Week Eight Blog: Encouraged by Others

Dear fellows,

As I reflect on my experience with the DCERP group meetings, I can’t help but be in awe of my fellows (all of you guys). Their true commitment to social justice and to Detroit was evident in their learning group presentations. I know that these times can be very demanding, yet all of the fellows who presented clearly dedicated time to educating themselves so that they can help teach others about their topic.

Each learning group’s presentation was well communicated and covered crucial aspects of their topics. I appreciated the variety of learning techniques used in the presentations including videos, questions to the audience, and breakout rooms. Specifically, Grace, Rakira, Torisa, and Ysabel’s use of a poll prior to their presentation to gauge interest in the various topics was clever. During the designated breakout rooms for their presentation, I found myself more engaged with the presentation because I had chosen what I got to learn about.

I am grateful to have had the chance to learn from the other fellows this summer. Each topic encouraged me to learn more about the community challenges and strengths found within Detroit today. I am also grateful to have had the chance to learn about immigrant and refugee rights in Detroit and throughout the US with my learning group. The US and Michigan desperately need immigration policy reform, and there is a lot more to learn about this gut-wrenching situation as residents of metro Detroit and the US.

I hope the other fellow found this time spent on our learning groups as valuable as I did. I am really looking forward to hearing about all the great work everyone did this summer at the showcase.

Madison D