Features

Innovation News WCC nursing students work on a robot patient.

Washtenaw Community College named a national center of nursing education excellence

The National League of Nursing recently named WCC one of nine Centers of Excellence in Nursing Education nationwide. WCC was the only community college to receive this recognition this year.

Innovation News Washtenaw County Community Mental Health's report on 2022 millage impacts.

New report shows impacts of Washtenaw County's mental health millage in 2022

Washtenaw County Community Mental Health recently shared a report on the positive impacts the county's Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage had in 2022.

Innovation News Ypsilanti Youth Choir founder Crystal Harding with several choir members outside Ypsilanti Free Methodist Church, where the choir rehearses.

New Ypsilanti Youth Choir seeks to recruit members, grow programming

Former Ypsilanti Community Schools Choir Director Crystal Harding wanted to have kids from all over the Ypsilanti community sing together, rather than having musicians separated by school.

Innovation News Michigan Ability Partners staff receive their grant from KeyBank.

Ann Arbor veteran and disability services nonprofit receives grant for supportive housing services

The grant will allow Michigan Ability Partners to house an additional 12 to 15 participants in its permanent supportive housing program.

Feature Story Isha

Voices of Youth: Celebrating intersectional identities

In this installment of our Voices of Youth series, student writers Thylicia Babumba and Ella Yip interview several of their peers about their intersectional identities.

Longform Cathy Thorburn leading a water exercise class at Rutherford Pool.

Ypsi's Rutherford Pool partners with Washtenaw County to meet high demand for swim lessons

A recent collaboration has helped the pool provide more swim classes for adult beginning swimmers and inspired the county to make it easier for adults to learn a vital life skill.

Innovation News Ypsi Vegan Fest flyer

Ypsi Vegan Fest to launch Aug. 12, featuring vegan food trucks and other vendors

The inaugural Ypsi Vegan Fest is set to take place from 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. Aug. 12 at Riverside Arts Center, 76 N. Huron St. in Ypsilanti.

Longform A group of community health workers were trained as part of the Macomb County Regional Health Equity Advisory Council's work.

Michigan's regional health equity councils pursue long-term efforts to eliminate health disparities

Last year the state formed 11 regional councils to spend about a year addressing health disparities in underserved communities – and they're already set to continue their work beyond that period.

Longform Washtenaw Health Plan Program Manager Kelly Stupple.

Latinx Teen Empowerment Group offers community and mental health support for Ypsi students

The bilingual group helps immigrant students build lasting relationships, as well as learn skills to navigate anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges.

Longform Research analyst Sara Srygley.

Groundbreaking study finds major racial disparities in Ann Arbor traffic stops

According to a recent study, non-white drivers in Ann Arbor are stopped and searched more frequently than white drivers in routine traffic stops.

Feature Story Actors Carol Sizer and Bill Klein rehearse "Memory of a Dance," a play about dementia commissioned by the Southwest Michigan-based Region IV Area Agency on Aging to spread community awareness of the experiences of people living with dementia.

PODCAST: Building more dementia-friendly communities

Many people living with dementia don't feel valued or respected in their communities. But some activists in Michigan are working to change that by creating dementia-friendly communities, where the general public better understands dementia and people living with dementia have more opportunities to engage in public life.

Feature Story Eileen Spring with Food Gatherers employees

Voices of Youth: Fueled by volunteers, Food Gatherers has been fighting local hunger for 35 years

In the latest installment of our Voices of Youth series, student writer Lily Broglio digs into the work of Ann Arbor-based Food Gatherers, which provides nearly 17,000 meals every day to people in need.

Innovation News Michigan Works! Southeast's new office.

Michigan Works! Southeast set to open more central Ann Arbor location, offer satellite services

Michigan Works! Southeast will move to a new office at 1201 E. Ellsworth Rd. in Ann Arbor in August.

Innovation News Josh Kenney.

Ypsi teacher receives national award for classroom teaching and popular YouTube chemistry channel

Josh Kenney, a teacher at the Early College Alliance at Eastern Michigan University, received the American Chemical Society's 2023 Central Region Award recipient for Excellence in High School Teaching. 

Innovation News The Regenerate Orchestra performs during UMS' April residency at the Ypsi Freighthouse.

UMS returns for second Depot Town residency, including commissioned multimedia piece about Ypsi

After a successful April pilot program, the University Musical Society will return to the Ypsilanti Freighthouse this fall with a new residency.

Innovation News Washtenaw County deputy health officer Jimena Loveluck.

Washtenaw County reports lowest COVID death rates in Michigan throughout pandemic

COVID deaths among Black residents also decreased significantly since 2020, after being disproportionately high in the pandemic's early days.

Feature Story Tepfirah Rushdan and Lindsay Pielack, Co-directors of Keep Growing Detroit

If you want to go far, go together: Nonprofits practice shared leadershipFeature: Nonprofit Journal Project

Read about how Southeast Michigan nonprofits are using collective labor and innovation to move their missions forward through shared leadership models.  

Longform Early Education Matters,

Pre-K for All will improve long-term health, education, and social outcomes for children

Pre-K for All is really about ensuring that all Michigan children enjoy academic success.  

Longform The Dawn Treader Book Shop owner Africa Schaumann.

New owner of Ann Arbor bookstore sees herself as a "lighthouse keeper" for a downtown fixture

Africa Schaumann, 29, acquired The Dawn Treader Book Shop in June 2022 after being its manager since 2018.

Longform SURE Moms' Denise Wieck, Florence Roberson, and Patrica Davis.

"Pain into purpose": Ypsi-based group offers peer supports for mothers of justice-involved youth

The SURE Moms program is a place of healing from intergenerational trauma, an informal business incubator, and sometimes a lifeline.

Hasini and Harshini Anand are members of Corner Health Center's Youth Leadership Council and mental health advocates.

 


   Voices of Youth
Concentrate's Voices of Youth series features content created by Washtenaw County youth in partnership with Concentrate mentors, as well as feature stories by adult writers that examine issues of importance to local youth. Click here for a full list of the latest content from this series.