Two weeks ago Detroit Teachers closed 88 Detroit schools as a protest of inhumane school conditions. Last week students walked of several DPS Schools in support of protesting teachers. It's no secret, our school system needs serious change. At Detroit Future Schools we believe that this change should have Detroit’s young people at its center.
The Out-of-School Project (OSP) is an afterschool program that brings together young people from all over the city – including Detroit Public Schools, charter schools, private schools, alternative schools, and colleges. In this program, students create media that inserts youth voice into the conversation about the challenges and opportunities facing Detroit’s public education system.
We are excited to announce the launch of #DFSIdeas, a research project and social media campaign led by young people in our Out-of-School Project. These youth will collect and share stories from Detroit students who are thriving despite obstacles in Detroit’s school system such as high teacher turnover, poor access to transportation, lack of classroom materials and resources, unhealthy food, etc. We hope to bring to light the many ways in which students are responding to these problems and their unique visions for change within the system.
Over the next six months we will conduct interviews, identify broad themes across the stories we collect, and create a media project such as a video or blog that shares the big ideas and lessons from our research. We will present this work at public events such as the Allied Media Conference in order to uplift the youth perspective around Detroit schools and reform. Ultimately, we hope this work will inspire and inform future OSP projects that provide youth-led solutions to problems within Detroit’s school system. See how you can participate below!
Tell us Your #DFSIdeas
Are you a young person in Detroit? We want to hear what being a student in Detroit schools is like.
Are you always looking to switch schools because your school doesn't work for you or was closed? Do you struggle to get to school everyday because of transportation issues? Do you get up really early to travel to the ‘burbs to get to a “good school”? Do you feel like nobody cares about your education?
How are you dealing with the problems you face in your schools everyday? What are the things you want to change and how would you change them?
We’re looking for Detroit youth who want to share their stories with us! If you have a story and would like us to interview you, please email DFS@alliedmedia.org
You can also send us your ideas on twitter, facebook or instagram using the hashtag #DFSideas
Want more info?
Email us at DFS@alliedmedia.org
Follow us: Twitter: @DFStweets Facebook.com/DetroitFutureSchools