When this program began, I was worried that Covid-19 would mar my experience working with the Detroit community. I was concerned that virtual communication and working remotely would hamper my ability to connect with my coworkers and peers and that I would in turn struggle to self-motivate. Arriving at the end of this program, I […]
Week 9: Reflecting on a Virtual Summer Read More »
Upon joining Nortown CDC and reading “How to Kill a City,” I realized that my previous experiences with Detroit were very one-sided. While in middle school and high school, I volunteered with an organization to help serve homeless people in the Midtown/Cass Corridor area. I had always thought of this as the rougher side of
Week 8: Learning About Detroit, Not Just the “7.2” Read More »
The overall experience of our DCERP cohort meetings has stood out to me. I honestly didn’t know what to expect coming into this program, and the fact that it had to completely modify the format and go online only made the experience more mysterious from the outset. I’m grateful that we decided to stick it
Week 7: Cohort Community Read More »
This week, my site hosted a virtual town hall meeting in order to give district residents a chance to meet their candidates for office. This was my first real community interaction with anyone outside my site. My job was to help set up the meeting: I walked my boss through the Zoom interface and helped
Week 6: Virtual Town Hall Meeting Read More »
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/06/26/whitmer-extends-eviction-ban/3264452001/ Covid-19 has wrought havoc in nearly every aspect of life in the U.S. and across the world, and home rental is no different. Given the widespread unemployment, it was predictable that many people would struggle to afford their rent. Thankfully, Governor Whitmer among other political leaders have sought to mitigate the damages by enacting
Week 5: The Impending Rent Crisis Read More »
Cultural cues can be hard to pick up on when the majority of your interaction is over the phone, but I think I have a few insights from my short time working with the Detroit community. My supervisor, who constitutes my primary mode of interaction with the community, has told me a great deal about
Week 4: A Culture of Perseverance Read More »
In my short time working with Detroiters and learning more about the city firsthand, I’ve learned a lot about people’s attitudes towards their communities. Detroiters are proud of where they’re from, probably more so than most other people. They care about their community and they don’t want to see it taken advantage of like has
Week 3: Community Pride Read More »
I have the privilege of working with Nortown Community Development Corporation this summer. Nortown CDC is a “place-based, grass roots collaborative of residents, businesses, institutions and affiliated nonprofits committed to economic revitalization of Northeast Detroit.” Their mission is to bring their community together for the purpose of improving their surroundings through blight abatement, economic development,
Week 2: Nortown Community Development Corporation Read More »
Sean, Well, you’re doing it. The world has been turned upside down and everything is crazy, but there’s also opportunity in this moment. You have the ability to help a community. You’ve been a member and a leader in communities before, where you knew who you were and what your role was. You’ve been surrounded
Week 1: Opportunity Read More »
