During the 2008-2009 school year, Wayne State University's Center for Urban Studies implemented a Safe Routes to School (SR2S) pilot project in the city of Detroit. The project was supported by a contract with the Michigan Fitness Foundation, the coordinating agency for Michigan's Statewide SR2S Initiative.
The project had two components. The first component was the development and implementation of a technology and training program to engage middle school students in the Safe Routes to School planning and problem-solving process. The curriculum includes several lessons that integrate civic engagement with the use of state-of-the-art mapping and global positioning technologies. The curriculum has been published and is available through the Michigan Fitness Foundation. A link to it is provided on the menu to the left.
The second component of the project engaged the Center for Urban Studies with The Southeastern Village, a community-based organization serving residents living in Detroit's lower east side. SEV operates out of a former elementary school and provides a range of programs and services to the neighborhoods nearby, including Head Start health and education programs, afterschool and recreational programs for youth, housing assistance, among other resources.
The objective of of this component was to identify key lessons and issues toward effective implementation of SR2S in urban areas, like Detroit. The implementation the SR2S initiative, was led by Southeastern Village, a grassroots community-based service organization. Throughout the project WSU worked with SEV to document the program's activities, accomplishments, barriers and other issues encoutered by SEV as it proceeded to implement multiple SR2S initiatives in the neighborhoods it serves. While many of the things that were pursued by SEV were not new activities for the organization -- community organizing, youth programs, and neighborhood advocacy -- the SR2S initiative provided an additional, powerful organizing theme for addressing environmental conditions and social factors that impact student safety to and from school and general public safety in urban communities.
This website includes the highlights of the pilot project and provides an overview of the lessons and key themes that emerged from the project. The lessons and themes are accessible using the links to the left.
For more information on the project, please contact David Martin at (313) 577-6564 or david.e.martin@wayne.edu.
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