Tis the sea-sun to recap on this years amazing summer program, packed to the brim with exciting opportunities and plenty chances for some fun in the Detroit sun.

The focus this summer was all things food justice. We got our hands dirty with the environment, planted seeds around urban agriculture, chopped it up on culinary careers, and washed ourselves clean with a week of lessons devoted to water.  

The students had a blast learning the ins and outs of food access and grew passionate about impacting their individual communities in positive ways. Seventeen little folks now dedicated to changing lives in a big way, gaining influence from all the wonderful guest speakers and hosts invited into our program.

There were many worthwhile field trips but a staff favorite was definitely our visit to the SW Bee Farm. It was a trip that was feared and balked at but by the end the students were donning full bee suits and eating honey from the comb. Their hesitancy turned into healing as Antonio and Luke guided them to the depths of a hive that no student had gone before. The summer was much like the hive experience: it took hard work and a collaborative effort, and a few people were stung, but the final product was something sweeter than dew. A honey firmly packed together with the joys and triumphs of our youth, the sugary stick of an intentional community, and the slow drip of lasting impact. A huge shout out to the students for being the sweet in the bottom of all our tea.

Kamaria Gray
Advanced Leadership Program Coordinator