Hey Y’all! Aminata here
Joining DCERP is one of the best decisions I’ve made! My cohort is so fun to be around. Everyone is so friendly and funny! We’ve gone on mini field trips and learned so much about Detroit and community through our DCERP meetings. I know that these people will stay in my life for a very long time 🙂
Through DCERP I’ve been also having a great experience with my nonprofit, Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision (SDEV). SDEV is a Detroit non-profit putting in the work to improve the environment and economy of southwest Detroit. I am very excited about all the hands-on gardening, policy work, and research I will be doing with them related to food access, social justice, and air quality.
At SDEV, I am helping with their land, water, and air programs, which include programs that seek to improve quality of life for residents. Currently, I am doing policy campaigns and research with partners around Michigan. I am doing hands-on community gardening to improve food sovereignty in the area. And I am helping with a study in partnership with the University of Michigan and Detroit nonprofits that focuses on improving housing disparities that make residents more vulnerable to climate hazards.
The work I do with SDEV is important because it meets community needs and elevates their voices in the process. I hope to learn more about the ins and outs of nonprofits and policy and the intersections of water, energy, food, and justice. This experience will give me the insight I need to pursue a career in environmental policy and community science, mitigating the effects of climate change in marginalized communities.
This sounds like a super cool placement, Aminata! I love how you get to do both hands-on work through working in the community gardens, and research/policy work. I look forward to learning more about your placement and getting to hang with you as part of the cohort! 🙂
Hey Aminata! It sounds like you’re super connected to the work you’re doing for your placement– so awesome! Does this work match what you were already wanting to create a career in for the future? Or is this a new and enlightening experience? Either way, I hope the upcoming weeks give you more than enough experience to help you in your future endeavors!