TechTown Supports Small Businesses in Uncertain Times
Detroit, MI (February, 2021) - All across Detroit, small businesses are struggling to respond to the changing market conditions created by the coronavirus pandemic. Many are in need of critical business and technical assistance to transition in a crisis. TechTown, Detroit’s most established business accelerator, is working with more than 400 entrepreneurs to ensure they weather the storm and move their business forward. Most of these businesses are low- to moderate-income micro-entrepreneurs that employ fewer than 10 employees. “These are legacy neighborhood business owners that have had to quickly shift to use and understand technology that they had shied away from, frankly, for years,” says Amy Rencher.
City Year Detroit Gets At-Risk Students on Track for Graduation
Detroit, MI (February 2021)—Research by Johns Hopkins University shows that students who are most likely to drop out of school can be identified as early as 6th grade. This is determined by looking at early warning indicators: poor attendance, disruptive behavior and course failure in English or math. In Detroit, a disproportionate number of students exhibit these indicators.
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Virtual entrepreneurship training programs for Detroiters
Detroit, MI (January 23, 2021) - TechTown Detroit is set to launch a virtual 12-month series where entrepreneurs can learn from local small business owners about how to get started and begin operating a business.
Supporting STEAM-based Learning in Detroit with Brilliant Detroit
Detroit, MI (September 2020)—Kindergarten readiness is a powerful predictor of success later in life. Science shows 80 to 90 percent of the brain is developed by age three, making early childhood the critical time for children to experience high-quality programming. In Detroit, STEAM-based learning (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) is not readily available for families in need.
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Empowering Entrepreneurship in Detroit with Build Institute
The greatest untapped asset in the city of Detroit is people with ideas. For decades, Detroit’s native talent was neglected in the face of economic upheaval. Today, access to professional opportunities and small business ownership continue to be a challenge, particularly for people of color and women.
Creating Access to After-School Arts Programming with Living Arts
Detroit, MI (September, 2020) After-school art programs matter — especially in Detroit, where only one of every two students receives arts or music education. In areas like Southwest Detroit, where students are vulnerable to high poverty and drop-out rates, there is both a greater need and a greater gap in opportunity. Research shows that a quality arts education has the potential to tremendously impact children who are vulnerable to these challenges.
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Restoring Rivers, Preserving Our Great Lakes with Conservation Resource Alliance
Traverse City, MI (September 2020)—In 1995, scientists warned that the Great Lakes were dangerously close to an “ecological tipping point.” They suggested that if nothing was done the entire ecological ecosystem would collapse. To reverse course, the same scientists suggested concurrent paths to resiliency: 1) restoring the rivers and tributaries that flow into the Great Lakes, and 2) preserving coastal wetlands.
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Reconnected At Last: Huron Pines Restores ‘Pivotal’ Shingle Mill Site on E. Branch Black River
Grayling, MI (July 2020)—A pipe culvert that obstructed the East Branch Black River for decades is gone and with it the persistent problems it caused with erosion, flooding and fish passage. In its place, a shiny aluminum arch ushers wild brook trout to 20 miles of habitat upstream of County Road 622 — vital spawning and nursery grounds supporting the river’s famed fishery. Huron Pines is proud to have led this effort, more than two decades in the making, to restore the Shingle Mill crossing.
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Helping Children Read and Learn with the Downtown Boxing Gym
Detroit, MI (June 2020)— Khali Sweeney grew up in the Detroit Public Schools not knowing how to read or write. He remembers the narrative that was reinforced to him over and over again — “it doesn’t matter what you do, you’re going to be dead or in jail by the time you’re 21.” It’s a narrative he never forgot, and one of his motivations in creating the Downtown Boxing Gym.
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Accelerating the Growth of Small Food Start-Ups in Eastern Market
Detroit, MI (March 2020)—With its rich, 128-year history, Eastern Market is one of the most beloved destinations in Detroit — a vibrant pubic market that fosters community connections, celebrates Detroit’s diversity and showcases its food culture. Over the past 15 years, under the management of Eastern Market Corporation, the district has also emerged as one of Detroit’s leading centers for entrepreneurship of all kinds, particularly in the food industry.
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