Want to sign up as a volunteer?
Does your student organization want to participate in DP Day this year? Or would you like to volunteer with a group of friends?
Want more information about DP Day?
Site Leaders act as the liaison between student groups and their volunteers, and the Detroit Partnership Major Events Team. Being a Site Leader is a great way to get more involved in DP Day, to develop and hone leadership skills and to make an impact in the city. Every student organization that signs up for DP Day is expected to have approximately one Site Leader for every 10-15 volunteers.
Site Leaders must attend one of two Site Leader Orientations prior to DP Day:
- Monday, March 19th 7:00-8:00 PM 3437 Mason Hall
- Thursday, March 22nd 7:00-8:00 PM 3437 Mason Hall
Site Leaders are responsible for:
- Communicating with volunteers prior to DP Day
- Fostering a sense of teamwork at their site
- Supervising volunteers
- Answering volunteers' questions
- Tracking attendance and making sure nobody gets left in Detroit!
We look forward to seeing you in Detroit!
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about DP Day, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Volunteer registration will begin in late February with the deadline on March 16th, 2012. Check back then for the Volunteer Application.
Q: When is DP Day?
A: Saturday, March 31st
Q: What time is DP Day?
A: 9 am to 5 pm
Q: What sort of projects occur at DP Day?
A: The types of projects available at DP Day include demolition, art projects, urban gardening, school clean-up, park clean-up, youth mentoring, non-profit work, landscaping, and renovation. You will be able to list your preferences when completing your volunteer application.
Q: When can I register?
A: Volunteer registration starts Feb. 21st
Q: What happens in case of inclement whether?
A: DP Day will be held rain or shine. Be sure to dress appropriately for outdoor work.
Q: What should I bring?
A: Bring a bottle of water and enthusiasm! Lunch and all supplies will be provided.
Q: What should I wear?
A: Wear comfortable clothes that are appropriate for manual labor and the day’s weather.
Q: Does it cost money?
A: DP Day is free for individual volunteers. There is a nominal fee, however, for student groups.
Q: When does site leader signup start?
A: Site leader sign up is Feb 1st to the 24th.
Q: Who are my volunteers?
A: The volunteers have not been finalized yet. You will hear when they finalized.
Q: Are site leaders necessary?
A: Yes, site leaders are absolutely necessary (see below).
Q: To volunteer as a group, do we need site leaders?
A: Yes, for every student group, there should be 1 site leader for every 10-15 volunteers.
Q: What responsibilities do site leaders have?
A: Site leaders have responsibilities including:
- Recruit Volunteers from Student Organization and/or Friends
- Disseminate Information to Volunteers
- Lead Discussion and Reflection during DP Day
- Lead and Supervise Volunteers during DP Day
- Keep Attendance in Detroit
- Ensure that Volunteers Represent the University Well
- Report Problems or Injuries to the DP
- Educate Volunteers about Site
Q: Does DP Day cost money for student groups?
A: Yes, $35 for student groups
Q: Do I have to attend an orientation?
A: Yes. You have to attend one of the two orientations. The times are listed in the application.
Calling All Wolverines: Learn More About the DP at Our Winter 2012 Mass Meetings
Tuesday, 10 January 2012 20:40
It’s that time again! With the new year and new semester, we all have a chance to learn more about ourselves and the world we live in. For the Detroit Partnership, this new semester means a fresh start to serve the Detroit community through our expanding number of weekly volunteer programs, Detroit-based tutoring programs, and annual DP Day event where over 1000 U-M students will travel to Detroit and participate in community service activities later this spring. We have a lot of goals to reach this semester, and we need your help!
If you’re a student at U-M interested in learning more about the Detroit Partnership and how you can participate in service-learning opportunities in Detroit, come out to one of our mass meetings this month:
First DP Mass Meeting
Wednesday, January 11th; 7 pm
Michigan Union, Pond Room
Second DP Mass Meeting
Tuesday, January 17th; 6:30pm
Michigan Union, Kuenzel Room
Click on the links above to sign up on our Facebook Event pages. Can’t wait to see you there!
Riet Schumack will speak about volunteerism and organizing as a means of uplifting neighborhoods in Detroit next Tuesday, December 6 from 5-7pm, in Room 1134 of the Ford School of Public Policy. Schumack is a prominent organizer in the Brightmoor community.
Schumack founded and currently works with two organizations - Neighbors Building Brightmoor (NBB) and Brightmoor Youth Gardens (BYG) - both of which aim to empower community members to lead healthy and sustainable lives through community asset building. Specifically members of NBB and BYG invest their energies in planting gardens, growing food and beautifying public spaces.
For more information visit Brightmoor Youth Garden and Neighbors Building Brightmoor on Facebook.
Our Detroit Partnership community is growing, and we can’t wait to see it bring fourth collaborative campus events, new mentorship initiatives in Southwest High Schools, and more fun excursions to the city next semester! If you would like to help build community between Ann Arbor and Detroit by organizing events on campus or facilitating programs in Detroit, apply to the planning team!
Applications can be downloaded here, and should be submitted to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it no later than Sunday, December 4th at 5:00pm.
The Detroit Partnership and West Outer Drive United Methodist Church are preparing for the 9th annual One Stop Shop.
One Stop Shop is preceded by a food and clothing drive that runs for several weeks across Southeast Michigan. Church members and University of Michigan students partner with leaders from other partners in Detroit, Ann Arbor, and beyond to collect nonperishable food and gently-used clothing items.
This year, these efforts will culminate with One Stop Shop on December 3, 2011. Personal shoppers help each client navigate the towers of clothing. Each client picks out clothing by the bag-full, and is given a bag of food to take home for their family. During the 2010 event, an estimated $50,000 worth of food and clothing were donated to community members.
Look for collection boxes in apartments and academic buildings around campus this November. We ask that you donate new or gently-used clothing items and non-perishable food items. Without the support of the University of Michigan community, this event could not be a success. We look forward to making One Stop Shop 2011 even more successful than the event in 2010.
Dear friends of The DP,
I'm Cassie Basler, the Executive Director of the Detroit Partnership. Though I would love to detail all the exciting initiatives The DP has in the works this year, you can read plenty about them in our newsletter! So, I’ll take some time to sum up what The Detroit Partnership is, and is not.
The Detroit Partnership is a service-learning organization at the University of Michigan, led by a team of 56 students from areas as far as Singapore and Boston, and as near as Detroit's East Side and Ann Arbor. Though our team members come from a variety of backgrounds, we come together to share:
- The desire to learn from members of the Detroit community through collaboration and reflection, build long-term relationships between Detroit and Ann Arbor and eventually create one large community of caring individuals, called "DP.love."
- Passions for social justice and multiculturalism, which inspire us to enrich the volunteer experience with informational events on current social issues, fun cultural happenings and even interactive social excursions to the city!
- Interest in the challenges and triumphs of the city, which amplifies our enthusiasm for Detroit’s grassroots revitalization movements.
This semester, DP members pass their enthusiasm on to 100+ volunteers, who commit weekly to one of over 20 different Detroit community organizations running various youth programs. Through tutoring, fun, games and conversations with youth and community leaders, DP volunteers gain a multifaceted view of Detroit as a community, a home and a close neighbor.
The Detroit Partnership is not:
- A group dedicated to just one day of service and collaboration in Detroit, because we work throughout the year in Detroit collaborating with our partners to host weekly tutoring and mentoring programs.
- A team of super-volunteers who swoop in to the city to "save" Detroit, because our partner organizations already do great work in their communities and are gracious to welcome us, teach us, inspire us, and work with us.
- An organized crime-family from the prohibition era (contrary to what one Wikipedia article might say!).
So, please enjoy learning about our partner programs and upcoming educational fieldtrips in this October's edition of the monthly newsletter, Detroit in your Inbox. Thanks for reading--now aren't you excited to get involved? (I obviously am!)
DP.Love,
Executive Director, 2011-2012
Donate today! DP & Groupon Join Forces to Bring Detroit Students on Science Center Field Trip
Tuesday, 13 September 2011 14:59
This week, G-Team, Groupon’s new charity organization, is partnering with us to give the K-12 Detroit students who utilize our weekly volunteer programs the chance to go to visit the Detroit Science Center…for FREE! As many of you know, the Detroit Science Center is an awesome place to learn about the physical world and how it works. We hope that by having hands-on experience with science and by learning new things at the Science Center, students from Detroit will be inspired to excel in their academics as well as challenged to connect the dots between their studies and real-life experiences.
DP supporters and members, we really need your help to make this trip possible! Please consider donating $6 through Groupon to support this cause. This event can only happen if we accumulate at least 35 donations, or a total of $210. Your donation of $6 will cover the cost of admission for 1 student, and transportation will be provided by volunteers and community partners.
We need to reach this amount by this Friday, September 16, so please donate now! Thank you!
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