Detroit, meet 30 of the city's newest residents, the first class of Challenge Detroit.
The nonprofit has selected the 30 winners of its first class, which will provide young leaders interested in improving Detroit with jobs and a rent stipend to live in the greater downtown area.
"These are the leaders of this generation who want to make a difference and bring a passion to the reinvention of Detroit," says Doyle Mosher, president & co-founder of
Challenge Detroit.
More than 900 people, young college graduates, applied to become part of the first class. The field was narrowed to 100 semi-finalists that made videos and were voted on by local residents. Fifty finalists interviewed for the 30 spots, which were selected last week. They will be paired with jobs from a handful of local companies. The idea is to lay the groundwork for these people to grow roots in Detroit and help grow local businesses.
"The companies hired for talent so they could get a really talented young person who could help the city," Mosher says.
The first class will receive a living expenses stipend of $500 per month, a job with a local company, coordinated social activities within the group and the communities and opportunities to give back through monthly team challenges. This year's participants are coming from all over the U.S., including Arizona, Wisconsin, New York, Virginia, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Illinois, as well as Toronto, Ontario.
Source: Doyle Mosher, president & co-founder of Challenge Detroit
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.