Monthly Archives: August 2016
Strengthening Grassroots Community Leadership in Detroit
by: Touchstone Center for Collaborative Inquiry | Aug. 31st, 2016 An evaluation report on the Community Connections Grants Program (2006-2015), a resident-centered grant program working to strengthen civic engagement and grassroots leadership in Detroit. It awards grants of $500 to $5,000 to local projects that mobilize residents to improve opportunities and conditions for youth. Download […]
Read more »Millennials are here to stay
by: Bernita Bradley | Aug. 26th, 2016 My son is a millennial. He always keeps me wondering: Why does he like the new music versus my “old school” music? Why does he post the things he puts on Facebook, or wear the clothing he wears? NBC’s Saturday Night Live has a skit called “The Millennials.” It […]
Read more »The Added Value of Long-Term Investment in Neighborhoods: Two Case Studies from the Skillman Foundation’s Good Neighborhoods Initiative
by: David Scheie | Aug. 21st, 2016 What difference can 10 years of steady, responsive philanthropic support make to a resourceful but distressed neighborhood? What is the added value of long-term investment in neighborhoods? These are the questions probed in two case studies at the heart of this essay, giving the reader a sense of […]
Read more »Neighborhood Impact Statements
by: The Skillman Foundation | Aug. 19th, 2016 Written by Neighborhood Governance Organizations The Good Neighborhoods Initiative was structured around residents leading change in the their neighborhoods. To support resident-led change, the Foundation helped bring community members together so they could organize, and provided leadership training, technical assistance and funding. In some communities, this organizing […]
Read more »Maximizing Returns: Investing in Nontraditional Leaders
by: The Skillman Foundation | Aug. 19th, 2016 Co-authored by resident leaders Mohammad Dawood, Jerry Ann Hebron, Lisa Luevanos, Mary Luevanos and Victor Robinson Learnings from a group of resident leaders on the importance of grassroots leadership capacity building. Download the full report View related videos
Read more »Helping kids become their best
by: David R. McGhee | Aug. 18th, 2016 Our vision of what’s possible is often restrained by what’s familiar. And for many kids growing up in Detroit, possibilities seem slim. That’s why access to youth development programs is so important. All children deserve to have safe places where they can have fun, build relationships, explore […]
Read more »Credit Recovery: Helping students make up for lost time
by: Tammie Jones | Aug. 17th, 2016 Two years ago, while working as a program officer at the Skillman Foundation, I spoke with Osborn Neighborhood Alliance parent mentors who were volunteering at the Osborn High School Campus. They were helping to “fill in the gap” at the schools, offering additional support to students on the […]
Read more »11 Organizations Changing the Lives of Detroit Youth
by: David R. McGhee | Aug. 15th, 2016 Part one of a two-part blog. 10 additional youth development orgs celebrated here. There is so much good going on in Detroit. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by statistics that tell us how far we have to go before all kids in Detroit feel safe, supported and […]
Read more »A Decade in Review: Conditions in Detroit and the Skillman Good Neighborhoods
by: | Aug. 14th, 2016 Authored by Data Driven Detroit A report on the overall context for the initiative that draws from a wide range of data sources to describe macro-scale trends in Detroit and each of the Skillman Good Neighborhoods. It is designed to provide a description of major demographic, political, economic and social […]
Read more »Preparing for Work Beyond the Good Neighborhoods Initiative
by: Tonya Allen | Aug. 11th, 2016 In 2006, the Skillman Foundation launched the Good Neighborhoods Initiative, a 10-year $100-million commitment to six neighborhoods in Detroit. The initiative was significant. It marked a new way of working for the Foundation, both in the duration and size of the financial investment as well as the approach […]
Read more »What’s right? What’s real? A Detroit youth’s story about life without guidance
by: | Aug. 8th, 2016 There was a moment when I was close to death and I first realized it wasn’t a game. Everything I tried before that, I thought it was all just a game. And everything I learned, I had to learn on my own. There wasn’t people telling me how I should be. […]
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