Detroit Community Outreach

DETROIT COMMUNITY OUTREACH IS A COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATION SERVING YOUTH AND FAMILIES OF DETROIT AND SEEKING TO PROMOTE GREATER RESPECT & COOPERATION BETWEEN PEOPLE. ITS MAIN GOALS ARE TO BUILD CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY AND EQUIP YOUTH TO LOVE GOD AND OTHERS THROUGH A LIVE OF CHRISTIAN SERVICE & LEADERSHIP.

THE BEZALEL PROJECT - A FREE AFTER-SCHOOL AND SUMMER PROGRAM PROVIDING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS, LITERACY SUPPORT AND DYNAMIC ARTS PROGRAMMING TO HOLISTICALLY EMPOWER DETROIT YOUTH BETWEEN THE AGES OF 8 AND 13. TO ENSURE SOCIAL DISTANCING PRECAUTIONS COULD BE TAKEN, THE PROGRAM WAS ALTERED TO RUN 5 DAYS A WEEK FOR A 2 HOUR SESSION, WITH EACH SESSION ONLY SERVING 2 HOUSEHOLDS AT A TIME. DURING THE SUMMER, BEZALEL BECOMES A DAY-CAMP, RUNNING 3 DAYS A WEEK FOR 5 HOURS EACH DAY. DURING OUR TIME WITH OUR YOUTH, WE PROVIDE ACADEMIC TUTORING AND USE ARTS, GAMES, MUSIC, AND DRAMA AS A MEANS TO ENCOURAGE OUR YOUTH TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES IN HEALTHY WAYS. THIS SCHOOLYEAR, WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING WITH 18 KIDS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, AND HAVE IN YEARS PAST WORKED WITH AROUND 25 STUDENTS DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS.

THE PLUG - A COMMUNITY THROUGH WHICH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN DETROIT ARE ACCOMPANIED THROUGH THE COMPLEXITIES OF THEIR LIVES, RECEIVING CONNECTIONS TO BOTH VITAL COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND THE ETERNAL HOPE OF THE GOSPEL. STAFF MEMBERS MEET WITH HIGH SCHOOLERS IN SMALL-GROUP SETTINGS, PROVIDING THEM WITH THE CHANCE TO SHARE OPENLY ABOUT THE STRUGGLES THEY MAY FACE, AND TO RECEIVE THE ENCOURAGEMENT AND HELP THEY NEED. ONCE PER WEEK, ALL PARTICIPANTS MEET TOGETHER TO PLAY GAMES, AND LISTEN TO TALKS AND ENGAGE IN RELEVANT GROUP DISCUSSION. A KEY PIECE OF OUR WORK IS ASSISTING OUR YOUTH IN NAVIGATING AND GAINING ACCESS TO THE MANY RESOURCES THAT MAY BE AVAILABLE TO THEM. EXAMPLES INCLUDE CONNECTING OUR YOUTH TO FOOD BANKS, SHELTERS, FINANCIAL HEALTH SEMINARS/WORKSHOPS, MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS, TUTORING SERVICES, AND LITERACY SUPPORT. APPROXIMATE NUMBER OF YOUTH SERVED: 25.

STREETTEAM LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM - A 6-WEEK LEADERSHIP AND JOB TRAINING PROGRAM WHERE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE GIVEN THE TOOLS TO GROW PRACTICALLY, SOCIALLY AND SPIRITUALLY. WE PROVIDE THEM WITH WORK EXPERIENCE, TRAINING IN RESUME WRITING AND JOB INTERVIEWING, TRAINING IN FINANCIAL LITERACY, OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN OUTDOOR ADVENTURE TRIPS, ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE SELF-DISCOVERY AND GROWTH IN SELF-CONFIDENCE, LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, AND ONE-ON-ONE MENTORING. REQUIRED PARTICIPATION IS 5 DAYS PER WEEK, FULL-TIME. THIS PREVIOUS SUMMER, DUE TO COVID-19, THE PROGRAM MOVED TO A VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE BUT WE WERE ABLE TO PARTNER WITH A CITY OF DETROIT INITIATIVE GROW DETROIT YOUNG TALENT TO ENSURE WE PROVIDED EACH OF THE AFOREMENTIONED PROGRAM ELEMENTS TO OUR YOUTH. FULL-TIME PARTICIPANTS: 19 YOUTH