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 .