In true early 2000s nostalgia, the infamous slogan from MTV’s Diary – “You think you know, but you have no idea” came to mind in my first weeks as a Challenge Detroit fellow living, working, playing, giving and leading in Detroit.
Okay, sounds a little dramatic, but it’s a true sentiment nonetheless. As a native of downriver and a life-long Detroit enthusiast, I thought I knew most of what was pushing the momentum of Detroit forward.
*For those unfamiliar with the term downriver, it’s a collection of communities in Wayne County south of Detroit. Some even say Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ refers directly to downriver – though I’m pretty certain it’s just an epic rumor.*
The most humbling part of my short time as a fellow is how little I knew about some of the most innovative, fascinating and impactful resources driving the Motor City forward.
Here are a few initiatives I had never even dreamed about before September 2, 2014 and they’re spectacular:
A self-described “monthly dinner funding micro-grants for creative projects in Detroit,” this organization is bringing actual, and in some cases immediate, positive changes to several Detroit neighborhoods. It’s a community pot-luck of sorts with a small admission fee benefiting the elected community proposal. Once everybody settles in, pre-selected pitches from community members have the stage to concisely explain why their idea best deserves the admission money. After an audience Q & A, good-old fashion democracy is at work with a community vote. The winner is tallied while everyone fills their bellies with fabulous soup (among other treats). I got to participate in the Livernois Corridor SOUP earlier this month. The benefactor was Gamesville USA, a video game shop on Livernois, with the money going to hire another local student as part of the professional development internship program. Gamesville interns are taught a wide range of business practices and gain practical work experience – an opportunity too few would have otherwise had access to.
- “Blexting”
More than a snappy term meaning blight texting: it’s a junction of Motor City Mapping, Data Driven Detroit and Loveland Technologies, Blexting is an app designed to collect data from surveyors and civilians alike to get the scope of the current blight landscape of the city. (You should go download it now if you live/spend time in Detroit and have access to a smart phone or tablet.) I was able to blext with a few fellows and it was empowering to lend such a direct hand to one of Detroit’s biggest challenges. While we were blexting, several community members saw us and offered advice because they too had blexted. Their motivation fueled my own.
The infusion of arts, creativity, energy, expression and furor that is North America’s Festival of Independent Design (official name of the Detroit Design Festival) is nothing short of a marvel. Dlectricity is when artists take over every square inch of Midtown and light it up; I took in a mesmerizing visual in a church built in the 19th century, watched an art film on the side of the DIA and Detroit Public Library set to house music and saw a lighted bike parade. Rad. I even got to be an exhibitor with my team on Sunday of DDF to present our reimagined bus shelter prototype to the Livernois Corridor community. The spectacles of #DDF2014 feel lively, hip, radical and modern. It was a true showcase of Detroit as the country’s next great design + innovation + creative hub. It won’t happen again for another year, but let me say this: put it on your calendar now. You won’t be disappointed.