Generation of Promise is an established 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization whose mission is to build a community of young leaders who celebrate diversity and are dedicated to the elimination of discrimination in metropolitan Detroit. As residents of one of the most polarized communities in the country, metropolitan Detroiters have little interaction across community lines. To address this polariz
ation, Generation of Promise conducts a ten-month diversity awareness and relationship building program for an annual class of sixty high school juniors. Participating students are selected annually as representatives of seventeen high school communities from urban and suburban districts and reflect a wide range of racial, ethnic, religious and socio-economic communities. Once admitted into the program, students engage in over 120 hours of program curriculum including a summer orientation retreat and monthly program days throughout the school year. The weekend orientation retreat combines a series of icebreaker activities, group problem-solving challenges, communication exercises, trust-building initiatives, and discussion sessions. Monthly program days focus on a variety of topics including: urban/suburban divisions, race relations, cultural diversity, homelessness and poverty, teen crisis, understanding disabilities, community service, urban living and economic development. Program days guide students through experiential agendas which include visiting local community service agencies, meeting with youth from a particular ethnic group, touring local cultural museums and meeting with community advocates, and touring other students places of interest, to name a few. Students additionally engage in a school exchange experience that immerses them in a peer’s school for a day. Now in its 21st year, The Generation of Promise Program continues to have a major impact on youth throughout the metropolitan Detroit region. Over 1,200 area high school students have successfully completed the program, having progressed in achieving their leadership potential while also learning about the rich diversity of people and traditions in the community. Promise Program graduates leave the program experience better equipped for personal success and for the leadership challenges that await them in making metropolitan Detroit a better place to live and work.
