Our Youth Are Ready For ACTION.
Detroit’s youth are bustling with energy, creativity, and unlimited potential.
The problem is when a young person’s inner spark fails to ignite— perhaps due to circumstances or resource scarcity—too many youth get stuck, left out, left behind, or ignored.
This isn’t right.
The young people of Detroit deserve to grow up in a thriving youth ecosystem that includes schools, homes, and communities where their voices are heard, and their self-determination is nurtured.
We are building a shared vision for the youth of Detroit that includes a multigenerational approach to enhancing value, safety and wellbeing for every young person. We believe in a collaborative approach, calling communities, organizations, and systems to work together, taking positive action to change the trajectory for Detroit.
What do we want for Detroit’s youth?
More compassion, more joy, and more curiosity. More opportunities. More elevating the youth voice.
Fewer barriers and fewer inequities.
We want action, we need a village, we hope you join us.
There is a pervasive climate of inequity rooted in both historical and contemporary injustices. Many social, governmental, and organizational institutions have contributed to this long standing structural inequity, and it’s difficult to dismantle.
The result is a culture of inequity where many of Detroit’s children, youth and families are isolated from opportunities and key resources.
While there have been some strides towards empowering youth, the reality is there’s much more work to do.
The Detroit Youth Action Plan (DYAP) supports a holistic approach to high-quality standards across all systems and places where young people spend time.
The Detroit Youth Action Plan is a blueprint for this comprehensive approach that helps all children and youth.
Across each of the six action plan impact areas, we will continue our work with youth, youth-serving organizations, and a network of partners.
What else will we do?
The success of DYAP thus far is only possible through the partnerships of youth, communities, and youth-serving organizations across the city of Detroit.
Our youth community is integral to the mission.
Every step we take is a deliberate move with our community in mind. The shaping of the DYAP is directly linked to Detroit youth, parents, family members, local officials, educators, school leaders, community organizations, and residents across our city.
Our vision is defined through the compilation of hundreds of hours of direct, face-to-face, community outreach, organized by youth leaders, Detroit Tenn HYPE and the Detroit Youth Advisory Council.
In Spring of 2023, we hosted 7 Community Talks across 7 Detroit districts.
During sessions we:
We also conducted extensive intercept surveys to collect input.
What resulted from these extensive Community Talks and Surveys?
An undeniable commitment to the village mentality where every person is equipped to tap into their individual power, to connect with collective power, and to transform solutions for a stronger city.
The Detroit Youth Action Plan’s current and future efforts include an unwavering commitment to elevating the youth voice and listening to community perspectives.
To equip Detroit’s youth, we need to start and end with the youth.
Young people have the expertise about their lived experience, culture, and community.
By collaborating directly with communities, we get a firsthand experience around barriers and opportunities. When we invite the youth to lead the way, we move toward what they need.
We invite a culture of respect in every situation, so we do consider opinions and insights of non-youth contributors.
We also believe in seeking input from the non-power holders, and seek to encourage and elevate the marginalized voices.
Open dialogue and respectful feedback is always welcome.
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