Week One Blog – Detroit Community-Engaged Research Program
Daffodils on Belle Isle (taken in April, 2020)

Week One Blog

June 4, 2020

Dear Madison,

To have a chance to finally put your time and energy towards the people of Detroit is very exciting. This position offers you a unique opportunity to understand the unique challenges that Detroiters face and the techniques they use to overcome those challenges. You are also looking forward to building positive relationships with your supervisor and other colleagues. From your limited experience working with them, you already appreciate their energy and motivation to support and encourage Southwest Detroiters.

In your first staff meeting today, you all discussed returning to the office because the Stay-At-Home Order has been lifted. Although the staff will return to the office, the citizens from the managed cases will now attend virtual hearings. This will be the first hearings of its kind for the SWDCJC, so you can imagine that we may run into challenges as we begin to work through their cases again. Despite these challenges, you believe the staff and the community will effectively be able to work together to manage their cases and place resources where they are needed. You hope to help Detroiters have a better experience with the Justice Center and in turn, improve the quality of their lives in small or large ways.

Your work will challenge you to understand the needs and strengths of the citizens we work with on a deeper level. You hope to learn to analyze data in a holistic and non-biased manner. Also, you hope to improve your interpersonal and data collection skills through meaningful and receptive interviews with the citizens’ whos cases we have managed. You feel very lucky to have the chance to work for the people of Detroit and with SWDCJC and my DCERP fellows this summer.

Sincerley,

Your former self

1 thought on “Week One Blog”

  1. Hi Madison!

    I agree with a lot of the sentiments you’ve written in your post. I’m also very appreciative for this opportunity that we have to both learn and contribute. I hope that I’m able to make the most of it.

    My organization is also needing to adapt to online hearings. My supervisor was initially excited to not have to drive all over town, but we just recently ran into an issue connecting to an important Zoom meeting. So I suppose there’s both good and bad to these new circumstances.

    I hope that your first week went well! I’m wishing all of us luck as we continue our journey with DCERP. 🙂

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