About 20 Detroit high schoolers boarded a 105-foot, three-masted tall ship and set sail along the Detroit River to learn about its cultural significance.
Detroit River Story Lab
The University of Michigan’s Detroit River Story Lab is giving southeast Michigan youth a chance to connect the river’s heritage with their own through hands-on, experiential learning programs. The program seeks to break down historic barriers that people of color in Detroit have faced when it comes to accessing the river’s waterway.
Students learn about the river’s history, including its role in the auto industry and the passage of the Clean Water Act. They also study plankton samples and learn about healthy ecosystems.
The program’s education coordinator, Chris Symons, said, ‘You can’t care about something that you don’t have a personal connection with.’ The program has taken over 120 groups out to sail the river, with over 70% of participants rating their experience as ‘excellent’.
Original reporting: BridgeDetroit — read the source article.
