Michigan State University has expanded its presence in Southeast Michigan with MSU-Detroit Partnerships, an effort to develop university-community relationships while accelerating the pace of community-based research focusing on economic, social and educational challenges.

On Sept. 6, MSU hosted a welcome event to highlight the partnership at the YouthVille Detroit facility, located in the New Center Area.

MSU rents a 3,000-square-foot suite in the same facility as YouthVille Detroit, a multiservice youth development program. The facility will serve as a central hub in the area to support research and outreach by MSU faculty and staff from any discipline and enable collaboration and partnerships to address community-identified needs in Detroit.

“Anyone who loves Detroit and are most valuable resource – our youth – should be excited about this partnership,” said Caroline Chambers, corporate contributions manager for Comerica Bank, a supporter of YouthVille Detroit. “Our bright young minds now have an opportunity to benefit from the vast research and expertise that MSU has to offer. This is great news for all the participants and it will be great news for Detroit, when the time comes for those students to take their rightful place as leaders in our community.”

Several programs started by MSU’s 4-H Youth Development in Detroit have expanded into the YouthVille facility.

Activities include:

• Study of how use of information technology affects children’s cognitive, social, psychological and moral development
• MSU faculty collaborating with coaches from Think Detroit PAL to improve coaching skills;
• Financial and entrepreneurship education program for youth ages 11-19
• Service-learning opportunities for MSU students; and
• MSU Outreach Admissions college preparation workshops and seminars with YouthVille members.

“With the economy we have in Michigan, it’s critical that students learn how to create jobs in their own communities,” said Rukeia Dasza Draw, extension educator for 4-H Youth Development in Detroit.

“The financial and entrepreneurship programs being taught at YouthVille use a research-based curriculum and give young people experiential learning opportunities.”

Located at 7375 Woodward, YouthVille Detroit is the signature project of the Detroit Youth Foundation and is designed to be the most comprehensive neighborhood youth development center in Detroit, with 16,000 members. In addition to tutoring and academic mentoring, members have access to art and music production studios, gym spaces, basketball courts and computer labs.

For more information on MSU-Detroit Partnerships, visit http://youthville.msu.edu/. For general information on YouthVille Detroit, call (313) 309-1300.