Challenge Detroit has narrowed its applicant list to 100 young people and it wants your help whittling it down from there.
The talent attraction program received 900 applicants for its initial year where a few dozen young people will be given living grants, jobs and social opportunities in Detroit in an effort to get more talented leaders to sink roots in the city. The organizers narrowed that initial list to 100 semi-finalist and wants to social media users to help determine which ones make it to the final selection process in May.
"It's an important way to engaging the community early on," says Deirdre Greene, director of
The Collaborative Group, which is organizing the the Challenge Detroit program. "We want the community to be an important part of the organizations."
Challenge Detroit will offer 30 grants to young people that will cover living expenses (a $500 per month stipend), employment (a job with a local company), social experience (coordinated activities within the group and the communities the grant recipients live in) and giving back through monthly team challenges.
The top 50 finalists will interview for the 30 grants, which will be awarded this summer. Applicants need a bachelor's degree but don't necessarily have to be fresh college graduates. Any young people with innovative, entrepreneurial ambitions for Detroit that want to sink roots in the city could apply.
"It's been a really tough process," Greene says. "There have been some amazing individuals."
Source: Deirdre Greene, director of The Collaborative Group
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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