have a lot to keep you busy this summer but i don’t doubt that you will succeed in doing it and doing it well. I find it very interesting that you mentioned how research done on Detroit in the past has been manipulative and I would like to learn more about that and how it has impacted the city in recent years on our walks to the Green Garage every morning. I think it is super cool that you are teaching these kids about how to do research the right and honest way. Good luck with your project.