Alternative Spring Break Detroit 2008

After an amazing experience in Lake Charles, Louisiana, I am very excited that Alternative Spring Break will be offered here in Detroit, Michigan. In a meeting that was initiated by United Way, in which former ASB participants from Detroit attended, the idea of bringing an Alternative Spring Break to Detroit was born. We understood that Detroit had not necessarily been devastated by a hurricane, however the economic downturn leaves the community with high foreclosure on housing, disparity between education systems, and job opportunities leaving Detroit. These pressing issues have brought about a drought to Southeastern Michigan and have the citizens crying out for help and attention.

I am very thankful to Angela Walker and Patricia McCann who strongly supported the dream of ASB coming to Detroit. Personally, I would like to apologize for bugging them all the time about it but I was very passionate about students being able to realize the opportunities that still exist in the Detroit area. Looking at the news can be very depressing because the media portrays the city to be a horrific place to live and I realize that this negative perception reaches out to the entire country.

To me Alternative Spring Break Detroit is not just an option for students to participate in during the college Spring Break, it is a learning experience and direct implementation of the “Agenda for Change.” The city of Detroit has so many exciting things going on such as the new river walk, the progress and excitement of the professional sports teams, and the historical architecture that makes this city a wonderful place to visit. So to anyone reading this blog, I hope you do not feed into the hype of a lost Detroit because after a depression always comes an upturn, and I believe a new Detroit is not to far off.