Students sail along the Detroit River

Detroit! Meaning strait in French, a narrow passage of water linking two larger areas of water. Detroit! Take a moment and think about that. The land area you live on is named after the watermark of the area. In context the river is what enriches the land. University of Michigan's Detroit River Story Lab is doing their part educating the community of this unique piece of the world. Instilling river – themed educational labs for the local youth, through the Detroit River Skiff and Schooner Program, Detroit River Story Lab and its support coalition sails into the history, ecosystem and culture of the river.

The program launched its fourth season of place-based learning this July and runs until September. Highschool and college students in the river community are encouraged to explore the culture and heritage of the river. "We [brought] these young men out here to learn something new in the City of Detroit," said Kevin Tagger, father of Boys 2 Men Youth Mentoring member. Detroit River Schooner program is prearranged for youth and classroom groups. "I got my nephew in Boys 2 Men...Now we are going on a boat trip; I'm just all about exposing him to various things in life," said Toris. The reasoning for these kids to take this trip on the river was clear from all the guardians. "Expose him to different cultures of Detroit, there's so much more . . .Even though our kids may want to be a basketball player, you can expose them to something in this program that can spark another career," said Karen the mom of the group.

The students get a high-impact learning experience, with multipurpose, community identity and civic life. The ship carries about 30 – 35 students and are broken into groups. The program highlights the important role of the river and shores as sites showcase the connection, stewardship and healing in the community.

The hands on lab reconnects communities with the river. Before diving into the activities, students are asked to put away their cell phones and for a two-minute moment to take in the sound, the air, the smell, the feel and sight of what was happening out on the Detroit River. During that time the students "Build upon that sense of connectiveness," said David Porter, Faculty Lead for Detroit River Story Lab, and Professor of English and Comparative Literature at University of Michigan. From this simple exercise some students gather the "Basic understanding that communities, successful communities are woven together," added David. This statement holds true. Boys2Men's Caiden identified that the Detroit River is a shared waterway for the United States of America and Canada. "It was fun, I didn't know we were going to take a trip to Canada," he said enthusiastically. On the river sail the students were presented an up-close look of Canada's riverbank. Using research, education, and engagement projects the three hours aboard The Alliance Ship went by very smooth.

Chase quickly put his math skills to work aboard the boat, utilizing what he learned in school to answer questions related to the work of keeping a clean river. The students were delighted at the lessons learned August 7, 2024. "I really liked the trip around the Detroit River. I didn't think it was going to be that educational," said upcoming high school junior Jeremiah of Boys 2 Men. "I like the part where we were learning about plankton and algae and the history," he added. Learning about plankton turned out to be a hit among the students. Khristopher said, "My favorite part about the trip was the plankton," and Cameron too was excited about that "We saw all the planktons and learned about the boat." The students had a chance to discover natural resources, homeland sites, industrial powerhouses, and mobilization. "Very educational, learned a lot about the river life itself and how the ecosystem works," said Blake Shelton.

A coalition of entities created this unique opportunity to sail on the Detroit River. Inland Seas Education Association, Michigan Department of Natural Resources' Outdoor Adventure Center, Charles H. Wright Museum, Detroit Historical Society, Green Door Initiative, Healthy Kidz, Inc., U of M – big support Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, Office of the Provost, College of LSA and Detroit River Story Lab.

Katie from DNR Outdoor Adventure Center is an educator on board and helps to facilitate some of the education station. "We also enjoyed expanding our collaboration with Detroit River Story Lab," she said. There are opportunities to visit the Outdoor Adventure Center before taking part of sail for the day. Place-based learning is continuing to build with this group. As Dr. Vanessa Lewis stated, "The Detroit River, just like America is complicated and exciting and beautiful." For more information about the Detroit River Schooner Program, check out the Detroit River Story Lab website – https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/detroit-river-story-lab/ https://