Features

Longform Ryan Friedholm working in Computer Integrated Manufacturing class at Saline High School.

Saline manufacturing students create adaptive tools to help people with disabilities

Students in Trent Trout's Computer Integrated Manufacturing class at Saline High School are learning to develop innovative real-world solutions for people with disabilities. 

Longform small-judy-logan

Dental aid helps cancer patients regain health and dignity

HNC Living Foundation provides dental care, nutrition, and support to head and neck cancer patients facing financial and treatment challenges.

Longform Whitmore Lake High School student Jayden Canter.

From champion carpenter to apparel entrepreneur, Washtenaw CTE students are "powerhouse" achievers

We talked to three students in county career and technical education programs about the impact of getting ready for the professional real world through practical, hands-on learning experiences.

Longform Barbara Walters, Adam Weisman, Kasey Whitford, and Dan Johnson at Eastern Michigan University.

EMU theater students partner with Ann Arbor police to improve crisis intervention trainings

The partnership draws on expertise from EMU’s School of Social Work and Applied Drama and Theatre for the Young program to bring realism and empathy into police trainings.

Longform University of Michigan associate professor Thomas McKenney and students tour the Mark W. Barker, the first commercial vessel to be built on the Great Lakes in more than 40 years, in River Rouge.

U-M leads in national effort to revitalize U.S. shipbuilding

Spurred by China's current dominance in shipbuilding and America's reliance on foreign shipyards, the University of Michigan is leading efforts to train the needed workforce and develop a statewide maritime strategy.

Partner Content Boy in classroom

Blueprint for school funding would ensure equitable resources in special education

The MI Special Education Finance Reform Blueprint would ensure that Michigan adequately and equitably funds public special education in Michigan. 

Feature Story All Gods Children teacher

No-cost pre-K for all Michigan 4-year-olds enrolling for 2025-26 school year

QA with Jeffrey Capizzano, Policy Equity Group, on the implementation of Pre-K for All no-cost preschool for Michigan 4-year-olds.

Feature Story Nonprofit Day at the Capitol, February 2025

How Michigan nonprofits are navigating federal uncertaintyNonprofit Journal Project

Michigan nonprofits are facing uncertainty as federal funding streams fluctuate and administrative support wanes. The Michigan Nonprofit Association is helping organizations navigate this instability through advocacy, collaboration, and strategic planning.

Longform Adam Grant at A Brighter Way's future transitional house for formerly incarcerated people.

Ypsi nonprofit creates long-term transitional housing for formerly incarcerated people

Ypsilanti nonprofit A Brighter Way recently purchased a home in Ypsilanti to provide long-term transitional housing for formerly incarcerated clients, just a few blocks from the organization's office.

Feature Story This scene in "Money Over Boyz," directed by Ypsilanti couple Yolanda and Keith Ragland, takes place on the Tridge in Ypsi's Riverside Park.

Ypsi filmmaking couple's debut feature holds top 100 spot on streaming service Tubi

After finding great success releasing their debut feature film, "Money Over Boyz," on the free streaming service Tubi, Ypsilanti-based married filmmakers Keith and Yolanda Ragland are nearly ready to debut their second movie.

Longform Sienna Troy, Eli Harris, Nick Corvera-Garay, Jaylah Cotton, Josephine Smith, and Tuula Martinez at a Growing Hope Teen Leadership Program meeting.

Teens fight food insecurity in Ypsi through Growing Hope leadership program

In the latest installment of our Voices of Youth series, student writer Tova Weiss takes a look into the work of the Growing Hope Teen Leadership Program. 

Innovation News Michigan Stadium.

Report finds $226 million economic impact in Ann Arbor from 2024 U-M football season

The study reports that 2024-2025 U-M football home games generated $226.7 million in direct visitor spending from attendees residing outside Washtenaw County.

Feature Story Ann Arbor Economic Development Director Joe Giant.

Q&A: Ann Arbor's first economic development director on affordability, growth, and more

Now that he's had two months to settle into the job, we sat down with Joe Giant to discuss the future of economic development in Ann Arbor.

Longform Lauren LaPine

Medicaid cuts would destabilize mental health care: How Michigan is responding

Proposed Medicaid funding cuts would dismantle critical services, especially for residents facing poverty, mental illness, or substance use disorders — and reduce access to mental health services for all.

Longform A Great Day in Ypsi on the steps of the downtown branch of the Ypsilanti District Library.

"A Great Day in Ypsi": Residents recreate iconic 1958 Harlem photo

Over 60 writers, word-lovers, and community members gathered for a celebratory photo inspired by Art Kane’s iconic 1958 photograph "A Great Day in Harlem" and Ypsi writer Debbie Taylor’s children’s book "Sweet Music in Harlem."

Feature Story Humanity first: Members of the Church of the Latter-day Saints volunteer at Zaman

Shared humanity that crosses language, religious and cultural barriersNonprofit Journal Project

An unlikely partnership has blossomed between the Mormon church and Zaman International, a nonprofit that serves mostly Middle Eastern Muslim women. Both faiths have more in common that it might appear on the surface. 

Innovation News Nancy Park in Gault Village.

Gault Village residents plan cleanup and other community events for Ypsi Township neighborhood

The "Gault Village Glow-Up," organized by Gault Village resident Regan Hizer, is the first of many planned events intended to foster a sense of unity throughout the neighborhood.

Innovation News Students work in a lab at WCC.

WCC to launch programs preparing students for growing semiconductor and battery industries

Washtenaw Community College was recently awarded nearly $2 million through three Michigan Economic Development Corporation grants to launch new degree and certificate programs that support Michigan’s growing semiconductor and battery manufacturing industries.

Innovation News Economists Donald Grimes (center) and Dr. Gabriel Ehrlich (right) present the 40th annual Washtenaw County Economic Outlook report.

Annual report finds "headwinds" for Washtenaw County's economic outlook

The 40th annual Washtenaw County Economic Outlook report, commissioned by Washtenaw Community College, was presented on April 24.

Longform At an April 21 meeting at Eastern Michigan University, attendees wrote concerns about the future of school funding on sticky notes, grouping similar concerns together.

Washtenaw County families, educators grapple with "uncertainty" of Dept. of Education funding cuts

President Donald Trump's new policies and budget cuts have affected educational programs in the county, and residents and educators have been strategizing about what comes next. 

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.