The best way to predict the future is to create it – Peter Drucker

 

4 months, 19 days, 160+ hours. How do you measure an experience? In work product? In hours of service? In number of challenges?

 

 

As 2015 draws to an end and over a quarter of the program-year is complete, I am filled with a deep sense of accomplishment. I have transitioned to a new job, completed 20+ hours of community service, and completed two out of 6 Challenges. As a reminder, Challenges are the “give” pillar of our program which entails social impact projects in partnership with local non-profit organizations that span 5 weeks. This may not sound like a lot of time, and to clarify, a lot of work takes place outside the 5 designated Fridays, but if there’s one take-away I’ve gained from the past few months it’s that a lot can be accomplished in a short amount of time

 

 

 

Challenge 1: 

In order to carry a positive action we must develop here a positive vision -Dalai Lama

 

 

Our first Challenge project was partnering with the City of Detroit Mayor’s office to build awareness of small, local neighborhood businesses.

 

 

IMG_1757

There has been some press lately that Detroit’s neighborhoods are not getting enough attention and that majority of the city’s resources and media attention are hyper-focused on only certain  areas (Downtown, Midtown, Corktown, etc.) So in response to these concerns and in an effort to amplify the voice of Detroit’s neighborhoods, the Mayor’s office enlisted our group to research and gather information on locally owned neighborhood businesses for a Small Business Directory to help promote Detroit’s business owners.

As one of our partners and also a small business owner noted, there’s a benefit to Detroit being neglected by everyone else for decades, and that is the creation of a strong small business culture that emerged. These local gems are truly the heartbeat of the city.

 

IMG_2275

Design Thinking brainstorming activity

 

Since we approach all of our challenges using design thinking, we spent the first day gaining context on the scope of our project by meeting with various stakeholders at the Mayor’s office including  the Head of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Chief Talent Officer, several local business owners, local city expert and owner of Detroit Experience Factory, and one of Techtown’s SWOT City portfolio managers, a program which provides consulting services to local neighborhood businesses.

 

 

District 2 MapFellows were then divided into smaller groups of 4-5 and aligned with one of Detroit’s 7 districts. My group worked with District 2, which spans several blocks south of 6 mile up to 8 mile, between Woodward and Southfield Freeway. One of the most historic districts, with Palmer Park, Sherwood Forest and the Detroit Golf Club (where Aretha Franklin owns a home) bordering the north end, the area has amongst the widest wealth disparity in the city encompassing Chaldeantown to the East and Focus Hope and the Bell Building to the South. It was also identified by Detroit Future City as a target growth area for its “Eds & Meds” presence, meaning the University District including University of Detroit Mercy and Marygrove College in combination with local medical center Sinai Grace Hospital and Wayne County Community College District nearby, make the area a prime target for economic growth. But what struck us most about the district was its character and strong sense of community, with many life-long residents and decade-old business owners.

 

IMG_2079

 

 

 

IMG_1745The area also had a ton to offer outside the universities and world-class medical facilities. In addition to the numerous salons and barber shops, you will find a variety of other local shops and restaurants. Looking for the best donuts in town? Check out 2nd generation Dutch Girl Donuts, a recipe so tasty that the owner’s mother and founder had to move out of her house a few streets away because patrons would ring her doorbell asking for more donuts! Just a few blocks beyond you will find La Dolce Vita, a charming Italian bistro perfect for a romantic dinner or happy hour on the patio during the warmer season. If you’re still craving more sweets head over to Lucki’s Cheesecakes, another family owned and operated business. Or if you’re just looking for a quick bite to-go, Asian Corned Beef is a casual, cost-effective must-try. (If you’re wondering what Asian Corned Beef is envision egg roll meets St. Patricks Day, basically a little taste of Irish-Asian heaven.)

 

 

IMG_2083Or perhaps you’d like to spend a day on the infamous “Avenue of Fashion,” an area once renowned for its upscale boutiques where suburbanites would flock for back-to-school shopping. Though less populated now, you will still find an eclectic group of retail and restaurants both new and old. Looking for that one-of-a-kind party outfit? Check out the trendy Teaser’s Boutique for unique, hand-picked fashions from designers around the world, then take that new ensemble over to Baker’s Lounge, the oldest jazz club in the country. Looking for a different sort of hands-on activity? Take an impromptu class at Art in Motion, a ceramics studio that doubles as an artist residence. If you’re hungry this stretch boasts delicious restaurants, old and new alike. Try Noni’s Grill, a neighborhood staple for decades but recently renovated and re-branded, for coney-type favorites; or one of Livernois’ newest additions, former NFL player Ron Bartell’s Kuzzo’s Chicken and Waffles for some comfort brunch-y food. If you’d like a more relaxed atmosphere get a table at 1917 American Bistro and stay a while to enjoy a casual farm-to-table meal, local art installments, live entertainment and almost certainly a greeting from the owner and chef who runs the restaurant’s daily operations with his wife. And coming soon, the very popular Bucharest Grill will be opening a Livernois location.

 

IMG_1882

1917 Bistro Mural

 

 

“A Detroit commercial crossroads with multi-generational businesses and deep history that has struggled for years with vacancy and blight is yearning for the same type of renewal celebrated in Midtown and other parts of the city,” explains a Detroit Free Press article announcing a new development focus on improving the Livernois and McNichols area. The neighborhood, known for its creativity and design, is also the recipient of a $700,000 two-year funding commitment for a new community organization that will coordinate and promote revitalization efforts in “one of Detroit’s strongest residential neighborhoods,” called the Live6 Alliance, a coalition between the University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit Economic Growth Corp., and the Kresge Foundation.

 

 

Our mission was to interview small business owners, collecting their unique stories to create a narrative for reach respective neighborhood district. A story so compelling that it would spark interest from residents and visitors alike, while building awareness of “local hidden gems”. As a whole our program captured the stories of over 100 businesses through interviews and photos.

 

IMG_1857

Murals line the streets in this artsy cultural mecca

 

IMG_2544The Dream It. Do It. Detroit Business Directory was released on November 24 by Mayor Mike Duggan at a press conference. Crain’s, Fox, and Detroit Free Press covered the announcement. The release was followed by a #shopsmall campaign that weekend during Small Business Saturday which included a Build Bazaar pop-up event downtown featuring graduates of Detroit’s entrepreneur education program, Build Institute as well as complimentary shuttle tours to various featured neighborhoods through Detroit Experience Factory. Volunteering at the event was a great way to culminate the challenge and celebrate the success of our hard work. Be sure to check out the online-version of the directory and stay tuned for future releases including more neighborhood businesses!

 

IMG_2569

Volunteering during Small Business Saturday with Build Bazaar

 

Special “Thank you” to the businesses of District 2 that took the time to meet with us:

  • Asian Corned Beef
  • Teaser’s Boutique
  • Baker’s Lounge
  • Art in Motion
  • Kuzzo’s Chicken and Waffles
  • 1917 Bistro
  • Lucki’s Cheesecake
  • Dutch Girl Doughnuts
  • Good Cakes and Bakes
  • Noni’s Sherwood Grill
  • Heavenly Creations
  • Erik’s I’ve Been Framed
  • Detroit Fiber Works
  • Mike’s Fresh Market
  • Professional Racquet Service
  • Jo’s Gallery
  • Pr1me Realty
  • La Dolce Vita

 

 

 

Challenge 2:

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude. – Thomas Jefferson 

 

 

During our second project we were tasked with crafting strategies for improving Parent Engagement and Communication for Detroit Public Schools (DPS).

 

 

IMG_2345

Fisher Upper Magnet Academy Classroom

As noted in the previous challenge, true to our Design Thinking process we kicked off the project by meeting with various stakeholders to gain context and perspective on the problem we were trying to improve. These stakeholders included various members of the Detroit Public School Central Office including the Admissions and Communications directors, Community School Coordinators (state employees deployed in certain schools to bridge the gap between the students’ families and their community’s resources), principals, teachers, parents and parent leaders, students, and various members of the Detroit Parent Network (a third party, non-profit organization hired by DPS to promote and improve parent engagement through the use of Parent Resource Rooms located in several schools across the district, as well as recruiting and maintaining participation in each school’s parent program, the Parent Advisory Council on Student Achievement, also known as PACSA).

IMG_2621In addition to spending numerous hours interviewing said parties to gain various perspectives, some of the cohort also volunteered for the Detroit Parent Network annual breakfast where parents vote on the upcoming year’s board officers. Spending 8 hours in a confined space with 60-80 children ranging from toddlers to age 12 was quite an experience and a great way to immerse ourselves deeper into the challenge.

As you probably already know many of the nation’s public school systems face a variety of challenges.  This made the project both interesting and unique, while adding a layer of complication to our work.

IMG_2608

Our team with the school’s Detroit Parent Network Coordinator, Sean

Similar to the last challenge, we were divided into teams and assigned a specific school to work with, ranging from elementary to high schools. Each had its own unique challenges from bridging the gap amongst various cultures and languages to other issues commonly correlated to socio-economic status including lack of transportation, employment needs, and violence. After several weeks spending time in each of our respective schools talking with parents, teachers, staff, students and other key parties, we presented our recommended strategy for improving parent engagement in our school, as well as suggestions for improving communication methods.

 

 

 

IMG_2347

Fisher Upper Magnet Academy Atrium

My group worked with Fisher Upper Magnet Academy, a middle school including grades 5-8. Located in one of the most dangerous zip codes in the nation, our school experiences very low parent engagement. However what we found was a state of the art facility with an on-site health clinic, media center, full size gymnasium, and staff that cares deeply about their students beyond just their education, going so far as to provide them clothing, transportation, on-site laundry and shower facilities, food, and a popular after school educational and cultural program. The school also has an on-site social worker as well as the aforementioned community counselor who provides access to job information and other community resources to assist families. But despite these efforts, relationships and engagement with parents is virtually non-existent.

IMG_2344Our group recommended two strategies. The first, targeted to the school’s parents, was a temporary-to-permanent employment solution that hires a parent to work directly in the school. In addition to their regular job duties, they would utilize the school’s resource center during their temporary employment to find a permanent job. From resume building to mock-interviewing, the program’s primary goal was to equip parents with the tools they need to find long-term, stable employment, one of the community’s major concerns. We also suggested the job duties include monitoring a study hall, to help foster the educational relationship between parents and students. We found during our interviews that some parents may have the time and want to be involved with their child’s school but don’t necessarily know how. Lastly, the hope was that by placing a parent directly into the school, it would help break down the barriers between staff and parents, creating an inviting environment that more families seek to engage with.

The second strategy, targeted to 8th grade students, was an educational workshop and mentoring program which would teach current students the importance of family engagement and its direct correlation to a student’s academic success. We recommended a local college student, preferably a Detroit Public School alumni, teach the several week or semester long course. In exchange the student would receive internship credits towards their major requirements. Ideally, enlisting a prior DPS student would provide a credible role model who is still young enough to connect with the students. Participants would also be encouraged to ask their own parent or guardian to be involved with their schoolwork. However we recognized this was not realistic for all students since many families may work multiple jobs, lack transportation, or experience other barriers to being involved. Therefore the program would also provide mentorship opportunities in partnership with local organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club, Girl Scouts, and Alternatives for Girls. The main goal of the program was to break the cycle by teaching current students,  the importance of family engagement for when they go on to start their own families, which realistically could be within the next several years.

IMG_2610

Our team with the school’s Community Coordinator, James

For communications, our school mainly sent notes home with the students or used an automated calling system. We found these methods to be highly ineffective, but also found that different people prefer different methods of communication. One of the main obstacles for our school was maintaining updated contact information because families are often transient and have inconsistent phone service. By utilizing more methods of communication including texts, email and direct mail, we feel the opportunity to reach as many parents through as many methods as possible is maximized. We also recommended upgrades to the DPS smartphone application to include a direct messaging feature similar to the Remind app, to allow parents to reach teachers (and vice versa) regardless of phone service as long as they have a smartphone.

During our research we also found there are various community and recreational centers within close proximity to the school that parents and families frequent, so we recommended spending more time at those centers to connect and build relationships with parents, in addition to cross promoting each other’s events and services through a closer partnership.

IMG_2396

 

 

The administration at our school was understandably very  frustrated, as many were long time veterans who have tried countless ways to engage parents. While this was somewhat of an obstacle, despite their discouragement they spent countless hours with us explaining their school’s dynamic and talking through our ideas to fine-tune our strategies. We hope by taking a forward-thinking approach, the school will be able to use our strategies to build new relationships with parents and strengthen their ties to students in preparation for their transition to parenthood. I look forward to our follow up in a few months to see whether any progress was made!

Two challenges in, and our collective group has come a long way already. Personally, I have learned quite a bit in just these few short months:

  1. A lot can be accomplished in a short amount of time. 
  2. Focus on the incremental changes. Our Challenges can feel overwhelming at times, and many of the problems we tackle are intertwined with deeper, more complex social issues. Staying focused on the task at hand and remembering that small, incremental changes go a long way, are essential to maintaining effectiveness.
  3. Trust your peers. Everyone has different work styles. Some of us are procrastinators, some of us hand-holders, the important thing to remember is each of us works differently and sometimes those styles can clash, but everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt, at least to start. And I have yet to be disappointed in any team-members performance or ability to complete their designated deliverables.
  4. Overcoming a lack of enthusiasm. During our first Challenge an Alumni Fellow had asked me and another fellow how things were going and if “anyone had checked out yet.” I was appalled at this implication being so green and still brimming with excitement for the year ahead. They explained that as the year goes on some people may lose interest, and there will be some challenges we feel extremely passionate about and some we may feel less engaged with. We are all human and inevitably over the course of a year there will be times we may struggle. If this job were easy it wouldn’t be called “Challenge Detroit.” For me, the second Challenge was particularly taxing. I believe education in general is deeply intertwined with numerous other social, economic and political aspects. Thus, segregating one area to try and improve can be extremely difficult. Coupled with the low parent engagement our school experienced and the implicit divide between parents and teachers/staff, there was a noticeable difference in the amount of enthusiasm from the first Challenge. . My advice: don’t give up hope. Surround yourself with positive thinkers who still have energy left when you’re starting to feel burnt out. As long as you keep an open mind, you’ll naturally absorb those good vibes. And always remember, you’re not the only one in the room. You have 3 or 4 teammates counting on you and 29 other fellows whose experience is directly impacted by the engagement of each member.
  5. Don’t be afraid to speak up. Communication is key. Feeling like your pulling all the weight? Speak up and ask for help. Feeling unmotivated or disengaged? Let your peers know how you feel. Chances are someone shares your frustrations. And every fellow is balancing the program requirements with their job and personal life. We all have things going on and are empathetic to situations that arise that might prevent participation in a meeting or ability to complete a deliverable. Whether it’s a personal constraint or general frustrations, sharing with your team is essential.

From these Challenges not only have I learned about different organizations and social issues the city faces but they’ve catalyzed my personal development as well.

IMG_1747

Heading into 2016 and looking forward to the challenges and experiences that lie ahead, I am excited to keep learning, keep challenging and forging forward with small but meaningful changes.