On February 10, 2016, around seventy-five students and faculty from Central Michigan University will be traveling to Jalen Rose Leadership Academy to volunteer and lead initiatives with the students. I am so excited to be able to help the community of Detroit while growing into a more educated person on issues all around the state of Michigan.
Some social issues in Detroit that I am currently aware of is the lack of funds for public schools, the high amount of homeless, and the buildings around the beautiful city being abandoned and left to rot. I have learned about these issues by word or mouth, news articles, and school. My friend is very passionate about helping the homeless, and her knowledge has been shared with me on many occasions. Detroit, in my opinion, has always been a beautiful city destroyed by large corporations and lack of funds.
PURPOSE of the Leadership Institute: Central Michigan University is committed to preparing Michigan’s students and citizens for leadership roles in an increasingly complex and challenging society.
VISION of the Leadership Institute: The Leadership Institute prepares the next generation of individuals who will act responsibly to improve the quality of life, state of the economy, and communities in which they live and work.
This service learning experience to Detroit relates to the purpose and vision of the Leadership Institute because the trip to Detroit is going to open our eyes to a bigger picture. It is going to make us want to help our society in a different way than just volunteering at our local animal shelter. It is going to have the effect of our students wanting to make a difference on a larger scale. The purpose of the leadership institute is to create leaders; this trip to Detroit will accomplish that goal, and much more.
The vision of the Leadership Institute calls for us to be knowledgeable and aware of the problems our society faces today. There is no better way than immersing ourselves into the world that needs help. It will open our eyes to problems that we do not have to face in our everyday life, and it will cause us as leaders to want to do something to fix it.
This trip is going to teach me so much. I have to admit I have been very blessed to have grown up in the life that I have. I know that this service trip is going to make me see how other people in the SAME state as me has to live on a daily basis. Detroit is such an amazing city and it deserves to flourish again. Leaders around campus and around the world need to be educated on issues such as this one. I cannot wait to have this experience to open my eyes and educate me on different issues.
