Photo: Kenyetta Campbell, executive director of the Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance, leads members of the Upjohn Institute's place-based prosperity initiative on a tour of Stein Park in Detroit Sept. 19. Courtesy John Austin
The Upjohn Institute's Policy Advisory Committee for its research initiative on place-based prosperity met at the Skillman Foundation in Detroit on September 19. The committee, which includes leading figures from the academic, business, foundation, and policy worlds, provides guidance to the initiative's directors around exciting developments, emerging concerns, and policy considerations in the field of place-based community development.
The conversation focused largely on workforce training and its connection to education and economic development. In addition to its internal discussions, the group heard about the Skillman Foundation's place-based focus on children and met with a variety of local actors to learn more about how lessons from Detroit can inform the initiative's work.
Leaders of the Detroit Regional Chamber spoke about the chamber's engagement in talent development and retention, while representatives from SER Metro-Detroit spoke about their successful model for providing skill training to hard-to-serve youth. In the afternoon, the group traveled to the Cody Rouge neighborhood on the West side of the city and heard from staff of the Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance about their resident-driven neighborhood revitalization efforts.
