Ann Arbor artist and illustrator David Zinn's public art chalk creations have been ricocheting around the Internet lately and we thought it was high time we had a chat with him about the state of art -public and otherwise- in our community.
…Or How Kids Learned To Stop Hating Veggies and Love Kohlrabi. Agrarian Adventure brings educational programs to a dozen different Ann Arbor area schools, helping kids better understand where their food comes from and even how to grow their own.
From a video about squirrels on U-M's diag to a National Geographic grant to film extreme tree-climbing, U-M student Charlie Engelman has turned a video hobby into the start of a career in educational entertainment.
Bruce Katz of the Brooking's Institute has some advice for metro regions… and points to San Diego as a city that 'gets it.' Excerpt: "We have 100 metropolitan areas that really power our economy forward. They all have really distinct economic profiles — what they make, the services they provide, what they trade, who they trade with. Buffalo is not like Boston. San Diego is not like Syracuse. In the great words of Dolly Parton: “find out who you are and do it on purpose.” Cities should invest in those things that will really power their distinct economy forward — in some places that might be an investment in a port or an airport. Everywhere it will require an investment in skills but it needs to be really customized to the kind of economy you have. Read the rest here.
Okay, there's us. And we're proud to say we've been around 300+ issues now. But let's share some of the love, okay? There are some damn fine local bloggers out there and we think you should be reading them. So, we've put together a list of five must-read sites.
Dr. Doris Terry Williams, executive director of the Rural School and Community Trust, discusses the need for place-based education in both rural and urban environments and how Michigan's Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative is leading the charge.
Visible Learning Center is just a few weeks old, but the family who opened the new Ypsilanti childcare and education facility has decades of experience in the business. Hanan Dari co-owns the center with her father, Hisham Dari who has been in the childcare business for 21 years in Ann Arbor. When it came to opening a facility together, however, Ypsilanti just made sense. "We'd get phone calls from families who needed care, and there is a lot of care available in Ann Arbor," says Hanan Dari. "We wanted to expand in Ypsilanti because there is more need for care there." The 4,500 square foot Visible Learning Center opened on Sept. 15. In addition to childcare, children participate in a creative curriculum and assessments from birth to five years old. The center also offers expanded hours in the evenings to cater to families with non-traditional schedules. "A lot of families need to have evening care to finish their education," Dari says. "Some don't finish their bachelors or masters because they work in the morning and they don't have care at night when they would go to class." Visible Learning Center accepts children from infancy to 12 years old, and has the capacity to care for up to 74 children. Dari says she hopes to continue to grow the facility and perhaps eventually open multiple locations. ? Source: Hanan Dari, Visible Learning Center Writer: Natalie Burg
Josh Ross is starting his career by combining the two main subjects he studied in college, business and music. Ross graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelors degrees in both business administration and music earlier this year. So he launched the J-RO School of Music, a new business that teaches young people about music by using both classical and contemporary examples. "Everyone teaches classical," says Josh Ross, founder of J-RO School of Music. "That's great but if someone wants to learn about pop or hip-hop there aren’t many places that do it." The idea is to swim with the current when it comes to teaching young people about music by teaching them fundamentals for songs they are already excited about. Ross does camps and workshops that put equal emphasis on contemporary music, like pop, rock, musical theater, and hip-hop, and classical music. "What's great about it is the kids are familiar with the songs and then they want to learn how to play them," Ross says. The J-RO School of Music has facilitated 50 students so far this year. The students have ranged in ages from 7 to 70-years-old. Ross, who is releasing his own acoustic rock album this fall, would like to up those numbers beyond 100 and open his own storefront for the company over the next year. He hopes to use the base of that business to do more community outreach so underprivileged kids can have equal access to music education. "I want to make it sustainable so I can provide some programs for children who don’t have those opportunities," Ross says. Source: Josh Ross, founder of J-RO School of Music Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
While in graduate school at Michigan State University, Emmanuel Jones conducted a study to determine the impact of mentorship on the grades and behavior of middle school aged children. His findings led him to a new career. The positive results inspired him to create Mentor2Youth, a non-profit organization serving kids primarily in the Ypsilanti area. Three years later, the growing organization has found a new home in the newly renovated Ypsilanti Town Center on Ecorse. Rd. "I felt this location would be prefect because there's not really a lot of support services on that side of town," says Jones. "Being on a bus line allows families who might not have transportation to come learn more about our programs." And Mentor2Youth needs the space. What began as one program serving 15 student has grown into multiple programs during the school year and summer offered in multiple locations, having 350 kids so far. Programs include everything from life skills and career planning to fun field trips the students wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity to experience. "We want them to get thinking long term about what they wan to do with their lives," Jones says. "We try to expose students to their potential and what they're capable of doing." The new office will help support six to 10 part-time staff Jones hopes to soon hire to help manage the growing program. Through the help of grants, he plans to eventually expand his staff to include permanent employees. As the organization is always in need of volunteers, in-kind and financial contributions and other means of support, those interested in helping out can find more information on Mentor2Youth.com Source: Emmanuel Jones, Mentor2Youth Writer: Natalie Burg
Interestingly, both retirees and professionals agree on what makes a city attractive to live in. Excerpt: "Intellectual engagement is one big draw... The three-week Ann Arbor Summer Festival showcases more than 100 events, including dance, local bands, comedy and outdoor movies. Ann Arbor is home to dozens of restaurants, from Caribbean to vegetarian to Tex-Mex. Transplanted New Yorkers will feel right at home sampling the bagels and pastrami at Zingerman’s Deli, an Ann Arbor institution since 1982." More here.
Our Partners
