{"id":30430,"date":"2025-07-17T15:02:23","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T15:02:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/?post_type=blogpost&p=30430"},"modified":"2025-07-17T15:02:23","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T15:02:23","slug":"project-spotlight-we-took-a-shot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/project-spotlight-we-took-a-shot\/","title":{"rendered":"Project Spotlight: We Took A Shot!"},"content":{"rendered":"

For our fourth challenge of the 2024-2025 program year, we partnered with Give Merit, a Detroit-based nonprofit that removes barriers to success through individually-focused programs, products, and places that transform mindsets and skills. Fellows created recommendations and tangible work products that focused on community engagement for Merit Park, a park in 48204 where Detroit youth will come to learn, explore career opportunities, aspire, connect\u2014and have fun.\u00a0 Teams of Fellows worked alongside Give Merit leadership \u2013 Tanisha Streeter, Kuhu Saha and David Merritt \u2013 as well as engaged with stakeholders, including 48204 residents, teens and youth as well as neighborhood school Mackenzie Elementary-Middle School students, parents and staff. Learn more about the project from the Fellow perspective!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Our project partner came to us with a challenge that seemed simple at first: \u201cHow might we grow awareness and foster long-term engagement with individual neighborhood teens?\u201d But as we began talking with youth, Give Merit staff, and community members in the 48204 ZIP code, we quickly realized this wasn\u2019t just about attendance \u2014 it was about belonging. Through empathy interviews and thoughtful dialogue, we uncovered hopes, hesitations, and the desire for something real \u2014 not just another program, but a place that felt like it was expecting them.<\/span><\/p>\n

From those conversations, we co-designed a digital teen membership and tiered rewards system, complete with an empathy map and programming calendar rooted in youth voice. Teens can now earn points for attending park events, bringing friends, and giving back \u2014 unlocking rewards that range from snacks to exclusive opportunities. More than a system, we built something that reflects recognition. As one teen told us, \u201cWhen I walk into a place, I want it to feel like it was expecting me.\u201d That stuck with us. With Give Merit\u2019s guidance, we worked with intention and care, ensuring our deliverables honored the community\u2019s voice and laid the foundation for lasting teen engagement \u2014 built not just on points, but on purpose.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Fellows (L to R): D\u2019Angelo Robinson, Tatiana Hull, Brianna Jackson, Ana Alvarez, Zahra Basha, Nia Goins<\/p><\/div>\n

Get a glimpse of the project presentation where Fellows presented to our partners, their stakeholders, and host companies here.<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n

****<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For our fourth challenge of the 2024-2025 program year, we partnered with Give Merit, a Detroit-based nonprofit that removes barriers to success through individually-focused programs, products, and places that transform mindsets and skills. Fellows created recommendations and tangible work products that focused on community engagement for Merit Park, a park in 48204 where Detroit youth […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":30422,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,55,59],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-givedetroit","category-y13challenges","category-y13givemerit"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/70"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30430"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30430\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}