As the end of 2015 draws near, I wanted to take some time to express my gratitude toward all of the opportunities, people, and places I have had the pleasure of seeing and meeting. I graduated from Seattle University, had an awesome summer internship at EnviroIssues in Seattle, and moved to Detroit to begin my fellowship with Challenge Detroit. We have been working on exciting projects in our first four months and continue to experience the city and what it has to offer everyday.

Our most recent project brought us to Detroit Public Schools. The thirty-one fellows divided into six teams among six schools within the district to understand each school’s unique characteristics and qualities while also looking at some of the obstacles that might inhibit a student’s success. We specifically focused on parent/family engagement in their children’s schools and everyday lives. My group ventured to Cody High School, a campus of three schools, which has made a complete turnaround in a relatively rough neighborhood. The school offers medical programs, public leadership opportunities, and fire fighting courses that result in a degree upon graduating. Admittedly, I went home mentally (and sometimes physically) exhausted after spending just a few hours at Cody. As harsh as it may sound, there are some rough realities that Cody High School and the surrounding community faces. Parent engagement is low. Families struggle to put food on the table. Many parents experience teenage pregnancy. Some family members or guardians become dependent on drugs. Many parents do not know how to be parents. These phenomena occur in high-crime areas of the city, contributing to the cycle of apathy, unemployment, and poverty.

These school visits and the stories we heard over the last few months put some of Detroit’s biggest issues into another perspective for me. We have a very little chance of creating better opportunities for the city’s youth and young adults unless we focus more on these neighborhoods, breaking the cycle of poverty and lack of access to resources. Through various conversations with family and friends over the years, I have heard many different opinions about how to tackle issues surrounding poverty in low-income communities. Perhaps the most peculiar comment I have heard from other people is that a lot of families and individuals living in these communities are unemployed, freeloading, greedy, lazy people living off of welfare and government handouts. After visiting Cody High School and living in Detroit for the past four months, I can tell you with all of my heart that this mentality could not be further from reality. Taking a look at the neighborhoods as a whole and analyzing their dynamics within a socioeconomic system that does not advocate for all lives will reveal that many families, guardians, and individuals are stuck in a cycle of poverty. Many lack a reliable means of transportation and, therefore, cannot hold a steady job due to a lack of access to resources and to capital. What would you do if you had no choice but to live in a neighborhood with limited resources, failing schools, high crime, and a lack of reliable transportation? You would most likely resort to taking advantage of the limited government resources available to you in order for you and your family to survive.

As a white male, I cannot relate to many of these circumstances, but that certainly does not mean that these phenomena do not exist. This idea relates to the tree falling in the woods argument. Just because one does not see or hear the tree fall, does not mean that the tree did not fall. All of these realizations and learning experiences have kept my gears grinding from the moment I joined the Challenge Detroit program. I feel particularly lucky to live in Detroit during this time of growth, racial tension, socioeconomic disparity, and hope in the face of an unpredictable future. The 2016 presidential election is just the cherry on top! Cheers to the rest of the year in Detroit and to all of the wonderful learning opportunities it will bring. May you and your family also have a wonderful year of health and prosperity.

-Chris