Detroit afterschool program gives students the tools to be community leaders
(CBS DETROIT) - Giving young men and women the tools to become leaders in their communities is what one Detroit afterschool program aims to do.
The group, orchestrated by The Collab foundation, meets once a week at Jalen Rose Leadership Academy (JRLA) in Detroit.
"We started by giving an annual scholarship to high school students," said Denzell Turner, president of The Collab.
That quickly turned into much more when a group of friends committed to positively impacting their community harnessed their individual skill sets to create an afterschool program known as the D.O.C. Dennard Fellowship.
Turner is a product marketing manager at Microsoft by day, but he still makes time to spearhead this initiative.
"You make time for things you care about, and [working] with young people [and] being able to be in a mentor role or position has always been big for me," Turner said.
Turner and his four friends make up the organization's board. Together, they help juniors and seniors learn team-building skills, public speaking and business acumen.
"It's really hands-on and applicable to their livelihood," he said.
Students leave the program feeling empowered with hopes of starting businesses of their own.
Johnay Green is a senior at JRLA. She says her first day in the program was almost her last.
"When we first met them, I'm like this is probably my last time going to this. I have anxiety and I doubt myself," Green said.
The fellowship is building her confidence and the confidence of her peers. Not only does Green dream of starting her own business, but she also plans to attend college in Ohio at Central State with hopes of launching a really cool career.
"[I want to be] a radio host, that's why I want to practice on my communication skills and the way I talk and communicate with people," Green said.
If it weren't for this program, she may have never silenced her angst and considered all the possibilities.
To date, The Collab has given away $10,000 worth of scholarships to area students.
