We The Youth of Detroit
Youth Internship Program
The youth interns participate in four to eight weeks of action, learning, and service. Throughout the internship, the youth experience their city through a unique lens of grassroots organizing and historical contexts. Some of the most powerful moments came from intergenerational sharing such as the walking tour of areas related to water shutoffs- a neighborhood, a water station, a home without water.
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Whether youth were participating in a neighborhood clean up, viewing a documentary, or learning about public speaking they are asked to think deeply. This social justice internship supports the young people in combining their lived experience with a grassroots theoretical and analytical framework on injustice.
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The second year of the program the interns engaged in supporting the Freedom School movement under the leadership of Dr. Gloria House and with support of Aurora Harris, a co-founder of We the People of Detroit. The youth interns helped frame the program offerings and provided training and tutoring to other youth.
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Supporting and investing in young people is a critical objective for We the People of Detroit. A Youth Development model is foundational for the program, & provides community connection and adult support! The social justice interns demonstrated that young people in Detroit already have the eagerness to learn and first-hand understanding of injustice that help create lifelong leaders!
Joining The Program
Entry into the program requires that each youth complete an application and youth are selected on a competitive basis. For a small stipend, the Youth Justice Interns work on understanding the water shut off crises, learn about Detroit grassroots organizing, engage in community service projects and theorize on youth leadership in their community.
We are currently not accepting applications, but check back often for enrollment.
