Hello all! I’m Owen. Next fall, I’ll be a junior in LSA with a double major in Organizational Studies and Environmental Studies. I’m professionally interested in issues relating to urbanism, public/shared space and public transportation. My hometown is Ann Arbor, so I’ve grown up living next to and hearing all about Detroit, but I haven’t actually spent much time in the city itself. It is for this reason that I was thrilled to hear about the DCERP program and find an opportunity to live in the city and be guided by people (in my non-profit organization and others) who care about and are familiar with their community or corner in Detroit.
Community can mean different things to people based on their backgrounds and values, but to me it is about sharing. You can share glances, smiles, waves and thoughts. You can also share resources, food and information. I think communities are built in large part from the act of sharing because when we share with one another, we’re demonstrating our interest to look out for one another. A book I’m currently reading (it’s called Palaces for the People) is just one long novel advocating for more public spaces because it is these spaces that allow people in neighborhoods and cities to meet and form the bonds that will lead them to share and form communities. The benefits of strong communities create healthier and happier communities, according to this book. I’m only half way through it, though, so I’m sure I’ll learn about many more benefits too.
As I will be working with the Nortown Community Development Corporation in Northeast Detroit, I hope to learn about the community that exists there now and acquaint myself with the work of my non-profit organization to support and further this community. I expect to spend these first two weeks simply learning about the community, but I think this is a strength of mine. I have documents to read, a history to understand, maps to examine and a neighborhood to tour. In time, I hope to merge my own experiences with the knowledge I gain from this “orientation” period and the knowledge my mentors at the non-profit have gained all their lives. I am excited to see what will come out of it all!
