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Experiencing Our Cities Firsthand
Albion College students on Belle Isle
While we have a lot to work on in our cities we also need to develop a greater appreciation for the tremendous opportunities and assets our cities already posses.
I had the pleasure of giving a group of Albion College students a day long tour of Detroit last week. By the end of the day I helped change many of their perceptions of their city and may have even inspire a good number of them to not only stick around Michigan after graduation but to call Detroit home.
Here are some exerpts from their post tour blogs. Read the blogs in their entirity here (It's worth the time):
As a senior at Albion, I have officially entered those last few whirlwind months in which the question of my next move after graduation is frighteningly, but also thrillingly, real and pressing. My broad mixture of interests in psychology, sustainable agriculture, food and environmental justice issues, and community development lend themselves to a number of possible directions, both in terms of career path and physical location. As for the latter, the tour today helped put Detroit at the top of my list . . . . Suddenly the questions, “what’s next?” and then, “why Detroit?” seem a whole lot less daunting to answer. ~ Jessie Baird
Before yesterday’s tour, I perceived Detroit to be just like it is often described: a once-great city, which has fallen into despair. However, after spending the day with Sean Mann , I saw Detroit as a cluster of unique communities isolated from each other by burned-out blocks and empty parking lots. What inspired me is that some neighborhoods are banding together to improve the safety and beauty of their streets. . . . This culture of hope and cooperation is one that I believe will attract young graduates to the city. I had not previously thought of living in Detroit after graduating, but what I saw today has made me reconsider. ~ Cody Yothers
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