Category Archives: Blog
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 »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. […]
Read more »Creating a Safe Detroit Through Police, Resident Partnership
by: | Jul. 20th, 2016 Over the past couple of years we have been witness to a growing number of senseless and horrible acts of violence across the nation for which we have no real explanations or immediate answers. These acts of violence have fueled both anger and fear, and have the potential for major […]
Read more »Stopping the loss of black lives
by: Tonya Allen | Jul. 8th, 2016 This is a difficult time for us all. We are witnessing unspeakable tragedy and violence against humanity. Be it in Orlando, Sandy Hook, Minneapolis, Baton Rouge, Dallas, Ferguson or Baltimore. We grieve for the lost lives of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and the other 134 black people who […]
Read more »Stanford grad thankful for Detroit supporters
by: Jessica Reed | Jun. 8th, 2016 Jessica Reed Almost a year ago, a dream that once felt intangible transformed into my reality. Last June, I graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in African and African American Studies and a minor in Creative Writing. As I celebrated this accomplishment during Black […]
Read more »Detroit schooling chaos
by: Lou Glazer | May. 24th, 2016 Good article in the Atlantic on Detroit schools entitled Detroit’s Education Catastrophe. Worth reading! The article describes the consequences of an unregulated education marketplace with little or no quality standards. You end up with too many schools chasing too few students. Which leaves all education operators unstable––both public school districts […]
Read more »$500K Innovation Challenge taps into Detroit’s next generation
by: Francis Cruz-Aldrett | Mar. 28th, 2016 The Skillman Foundation, in partnership with the Campaign for Black Male Achievement, launched My Brother’s Keeper Detroit Innovation Challenge to invest $500,000 in programs that seek to empower Detroit’s young men of color. More than 450 ideas were submitted for the first found of applications due March 21. […]
Read more »Two Detroiters to Watch in Youth Development Work
by: Kim Newberry | Feb. 23rd, 2016 I want to share my joy! In anticipation of the great things to come in 2016, I’d like to celebrate and encourage our grassroots organizations in the city of Detroit. As the chief administrator at Don Bosco Hall, I have the great honor of leading the work of […]
Read more »MBK Detroit Earns Presidential Pat on the Back
by: | Jan. 25th, 2016 “We want fewer young men in jail; we want more of them in college. We want fewer young men on the streets; we want more in the boardrooms. We want everybody to have a chance to succeed in America.” – President Barack Obama My Brother’s Keeper initiative launch, February 27, […]
Read more »Doctor Treats Youth Violence Epidemic
by: | Jan. 19th, 2016 Dr. Tolulope Sonuyi, an emergency medicine physician at DMC Sinai Grace Hospital, has been an active member of My Brother’s Keeper Detroit since the initiative’s inception in December 2014. His contributions have been invaluable, providing ground-level insight on youth violence in Detroit and forging partnerships that have yielded quick action […]
Read more »Teacher breaks records by building rapport
by: Natalie Fotias | Jan. 12th, 2016 Jerry Giordano answers students’ questions after class Jerry Giordano started his teaching career three years ago as a science teacher at Detroit Leadership Academy Middle/High School. Educators at the Academy follow the same group of kids as they transition through grades, building familiarity and trust between teachers and […]
Read more »Detroit rates highest in efforts to support black male achievement
by: Natalie Fotias | Dec. 4th, 2015 Detroit ranks first in efforts to reduce disparities and expand opportunities for boys and men of color, a study conducted by the national Campaign for Black Male Achievement (CBMA) finds. CBMA rated 50 U.S. cities using the following factors: City-led commitment to supporting and addressing challenges facing black men […]
Read more »How to begin to stop the decline of Detroit’s schools
by: Tonya Allen | Nov. 2nd, 2015 This commentary was published in the Detroit Free Press on 11/04/15. It’s that time of year again. I’m frustrated. I’m worn out and worn down. The onset of winter and dwindling daylight always mess with my emotional equilibrium. But Mother Nature isn’t to blame for my chilly mood. Tonya Allen, […]
Read more »ESD releases latest Scorecard for Detroit’s K-12 schools
by: Krista Jahnke | Jun. 25th, 2015 This week, Detroit parents have an updated resource to dive into — the latest Excellent Schools Detroit Scorecard. The Scorecard — available at http://scorecard.excellentschoolsdetroit.org — ranks more than 200 elementary, middle and high schools across all Detroit neighborhoods and all types of schools. Private schools, public schools, public […]
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