Features

Feature Story Michelle Peet.

5,000 Washtenaw County residents took a 21 Day Equity Challenge. Here's what they learned.

The United Way of Washtenaw County spearheaded the challenge, which offered a daily self-guided exploration of equity-related topics via email. Here's how participants responded and what they're planning to do with what they learned.

Innovation News Nate Frazier.

Ypsi summit on "The Black Man and His Emotions" to feature "Empire" actor

Black men in American have historically been taught that letting your feelings show is a weakness, and that message contributes to a host of negative results. That's the main theme of a summit called "The Black Man and His Emotions."

Innovation News A screenshot from a "How to Vote in Michigan" video.

Washtenaw County launches locally produced video series on "How to Vote in Michigan"

Produced by Ypsi-based 7 Cylinder Studios, the videos are aimed primarily at the county's younger and first-time voters, but contain valuable information for everyone.

Innovation News Last year's Michigan Climate Action Summit, which sold out more than 300 seats.

Second annual Michigan Climate Action Summit to take place in Ann Arbor

Last year's inaugural summit in Grand Rapids saw an overwhelming response and sold out more than 300 seats.

Innovation News Participants in the Desai Accelerator's 2018 Demo Day.

U-M's Desai Accelerator announces new endowment funding, extended program

The Desai Accelerator Endowment Fund has been formed to fund the program, thanks to a donation from the Desai Sethi Family Foundation, and the program itself will now take 10 months instead of 90 days.

Feature Story Drew Denton during the Formula 734 recordings with The Washtenaw chapter of My Brother's Keeper at Grove Studios.

My Brother's Keeper builds collaboration and social capital through hip-hop album and documentary

Over the course of many months, an intergenerational group has been slowly recording an album called Formula 734 and documenting it on film, with the goal of releasing both during a special event in May.

Innovation News Dine and Donate abstract

Ypsi restaurants host "dine and donate" events to support homeless students

The Rotary Club of Ypsilanti has partnered with four restaurants, who will each donate a percentage of their proceeds during the events to support services for students who are homeless or facing housing insecurity.

Feature Story Startup Story Night image

Startup Story Night seeks Southeast Michigan entrepreneurs' submissions for storytelling event

Four local entrepreneurs will take the stage at Cliff Bell's on March 19 to perform stories of the people, places, and things that helped put (or keep) them on the path to success. 

Feature Story U-M President’s Commission on Carbon Neutrality co-chair Jennifer Haverkamp.

How is Washtenaw County responding to the climate crisis?

Our local governments, the University of Michigan, nonprofits, and other organizations are all taking steps to address the climate crisis. But are they doing enough?

Innovation News Jose Antonio Vargas.

Pulitzer-winning author Jose Antonio Vargas to visit Ann Arbor for Washtenaw Reads

Vargas will give a lecture and lead a discussion about his memoir, "Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen," at Washtenaw Community College's Towsley Auditiorium.

Innovation News The Superior Greenway began in 1991 with 30 acres and has since expanded to more than 2,800 acres.

Conservancy partnership adds new plot to Superior Greenway

Superior Greenway, an over 2,800-acre wildlife and public recreation corridor in Washtenaw County, has recently expanded by 80 acres.

Feature Story The Rosa Parks Transit Center in Detroit

Here's how the new Ann Arbor-to-Detroit bus service will work, and how it came to be

The recently announced route will run hourly between downtown Ann Arbor and downtown Detroit with limited stops. Organizers are currently considering public feedback on the route before rolling it out.

Feature Story Mack Wegener, Emily Clark, Natasha Doan-Motsinger, and Don Goven of Our House.

Ypsi nonprofit Our House aims to help youth aging out of foster care launch successful adult lives

Young people who have aged out of foster care face many challenges, from graduating college to finding a stable living situation, without the support of a loving family. But Our House is hoping to change that narrative.

Innovation News A SkySpecs drone.

Ann Arbor's SkySpecs secures $17 million in Series C funding

Over the last three years, SkySpecs' automated drones have inspected over 30,000 wind turbines and the company has built software to analyze, manage, and take action on that data.

Innovation News Thomas Lipscomb, PassiveBolt's VP of sales; Colleen Robar, publicist; Kabir Maiga, founder; and Sheena Monnin, director of marketing.

Ann Arbor startup's key-free home lock wins Innovation Award at Consumer Electronics Show

Shepherd Lock, which allows users to lock and unlock their homes with an app, won a CES 2020 Innovation Award in the Smart Home category.

Innovation News A graphic showing the change in flex space vacancies in Ann Arbor.

Ann Arbor office and flex space vacancy rates hit historic lows

Swisher Commercial's annual vacancy report shows the commercial real estate market continuing to tighten.

Innovation News Artwork by Terrell Jones.

"Ypsi Emerging" reception and art show to feature work by young Ypsi artists

The show at the Washtenaw County Democratic Party headquarters follows a recent show that raised $5,200 for Ypsi students to attend an exhibition of their work in Washington, D.C.

Feature Story EMU student census coordinator Denise Jimenez.

Here's how Ypsilanti-area residents are making sure all residents are counted in the 2020 census

All communities stand to lose or gain significant federal funding based on participation in the 2020 census. But Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township have special challenges, including low 2010 census participation and high numbers of typically under-represented demographics.

Feature Story Pott Farms founder Robbin Pott.

How can we increase social equity in Washtenaw County's cannabis industry?

Advocates have concerns about making sure the benefits of the industry truly extend to county residents of all races and economic backgrounds.

Innovation News Revalue CEO Angela Barbash.

New report aims to map investment in Washtenaw County, increase investment in undercapitalized areas

A group of community partners is spearheading the survey of institutional investors, banks, investment firms, and individuals, with the goal of building a more inclusive economy for all residents.

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.