Category Archives: Blog
Tonya Allen: Quantifying hope for young men of color
by: | Apr. 17th, 2015 Editor’s note: This blog is being republished with permission from the Foundation Center and Campaign for Black Male Achievement’s joint report, Quantifying Hope: Philanthropic Support for Black Men and Boys. At a March meeting in Detroit, a number of stakeholders committed to improving outcomes for young men of color sat […]
Read more »Part 1: Tonya Allen answers critics of CFDS recommendations
by: Tonya Allen | Apr. 1st, 2015 It’s been less than 48 hours since the Coalition for the Future of Detroit Schoolchildren announced its recommendations. We have received praise, and we have received criticism. It’s what we expected. We knew our recommendations were not going to please everyone. We actually have complainants from the left and […]
Read more »5,000 summer jobs coming for Detroit youth in 2015
by: Krista Jahnke | Jan. 27th, 2015 More than 100 business leaders gathered for the Breakfast of Champions on Tuesday at the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce to hear about the newly re-launched Grow Detroit’s Young Talent program and to make commitments to support Detroit youth in internships this summer. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan summed […]
Read more »Allen: 2015 to bring big things to Detroit education, young men of color
by: Tonya Allen | Jan. 2nd, 2015 At the beginning of a new year, it is a blessing to feel both grateful for what’s transpired in the year ending and hopeful for what is to come in the next. I’m happy to say I’m in that sweet spot right now. The last month of 2014 […]
Read more »Nearly 10,000 occupied homes in neighborhoods at foreclosure risk
by: | Nov. 11th, 2014 Foreclosures have the power to take stable neighborhoods and make them unstable. To undo the effects of years of community action and work. To put families with kids out of their homes, sometimes because those families owe as little as a few hundred dollars. To take what might be livable, […]
Read more »Detroit youth writing contest: Why do you believe in Detroit?
by: Krista Jahnke | Oct. 6th, 2014 Hundreds of Detroit residents were polled about their experiences living in neighborhoods at two community meetings in recent weeks. The questions centered on topics like education and safety — two of the Foundation’s program areas. Among the questions was one that had me anxious: it asked whether people […]
Read more »‘Bringing Up Detroit’ will tell full story of raising kids in the city
by: Krista Jahnke | Sep. 17th, 2014 The full story of what it’s like to raise children in the city of Detroit is not one that’s often told. That’s why we’re excited to partner with Michigan Radio for a new year-long reporting series called Bringing Up Detroit. I chatted with producer Zak Rosen about what […]
Read more »Community meetings begin this week, starting in Cody Rouge
by: Krista Jahnke | Sep. 17th, 2014 When the Foundation began its work in six neighborhoods back in 2006, one of the first steps was holding community meetings. These meetings helped the Foundation understand what the community wanted for its children, and to create a shared vision and set of goals for the $100-million, 10-year […]
Read more »Tonya Allen: Stop fighting one another — fight for real school change
by: Tonya Allen | Aug. 28th, 2014 Editor’s note: On August 28, 2014, the Detroit Free Press ran this guest column from Foundation President & CEO Tonya Allen. It is reprinted here with permission. Read it on freep.com by clicking here. The beginning of another school year is here in Detroit, and our city remains […]
Read more »#DYLC14: Youth leaders to share their vision for Detroit on Wednesday
by: Krista Jahnke | Aug. 19th, 2014 What began as a daydream session in a Grand Valley dorm room last December is becoming a reality on Wednesday. The Detroit Youth Leadership Conference is the brainchild of Grand Valley sophomore and Detroit native Stepha’N Quicksey, who was completing his freshman year at Grand Valley at the […]
Read more »#MySummerJob: Amyre Makupson, retired TV anchor, got her start as a soda jerk
by: Krista Jahnke | Aug. 3rd, 2014 Summer jobs are more than just a way for teens to make a few dollars. They’re an important building block on the path to future employment. They help kids get a true taste of the world beyond high school. Whether they’re serving ice cream, stocking shelves or folding […]
Read more »25 black men making Detroit stronger
by: Tonya Allen | Mar. 25th, 2014 By now, you’ve likely heard of the new federal initiative called My Brother’s Keeper, which is putting hundreds of millions of dollars into the fight to improve outcomes for boys of color, especially African American boys. Here at the Foundation, the news was met with cheers and renewed […]
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