I would describe Nortown CDC’s workplace culture as mission-driven, collaborative and incredibly welcoming. Over the past few weeks, I have been able to meet many community leaders and volunteers over zoom. Even in a virtual environment, I can always see everyone’s willingness to work together to carry out the organization’s mission. I’ve also noticed how welcoming everyone is and just how passionate they are about community work.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be going to my site in person for a few different projects, and I can’t wait to meet everyone! I’m going to meet the Director of the SAY Play Center at Lipke Park, who will give me a tour and help me get into contact with alumni. I’ve also been researching the Tuskegee Airmen, who were America’s first African American military pilots, for an upcoming NED’s Notes newspaper story. I’ll be going to the Coleman A. Young International Airport (named after Detroit’s first African American Mayor who was also a Tuskegee Airman) to see and take pictures of the newly built statues of them outside of the airport! For both of these projects, my supervisor has put me in contact with community leaders who have been very welcoming, even though they aren’t actually part of the Nortown CDC staff. Overall it’s been a great month with my community organization, and I can’t believe how fast these 9 weeks are going!
4 thoughts on “Week 4: A Welcoming Culture”
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That’s really awesome that you’re able to do some in-person work with your sites! It sounds like the places you get to visit are really rich in history, too.
I’ve also noticed how passionate and welcoming everyone is about community work. My project is pretty different than yours, but I think a big similarity between all the projects is how passionate the organizations are about the issues they work with.
Good luck on your in-person projects!
That is so awesome you get to go in person! Based on your descriptions, I can already see that you will gain so much from this project, whether it’s in person or virtual activities.
Your project sounds really cool and I can tell this experience isn’t only going to give you working skills but also historical knowledge about Detroit. It’s a city with a lot of deep and rich history so I hope your research turns up some nuggets of history you can share with the rest of us.
It is so important to be in an environment that is encouraging and mission-driven, as you have described. Your community site sounds very engaging and interesting. There are a lot of things you can learn from being in an inclusive environment, which is also inspiring.