The Community Partnership Playbook’s purpose is to guide researchers while supporting and lending authority to community organizations as they advocate for partnerships that will benefit their constituencies.

The BLI 2024 theme for the Social Transformation Fellows and the Detroit Retreat is Utilizing Technology for Social Good. The retreat runs April 5-7.

Leona Medley graduated from the University of Michigan-Dearborn with a psychology degree and directed strategic community partnerships at Bedrock Detroit before taking on the Joe Louis Greenway Partnership role.

Kaiwan “Kai” Bowman loves being in service to his community by connecting people with new opportunities. As the chief operating officer of the Metro Detroit Black Business Alliance, he works to close the racial wealth gap for Black entrepreneurs.

“The U-M survey also helped CMHC see additional unmet needs of program participants due to inadequate workforce systems, as well as economic or racial inequalities in Detroit.”

~ Richard Cannon, executive director of the Church of the Messiah Housing Corp.

Average wages at payroll jobs in Detroit are expected to reach nearly $96,000 by 2028—40% higher than 2019—and average wage and salary income for employed Detroit residents should increase to roughly $50,000—42% higher than 2019. Unfortunately, however, inflation will claw back the significant majority of those gains.

I’ve always considered it a blessing that ever since I graduated from U-M, I’ve worked in municipal or nonprofit mission-based work… I really considered it quite an honor to be able to take everything that I’ve done within my career to bring me to this point.”

~ Meagan Dunn

Students live, learn and work within the city for one semester. The Semester in Detroit program, with its blend of academic study and hands-on community work, is unique.

After some summer internships, UM-Dearborn student Briana Hurt was transformed from a person who’d never grown anything but house plants to someone who cared deeply about agriculture and its potential to improve communities.