To kick-off the fellowship year, we partnered with Urban Alliance Detroit, the local arm of Urban Alliance (UA), “a national nonprofit creating pathways for young people to achieve economic independence through skills training, mentorship, and meaningful paid work experiences.” Our project focused on capturing and elevating UA Detroit’s impact through storytelling, with the goal of expanding local awareness, and opportunity for Detroit youth. From our earliest conversations, it was clear that the UA Detroit team was transforming students’ lives. We saw an opportunity to build on this strong foundation by helping amplify how these powerful stories of impact are captured and shared.

Using a design thinking approach, four teams of Fellows partnered closely with the UA Detroit team and engaged key stakeholders, including current students, alumni, and community partners. UA Detroit was actively involved throughout the entire process, providing ongoing feedback to ensure the work stayed aligned with their goals and resulted in deliverables that were relevant, accessible, and actionable. Here’s what our partners had to share about the experience:

“I’m inspired by how the Challenge Detroit Fellows are helping us reimagine our story. Their fresh perspectives and creative energy are fueling a marketing strategy that not only amplifies Urban Alliance Detroit’s impact but also strengthens how we engage corporate and philanthropic partners across the city.”

-Alphonso Amos, Executive Director, Urban Alliance Detroit

Welcome and overview from our partner, UA Detroit Executive Director, Alphonso Amos.

“As someone who has dedicated my career to uplifting Detroit’s youth and communities, this project with the Challenge Detroit Fellows has been especially meaningful. Their passion and insight have strengthened our work and opened new pathways for innovation. I’m inspired by their dedication and look forward to seeing how this collaboration will continue to support and empower the young people we serve. Their thoughtfulness, curiosity, and commitment to understanding the inner workings of Urban Alliance and Detroit’s youth workforce ecosystem have already strengthened our program in meaningful ways. This partnership is helping us build tools and insights that will directly support our efforts to expand opportunities for young people across the city.”

– Victor Robinson, Senior Director of Programs and Partnerships, Urban Alliance Detroit

Victor Robinson, UA Detroit’s Senior Director of External Partnerships, checking out the Partner Engagement team’s ideas.

To learn more about the project from the Fellow perspective check out the team blogs below:

• Storytelling Team
• Partner Engagement Team
• Social Media Team
• Branding Team

Thanks to the entire UA Detroit Team — Alphonso Amos, Victor Robinson, Keisha Powell-Young, Tamia Cooper, Jazmine Banks, McKenzie Reed, Andrei Nichols, and Rashad Dudley – for partnering with us on this project! Your trust, guidance, generosity, passion for your students, and willingness to collaborate openly made this project that much more special.

Kick-off day – UA Detroit Team Panel

Part of the Immersion Activity with Program Director, Tamia Cooper.

UA Detroit Advisory Board Panel

Partner Engagement and Social Media teams interviewing Jasmine Banks, UA Detroit’s Engagement Specialist.

Keisha Powell-Young, UA Detroit’s Director of College & Career Services, sharing her feedback for the Branding Team’s deliverables.

Presentation Day at UA Detroit.

Special shoutout to Challenge Detroit alumna Eboni Thomas, who connected us with UA Detroit and was a part of the initial conversations and project scoping back in late summer and early fall 2025. Eboni was a part of the UA Detroit team for a number of years but has since pursued another role. We wanted to acknowledge her because all of our projects this year will involve alumni.