Uncategorized

As a native Detroiter who is now working with other native Detroiters through Focus:HOPE, it’s not easy to find observe culture cues as they are seen as standard cues in my community.  However, unlike working with my previous research mentor and partners during the fall and winter semester, I am now working with much older […]

Here at EcoWorks, we’re a melting pot of people coming from all different walks of life. Some are young; some are older; some are American; and we even have a few international workers. We all take this as an opportunity to learn new things and experience different cultures. The office holds a potluck every third

‘Can One Person Change the World?’ are the words that made up the question on the back of a friends t-shirt.  As we rode through the streets of Detroit, her biking in front, this question seemed to take on a voice of its own.  The words seemed to dance around us as we weaved in-and-out

My community organization has recently been trying to deal with a revamped drainage crew the city of Detroit is trying to enforce on property owners. They’d have to pay almost a thousand dollars monthly for impermeable spaces on their property. It’s pushed me to learn about this new fee and also understand that it’s been

At EcoWorks we have been doing a lot of research on energy efficiency. We have a grant from a state funder, for which we have to audit 82 municipal buildings for energy usage. The purpose of these audits is to identify cost savings that local officials can pursue. Yesterday I went to a workshop where

Last week, a few of my colleagues and I were assigned to distribute flyers throughout the neighborhood of Parkside Village. The Flyers consisted of the many exciting activities Friends of Parkside will be hosting throughout the summer. While placing flyers on the doors of residents’ homes, there were a few neighbors outside sitting on their

Through Fresh Corner, I feel like I’ve been observing both of the “two Detroits” that are often mentioned. On one hand, we’ve been going into Detroit communities for pop-ups and to visit our gas station stores. I’ve loved being able to engage with the people here and talk with them. Some of my favorite experiences

Ayat, my fellow cohort and also my co-worker, has begun making calls to reach out to other organizations asking for their interest in partnering with us on our project. I hammer away at the keyboard for my own work assignment and listen to her speaking to automated voice messages and people who remain silent throughout

I observe people. Okay, that sounded extra creepy. I’ll just start over. I examine people. Gosh that sounded creepy too. I guess there is no way to say that you are paying way too much attention to other people without it sounding stalkerish. This is the dilemma I have been facing all day. I have