Week Two – Ahmed أحمد

Assalamu Alaikum (peace be unto you) everyone, I’m super excited to blog for week two! The community organization I am working with for the summer is Southwest Detroit Community Justice Center (SWDCJC). SWDCJC is a jail diversion and community center that helps people avoid incarceration and its associated issues, such as trauma, unemployment, and weak familial relationships. They host many programs to help people who commit low-level, nonviolent crimes. Their most famous program is the Community Court Program, where offenders get to complete community service in their neighborhoods instead of paying costly fines or spending time in jail. Throughout my time at SWDCJC, I will be working on three projects. The first project is helping SWDCJC apply for funding by assisting them with their grant applications and researching practices they could integrate into their services if awarded funding. The second project is drafting new content for SWDCJC to use on its new website. The third and final project is researching new ways for SWDCJC to improve its programs, such as community court, Prostitution Offenders Program, and Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program. So far, my DCERP experience has been remarkable! The more I learn about what my peers are up to in DCERP, the more happy I get about being part of such a fantastic group of researchers. Additionally, I am glad to be experiencing life inside of Detroit and learning more about the people of Detroit and the challenges they are facing.

I look forward to learning more about the community and exploring new ways of positively impacting the city and its people.

Walaikum Assalam (and upon you be peace),
Ahmed