I can’t believe how fast these 9 weeks went by! Looking at my first blog post, I’m really proud of everything I accomplished this summer. Something I hoped to learn at the beginning of this program was to understand the relationship between local government and nonprofit organizations. I think I certainly learned more about this […]
Week 9: Thank you DCERP & Nortown CDC! Read More »
Throughout the summer, my main project involved conducting research and creating a database regarding the ownership and tax status of residential properties, which can be used by my organization to plan future development projects. At the beginning of the program, my site supervisor told me that this work can be very tedious, but nonetheless crucial.
Week 8: Reflecting on my projects! Read More »
This week, I really enjoyed the Antiracism and Environmental Justice presentations! During Tuesday’s meeting, the privilege “walk” made me realize I’m privileged in more ways than I had ever thought about. I never used to consider “not having to rely on public transportation” or “having a computer at home” as areas of privilege and always
Week 7: Learning Group Presentations Read More »
Though this was technically week 5… last Friday I finally got to go to my site in person for the first time! The day started off with a tour of the Say Detroit Play Center at Lipke Park with the director of the youth program there, along with my supervisor Pat. Next, Pat and I
Week 6: A Tour of Northeast Detroit Read More »
This summer, I get to work with Nortown CDC’s Executive Director, Pat Bosch. Pat has been involved in community organizing for over 40 years and continues to be a strong advocate for the Northeast Detroit Community. She first became involved with nonprofit/social justice work around 1975-1980, when she became a chairman on the social justice
Week 5: Get to know Nortown CDC’s Executive Director! Read More »
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
Week 4: A Welcoming Culture Read More »
One thing I have learned about Detroit from working with my community organization is how passionate community leaders and residents are about restoring and improving their city. Over the past few weeks, I have attended many zoom meetings with community leaders and neighborhood associations, and it has been so great to see everyone collaborate to
Week 3: Community Engagement in a Virtual World Read More »
This summer, I am working with Nortown Community Development Corporation (CDC), a nonprofit organization with a mission to bring economic development to Northeast Detroit (District 3). Over the next two months, I will be working on a few different projects, along with assisting with other priorities and tasks. One of my projects is to research
Week 2: Learning about Nortown CDC Read More »
Hey everyone! My name is Malak, and I’m a rising sophomore planning on double majoring in Economics and International Studies with a Political Economy and Development (PED) sub-major or possibly switching to the Public Policy major at the Ford school. To me, a community is a group of people brought together by their shared qualities
