A reoccurring observation I noticed about my organization is the tenacity and the fight against limits expressed there. My project involves learning about the organization’s history and this was the exposure that showed me the lengths the organization will go to achieve a mission of equity in Detroit. Over the years the organization has been a champion in the fight for equality, even through difficult times they kept hope and their practices of making Detroit a better city alive.
During the time I spent in my program, I had multiple opportunities to spend time in the community my organization resides in and I witnessed different sides of Detroit : People and Surroundings. An important department in my organization is the Community Revitalization Project, it focuses on improving the surroundings. The area around the organization has improved due to the multiple initiatives by the department and still has a long way to go when compared to other parts such as the continuously developing Midtown and Downtown areas. The other aspect, People, is what makes this surrounding a community. Getting to know the individuals in the area was one of the highlights of working with the organization and it also serves as a testament to the necessity of improving those surroundings.
The above pictures were taken during one of our community activities, and while we knew we were going to help in the community, the removal of manure was surprising! To prevent our clothes from getting dirty we had to devise means to both work and keep our clothes clean; the images above were our way of achieving both. An initiative by the organization involves planting and the creation of community gardens , the garden we moved the manure to was a garden created for seniors who live in the housing provided for seniors. We also worked in other initiatives that involve changing the perspective of the neighborhood.
