UM Partners
Center for Urban Innovation
School of Social Work
The Center for Urban Innovation (CUI) promotes the organization and integration of research, instruction, and service activities in the area of digital technology for social change and capacity development at the neighborhood, local and community levels. These community efforts are contextualized within a current city, regional or state strategic plan for technology development and expansion. CUI is also very much interested in what technologies could facilitate creation, implementation, and evaluation of community initiatives. CUI was created in 2003 as a means to integrate and coordinate a variety of technology related projects implemented in urban communities by many faculty within (and outside) the School of Work. Some of these projects and deliverables currently include: 1. Wireless Broadband Access in Communities and Schools 2. Community Based Computer Centers 3. Creation and deployment of IT curriculum and workshops for young people, families and seniors. Two of our most recent projects include (1) the creation and maintenance of 4 advanced computer labs at YouthVille Detroit (7375 Woodward Avenue). CUI provides training in 13 technology related areas from 2-8pm six days a week; and (2) DetroitCONNECTED, working in partnership with The Family Place, Knight Foundation, City of Detroit and Vanguard CDC to develop high-speed wireless broadband service to two neighborhoods in Detroit.
EZLink: Empowering Detroit Youths and Families Through Technology and Training
School of Social Work
An independent 501c3 organization, EZLink’s goals are to provide: 1) low cost, high speed Internet connections; 2) public access to computers, scanners and printers; 3) free training for information technology certification; and 4) training in use of technology for creative and artistic expression in service to neighborhoods, families and communities. EZLink reflects a community partnership that has created and maintained four community technology centers in Detroit. The technology centers, created and sustained by neighborhood residents, include a simple 5 unit lab in a residential home basement, a faith and friendship center linking three independent computer labs housed in two churches and one private school – all within two blocks, a 15 unit lab housed in a Family Independence Agency, and a 25 unit technology center in a family based resource center. Community residents are trained to teach and maintain these sites themselves. Computer labs are also being established in partnership in two nearby churches and a newly community owned and operated recreational center near Northern High School.
Technical Assistance Center for the Skillman Foundation's Good Neighborhood Initiative
School of Social Work
Skillman Foundation
The Skillman Foundation identified six neighborhoods within the City of Detroit for inclusion in the Good Neighborhoods Initiative (GNI), a ten year Foundation initiatve. The Foundation identified these neighborhoods based on the following criteria: these neighborhoods have high concentrations of children and youth (approximately 30% of the city’s children reside in these six neighborhoods); these neighborhoods possess great needs; and these neighborhoods possess potential and opportunities to better meet the needs of children, youth, and families. Broadly, the Good Neighborhoods Initiative seeks to increase the number of healthy, safe and supportive neighborhoods that will support the full development of children and youth in six selected neighborhoods in Detroit. These neighborhoods (using 2000 UWCS Subcommunity Identifiers) are Chadsey/Condon, Vernor (Southwest Detroit); Brightmoor, Cody/Rouge (West-side of Detroit), Osborn (East-side of Detroit), and Central (Woodward corridor near Northern High School). Technical assistance activities provided by the SSW faculty and staff team include: Identification of priorities for four of the six communities, Supported in the execution of the neighborhood strategy, Securing data collection on the child well-being indicators with data vendors and community partners, assist in facilitation of community meetings, help make data more user-friendly for presentations at community meetings, review relevant literatures on best practices for community development, and assisted the community organizers to help manage the community organization processes, and helped identify future collaborative partners.