About 30 teens and young adults are spending 4 to 5 hours a day clearing blight in Detroit’s Old Redford neighborhood through Detroit Blight Busters’ summer youth employment program.
Organizers say the work targets blocks slated for future development while teaching participants why cleanup matters to neighborhood stabilization, revitalization, and leadership building.
Students in the program say the job offers more than a paycheck, giving them structure, a sense of accomplishment, and a way to counter recent headlines about youth violence and disorder.
Detroit is also widening youth employment citywide: the Grow Detroit’s Young Talent program this week said it will provide summer jobs to 8,000 residents ages 14 to 24.