Partnership from page 8
What a great way to end our week!
Saturday in Southwest Detroit was an
exciting and eventful day. From 10 a.m.-
5 p.m., members of JDI volunteered
at the Clark Park Coalition's Winter
Carnival in Clark Park. The carnival
included ice skating, horse-drawn car-
riage rides, a petting zoo, hot chocolate,
marshmallow roasting, arts and crafts,
face painting and many other fun activi-
ties for Southwest Detroit residents and
children. Our very own Josh Kanter even
dressed up as a Detroit-themed clown to
add to the fun carnival atmosphere.
"During the week, we had all adver-
tised the event to our classrooms and to
the middle-schoolers at Amelia Earhart
Elementary/Middle School, and we were
all thrilled to see some of our students
show up. Being able to build upon the
connections we had made with the stu-
dents during the previous week was one
of my favorite parts of the day.
"One of the students I had been work-
ing with in Mr. Gardner's fourth-grade
classroom was among the Southwest
Detroit residents to attend the carnival.
I had worked with him every day and to
be able to see the smile on his face as he
made his way to the ice rink to skate for
the first time was a great feeling. It was
nice to see all of them come out to sup-
port their community and hang out with
all of us before we would head back to
Ann Arbor the next day. It was also nice
to meet all of their families and siblings,
who many of us had heard so much
about during the week. ))
Hayley Sakwa and Rachael Malerman served as student leaders of the Jewish
- Rachael Malerman ('13), West Bloomfield
Detroit Initiative, the driving forces behind turning this ASB experience into a
yearlong, sustained and vibrant U-M Hillel group.
a
Josh Kanter,
a second-year
MSW student in
U-M's Jewish
Communal
Leadership
Program, poses
with a student
in his Detroit-
themed clown
costume at the
Winter Carnival
at Clark Park
in Southwest
Detroit.
You may be surprised by all of the
innovative thinking that's coming out
of Detroit right now. One example
takes the form of a unique Detroit
pastime simply known as "Fowling."
Fowling (pronounced like "foe") is the
seemingly odd fusion of bowling and
football in a horseshoes-style layout. It
became a highlight of our trip.
"Sunday night, we arrived at the
colorful old Toy Warehouse on Van
Dyke Street to a unique arena of bowl-
ing pins set on the floor about 20 feet
opposite one another.
"There, we divided into teams of
two, taking turns throwing the ole
pigskin, attempting our best Stafford
impression as we aimed for our oppo-
nents' pins alongside other families
that had also come for the fun.
'Admittedly, I'm not the best arm.
The ball bounced around lots, and
sometimes it took numerous attempts
to score, but it was worth the satisfac-
tion of hearing the familiar sound of
pins crashing. Though some lost and
some won, we all had a blast and were
grateful that Detroit is home to such
originality. ))
- Eli Newman ('13), West Bloomfield
imumminiumemi.
10 April 12 * 2012
iN
On Tuesday afternoon, I mostly spent
time painting with two eighth-grade
girls from Earhart, trading music artists
and learning about their college plans.
I really enjoyed bonding over a fun and
meaningful project. I think this is the
way dialogue flows most naturally and
relationships are formed.
"They also talked to me a bit about the
presence of gangs in the Southwest area,
first commenting that my Jewish star
necklace is the symbol of one such gang.
It surprised and frustrated me that many
of these young kids have an understand-
ing of or a connection (through older sib-
lings and such) to gangs. I am beginning
to realize, however, that this is simply
their reality and their environment.
"Rather than expecting these realities to
disappear, more tangible goals for commu-
nity improvement are to provide positive
role models, encourage other priorities and
create safe spaces in which kids can make
good decisions.
"It is also important to embrace the
assets of community, such as the family
values and community unity so visible in
Southwest Detroit, rather than only focus-
ing on its struggles.)
- Hayley Sakwa ('14), West Bloomfield
We were packed and ready to leave
for Ann Arbor as we came together
for our last meeting over breakfast on
Sunday morning. As we shared our
individual perceptions of the trip, it was
unanimous that it had been a draining
week — in the best way.
"In our last conversation, we spoke
about sustaining the relationships we
have created. It's easy to drop in and
parachute into a community and then
leave, but that's not the vision of JDI. For
now we're sending cards and videos to
our elementary students. We're planning
to go back to LMS to bowl and continue
getting to know our middle-school
friends. At the same time, we know that
the spaces we created are in good hands.
"We also need to take our experi-
ences back to our communities in Ann
Arbor. Through JDI, I was allowed the
opportunity to work alongside and
learn with such an amazing group of
undergraduate students from U-M Hillel
as well as local youth from Southwest
Detroit.
"This week reminded me that there is
much hope for the future of the Jewish
community to consciously educate and
engage with diverse communities and
social issues that, at times, seem to be so
distanced from the lives we lead. ))
Thursday afternoon, we met at
Earthworks Urban Farm to tour the
facilities and learn how the organiza-
tion operates. Their mission — 'to
build a just, beautiful food system
through education, inspiration and
community development' — expresses
not just their purpose, but also their
actions.
"The farm is located on a couple
blocks of Meldrum Street, in a resi-
dential neighborhood, and exists as a
way to supplement a Capuchin Soup
Kitchen with fresh fruits and veg-
etables and also to provide seedlings to
gardeners across the city.
"Earthworks, as a policy, does not
use fences. They seek to engage with
the community by keeping a Unity
Garden open to any individual with
a desire to plant and grow seeds —
meaning that many homeless people in
the area have 4-foot by 4-foot plots of
land they can call their own.
"They also use donations and prof-
its from any produce they sell toward
the youth agriculture program in the
neighborhood. It was inspiring for me
to realize that while food can bring
people together, growing food can
instill a sense of community. ))
- Josh Kanter (MSW '12),
Huntington Woods
The Detroit Connection
- Laura Katsnelson ('14), West Bloomfield
Those at the Jewish Detroit Initiative are interested in your feedback about
Detroit and the Jewish community's role in the city's past, present and future.
Take a moment with your friends and family to consider these questions:
• Why is Detroit different than all other cities?
• What's one experience or memory you have of Detroit?
• Why are there so many varied perceptions of the city today?
• Do we have a responsibility to the city? Why or why not?
To post your answers and read more about the JDI on its blog, go to
umichjdi.tumblr.com .