Recent Mott Foundation News -- Flint Area

Summer jobs program for youth boosts confidence

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:16:07 GMT

By ANN RICHARDS

Sonja McLaurin (left), director of the Flint city attorney's Victim Advocacy Program, helped 16-year-olds Tamango Henderson and Brianna Booker develop new job skills and explore career options through the Summer Youth Initiative. Tim Herman's first job was cutting lawns through a federally-funded summer work program for teenagers in Flint, Michigan. Now CEO of the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce(GRCC), he's pleased to be able to offer a similar opportunity to 450 Flint-area young people through the Summer Youth Initiative, which is kicking off its 13th year of providing seasonal employment and educational and recreational activities for Flint-area young people ages 14-18.

"You take a first job to earn money, but what you don't realize is that you're getting a first opportunity to learn skills that you'll use again and again in your life," he said. "That's what is so valuable about the Summer Youth Initiative -- kids aren't just mowing lawns or painting fences -- they're getting the chance to learn how to use a computer, show up on time, dress appropriately, talk to people -- real world stuff."

Administered through the Genesee Area Focus Fund, a nonprofit arm of the GRCC, the Summer Youth Initiative has received more than $7 million in Mott support since 1996. This year, in addition to offering supervised work experience through area nonprofit organizations, the summer jobs program will include more opportunities for participants to gain work experience in the private sector, Herman said.

"The chamber has board members who hope to employ some of these students -- they're genuinely enthusiastic about the education and training aspects of this program," Herman said. "Several board members have provided match dollars for a youth employment fund we've set up through the Focus Fund."

" ... kids aren't just mowing lawns or painting fences -- they're getting the chance to learn how to use a computer, show up on time, dress appropriately, talk to people -- real world stuff." Taking on a youth employment program fits with the mission and goals of the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce, says Herman.

"We have component programs that other chambers don't. We're fundamentally different from most other chambers in our focus on economic development and employment training. The Summer Youth Initiative feeds into this work."

Besides, adds Herman, without the Summer Youth Initiative, there would be far less opportunity for area students to spend time productively.

"Kids need something to do over the summer -- especially 14- to 18-year-olds. Without this program, you'd have 400-plus kids sitting on the couch, watching TV and thinking about things other than work."

For information on how to apply for employment through the GRCC's Summer Youth Initiative, contact the chamber at 810.600.1404.

Additional Resources:

Click here to view the press release on the 2008 Summer Youth Initiative.
Programs help youth strengthen skills, open doors , Mott Mosaic, August, 2007
Benefits of leadership training please graduate of Summer Youth Initiative

Michigan's Office of the Foundation Liaison links mutual interests for the common good

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 09:28:20 GMT

By ANN RICHARDS

In 2003, Michigan's Office of Foundation Liaison was established through a joint agreement between Michigan foundations and the governor’s office. Karen Aldridge-Eason, hired to direct the new initiative, was charged with identifying innovative funding partnerships and strategic collaborations that align the priorities of the state's government and foundations. Before accepting the position as the country’s first, cabinet-level foundation liaison, Aldridge-Eason directed Michigan's Office of Health and Human Services at the Department of Management and Budget and served as budget director for the City of Flint. She is currently on loan from the Mott Foundation, where she was a member of the program staff for nine years. In an interview with Communications Officer Ann Richards, Aldridge-Eason shares some of the challenges of establishing the office and some of the rewards of building what is now considered a national model for governmental and philanthropic collaboration.

Mott: The Office of the Foundation Liaison (OFL) was created to foster strategic partnerships between Michigan's philanthropic community and state government. How has that work evolved?

Karen Aldridge-EasonAldridge-Eason: It's been almost five years since we established the office, and it's amazing how quickly the time has passed. We've gone through several educational waves -- first, figuring out how we would approach the work, then, how to explain it to our grantmaking and government clients. In the beginning, it was tough to convince people that we are a nonpolitical entity, particularly since we're housed in the governor's office. But gradually, after a lot of visits and meetings and conversations, we've been able to help state officials understand that the foundation community has a lot more to offer than money. They're beginning to appreciate that there's a tremendous amount of expertise that foundations have developed through decades of grantmaking.

Of course, we're always transitioning, and that forces ongoing exchange. People move in and out of positions, problems change, opportunities pop up. It's a continuous process of education and re-education. Fortunately, we've been able to establish some very strong networks that now include departmental managers as well as appointed officials, nonprofits and smaller foundations. The conversations have shifted and deepened over the years. As we approach year five, we have folks from both government and philanthropy talking with us about systems, strategic partnerships and policy change. And that's exciting to me.

Mott: Could you elaborate on that point?

Aldridge Eason: System reform through policy change is one -- I should say the ultimate -- goal of the OFL's work. Foundations rightfully want to know what reforms have occurred as a result of their investment in us. Affecting this kind of deep and lasting change is our greatest challenge, in large part because you can't force it. Trust has to be built and silos have to be broken down before genuine conversations can even get started. It's hard work for everyone involved.

Mott: Given these challenges, why is it important -- in your opinion -- to encourage state governments and foundations to work together?

Aldridge Eason: Government and foundations very often work on the same kinds of issues -- and they have similar constituencies, particularly when it comes to vulnerable communities. The magnitude of the problems we face in Michigan -- workforce and job development, land use and preservation, education, health -- can't be dealt with in isolation. Neither government nor foundations can do it by themselves. It's good business to leverage money and expertise. It makes sense to put our heads together, to discuss mutual problems and find ways to deal with them together.

Mott: Your office has attracted more than $45 million in foundation investments, which has been essential to various state projects. Are there other ways you measure the value of the work carried out through the OFL?

Aldridge-Eason: Absolutely. We measure it in the partnerships we've helped create, the networks that exist. We've now completed three phases of formal evaluation, with the help of Dr. Mary Mc Donald, the director of the Community Research Institute [CRI] at the Dorothy Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Grand Valley State University. She's created measurements to help us define our work through six categories -- networking, facilitation, outreach, research, administration and something we call 'prospecting,' which is how we assign time spent uncovering issues, figuring out government and foundation priorities, identifying experts or models.

Mary has helped us compare the amount of time we spend on each activity and with our goals and objectives -- it's a kind of continuous 'learning loop' that helps us understand where we can be more efficient. The evaluation also helped us create a database and enhance our contacts, which have proved very valuable in building and strengthening relationships. CRI also conducts regular surveys of both government and foundation partners. So far, there have been strong indications that the OFL has been useful to them and their work. If your constituents and clients value you, I believe that’s the best indicator of your effectiveness.

Mott: What projects are currently a priority for the OFL?

Aldridge-Eason: Supporting an improved economy for Michigan is paramount. To that end, workforce education and development are really gathering strength. In her 2007 State of the State Address, the governor introduced the "No Worker Left Behind" initiative as part of her comprehensive plan to transform the state's economy. Foundations across the state have been discussing how they can support this effort and right now, we're trying to identify gaps along the educational pipeline and where interventions might be most effective in training older workers.

The magnitude of the problems we face in Michigan ... can't be dealt with in isolation. ... It makes sense to put our heads together, to discuss mutual problems and find ways to deal with them together.

Michigan's incarceration rates are the fourth highest in the country, so prisoner re-entry continues to be an important issue for us. Initially, we focused on early childhood education and land use issues. Foundations pushed hard to establish some type of umbrella agency that would focus on expanding the availability of high-quality early education and child care by leveraging public and private dollars.

In 2005, the state created the Early Childhood Investment Corporation for that purpose, and appointed two foundation representatives to the board. We plan to reconvene the early childhood group to figure out how foundations can continue to be helpful with this effort. Over the final three years of her term, the governor has indicated she wants an urban agenda, and land use may re-emerge as a key area for our work. Certainly there will be opportunities to stimulate some new ideas by exposing officials to urban initiatives and experts that Michigan's foundation community have identified and worked with.

Mott: What advice would you give to other states who are considering the establishment of a foundation liaison office?

Aldridge-Eason: I've had the opportunity to work with a couple of states interested in the Michigan model, including New Jersey, Louisiana, Wisconsin and a regional group in the Pacific Northwest. I always emphasize that patience and persistence are essential; you are building a network of relationships. Trust takes time to develop. If a state or municipality is going to set aside resources to do this, they need to recognize it is a slow process, dependent upon the liaison's ability to overcome resistance from two sectors that are often used to leading. Nothing significant is going to happen quickly. Our first 'victory' was a $25,000 grant to create the infrastructure for early childhood advocacy.

Staffing is very important -- I've been fortunate that our program associate, Maura (Dewan), has a strong background with both state and nonprofit agencies. It's worth taking the time to hire staff that can complement each other's strengths. Being selective about what you work on is very important -- some state agencies and foundations aren't ready to be involved at the onset. Go for the low-hanging fruit when you first start up. Of course, even as you work to narrow your focus, you've got to be flexible -- this work is fluid. The government's agenda will change, as will philanthropy's.

As I mentioned before, neutrality is key to working effectively. I can't emphasize how important it is to use private funding to support liaison activities. Letting government fund the office would significantly change its role. Having the support of an advisory committee -- and in our case, the Council of Michigan Foundations -- is critical in terms of keeping the work unbiased and neutral. Our advisory committee has been a great sounding board for me, and they're willing to provide some muscle when we need it. Finally, I believe respecting and honoring what government and philanthropy want to do is incredibly important, which means that you have to listen carefully and closely to what they say and then figure out what steps to take in helping them understand each other's perspective and develop effective partnerships.

South African leader shares lessons on sustainable peace

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

By ANN RICHARDS

If South Africa had any hope of achieving sustainable peace following the dissolution of apartheid, it had to “come clean” and acknowledge what had happened.

“Thousands of South Africans had been jailed, evicted, gone underground or died,” said Alexander L. Boraine, global visiting professor of law at New York University’s School of Law.

“After [Nelson]

Alexander L. Boraine
Photo credit: Rick Smith

Mandela was elected, there was great joy. But we had to come down from that mountain very quickly. There were still many unanswered questions. We had to find a way to provide justice for victims, hold those who had committed crimes responsible and reintegrate the perpetrators into society.”

On Sept. 13, the former deputy chair of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) spoke before a standing-room-only crowd of students and faculty at the University of Michigan-Flint.

His appearance was part of a weeklong series of community events surrounding the South African play, Truth in Translation, which examines the stories of both the victims and perpetrators of apartheid through the experience of translators participating in the TRC. The Flint residency portion of the U.S. tour was funded with a $169,820 grant to the Flint Cultural Center Corporation from the Mott Foundation.

“Our first obligation was to restore dignity to the victim,” Boraine said of the TRC.

“Generally, the perpetrator -- not the victim -- is the focus of justice. We started with the victim, with the voiceless who had been ignored.

“We believed that the quality of justice is limited by reducing it to persecution only. We tried to achieve a justice that was both retributive and restorative.”

The reconciliatory approach of the TRC has been used as a model for other countries grappling with past human rights abuses.

In 2001 Boraine, a former Methodist minister and former member of South Africa’s Parliament, founded the International Center for Transitional Justice in New York City. Today, he travels the world, assisting with peace-building efforts in countries as diverse as Northern Ireland and Sierra Leone.

Through the center, which is working in more than 20 countries, governments, non-governmental organizations and international organizations are attempting to craft a balance between judicial approaches -- such as human rights litigation and war crime tribunals -- and nonjudicial approaches -- such as truth and reconciliation commissions, mediation and peace-building efforts.

Since 2002, Mott has provided more than $2 million in general support and project grants to the center.

UM-Flint students and faculty listen to Dr. Alex Boraine.
Photo credit: Rick Smith “What we sought was a broader definition of justice -- not a watering down but a deepening of that concept,” Boraine said of the center’s work. “The model we used in South Africa was flawed -- we made many mistakes -- but we believe that it was successful in beginning a change process that is still under way.”

Much work remains to be done to restore true equality for all citizens in South Africa, he said.

“The healing in South Africa is partial -- a lot remains to be done. If you are a professional peacemaker, then you believe that the greatest of human rights is life itself -- you want to stop the killing. Then your work has to shift to something else.”

Play gives voice to apartheid experiences

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

By MAGGIE I. JARUZEL

A play that ignited hope in Rwanda and was prescribed as a cure for “historical amnesia” in South Africa is making its inaugural U.S. tour in September with five stops, including performances in Mott’s home community of Flint, Mich.

“Truth in Translation” was birthed in South Africa and gives audiences a close-up view of the horrific effects of racist policies and practices during the apartheid era. It also shares a message about forgiving wounds of the past—without forgetting them—and working together to create a better future.

International reviewers have described the play as “bitterly powerful,” “extremely moving,” and “laced with exquisite music and lyrics.”

The drama unfolds through the eyes and ears of those who were employed to translate testimonies of both abusers and victims into South Africa’s 11 official languages during the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) hearings in the mid-1990s.

“The TRC gave people a voice. It acknowledged them. There is real power in telling one’s own story and speaking the truth for others to hear. We continue to give voice to their stories through this play,” said Producer Yvette Hardie.

South Africa ’s TRC was a unique attempt to deal with a specific time in the country’s history, which was characterized by human rights abuses and crimes. Established on the eve of South Africa’s transition from apartheid to democracy, the TRC’s goal was to shed light on the causes and extent of gross human rights violations during the apartheid period. Additionally, the TRC worked to uncover what happened to the dead and disappeared—and allowed living victims to give accounts of what they suffered. The TRC also determined which perpetrators were granted amnesty after they made full disclosure of their criminal actions.

Hardie said some people—including those who lived through the apartheid era, or were too young to remember it, or not yet born—question whether victims are embellishing their stories about atrocities committed with the government’s consent.

“There seems to be a growing amnesia about the past. Some South Africans are saying, ‘It was not really as bad as people say it was.’ But the play’s dialogue is reflective of actual TRC testimony. It was that bad.

“We believe the play is a non-threatening way to tell the truth and also to inoculate people with the values of tolerance and democracy ... so this doesn’t ever happen again.”

“We believe the play is a non-threatening way to tell the truth and also to inoculate people with the values of tolerance and democracy, especially young people, so this doesn’t ever happen again.”

Hardie, along with about 25 cast and crew members, started traveling a year ago when “Truth in Translation” made its international premiere in Kigali, Rwanda. From there, the team returned to South Africa and performed before audiences in both Johannesburg and Cape Town. Most recently, the production was staged in Edinburgh, Scotland, where it won a prestigious Fringe First Award.

The play begins its U.S. tour from Sept. 6-8 in Dallas, before arriving in Flint for performances and workshops from Sept. 12-15. Following Flint, the production moves to Colorado Springs for shows from Sept. 21-23, and then on to Jackson Hole, Wyo. from Sept. 28-30. The play wraps up its final U.S. performances from Oct. 4-6 in the nation’s capitol.

Michael Lessac, founder and director of New York City’s highly acclaimed Colonnades Theatre Lab, conceived the idea of the play; he also created a vehicle for sharing it around the globe. In 2005, he established the Colonnades Theatre Lab-South Africa as a nonprofit organization.

The Mott Foundation made an 18-month $100,000 grant to Colonnades-South Africa in 2006 to support the play’s production costs. Mott made a second one-year grant of $30,000 to Colonnades in late 2006 to help fund a future tour of the play in the Balkans region of Europe. Additionally, Mott made a five-month, $170,000 grant in 2007 to the Flint Cultural Center Corporation to provide support for hosting a Flint residency, which includes free public performances and also educational workshops for students and community members.

When developing the play, Lessac decided not to shine the spotlight on those with highly visible roles in the TRC, such as Chairman Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, but to instead focus on the young and nearly invisible interpreters who traveled the country listening to horrifying testimonies—all the while being instructed “Don’t get involved.”

As the play unfolds, the audience sees how impossible it is for the translators to remain neutral after hearing testimonies of police brutality, torture, and revenge killings, Hardie said.

The “beautiful but chilling” lyrics and music by South Africa’s own Hugh Masekela adds richness and depth to the production, she said.

Music figures prominently in the play because of its important role in South African life—whether during times of pain, struggle, celebration or life passages, Hardie said.

Music was also a critical element of the TRC experience.

“When the testimony would become too much, perhaps for a mother whose son was killed. She might scream or break down, and then somebody out in the hall would start singing a hymn. Music has the power to sustain us,” she said.

While the music adds texture, the play’s simple props—shirts serving as a screen, large boxes and water glasses—make it easier for audiences to concentrate on the universal messages without being distracted, Hardie said.

Whether in countries with recent conflicts, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland or Rwanda, people need to learn how to address their differences in ways that lead to healing and not harm, she said.

“The Rwandans couldn’t believe that we had a mixed cast of blacks and whites who were able to perform together. For them, the play became a catalyst for dialogue, a catalyst for change.”

While there has been an ongoing push for reconciliation between the warring Hutu and Tutu tribes in Rwanda, it often came with an implication that people needed to bury the past, Hardie said. But after viewing the play and engaging in workshops led by the cast, Rwandans began to visualize ways to accept the past, seek and offer forgiveness, and move forward, she said.

“The play brings people into the same space and allows them to take things back to their own realities. In places like South Africa and Rwanda, where the conflict has been overt, they draw parallels to their own lives that make it very emotional, very immediate and very real.

“But even for other audiences, they still can feel a collective response. They have been through the emotions together. ‘Truth in Translation’ is really about shared humanity.”

Flint residency of "Truth in Translation" highlights stories, significance of apartheid

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Mott’s home community of Flint, Michigan, was the only Midwestern stop on the first U.S. tour of Truth in Translation, a critically-acclaimed play that profiles the powerful story of apartheid in South Africa.

The theater troupe's September 10th through 15th residency in Flint included two free public performances, as well as films on topics related to the play, a community “dinner and dialogue,” and workshops coordinated by local organizations.

The residency was made possible with support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the Community Foundation of Greater Flint. Support for the production's U.S. tour also came from the Colorado Festival of World Theatre.

To learn more about Truth in Translation and South Africa’s apartheid period, click the following links:

Read an article about Alex Boraine, who was the deputy director of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission and founder of the International Center for Transitional Justice in New York City.
In this feature, Yvette Hardie, producer of Truth in Translation, discusses the play, its messages and responses from international audiences.
The late Bantu Stephen Biko was among the most well-known activists of the apartheid era. Nkosinathi Biko -- Stephen’s son and CEO of the Steve Biko Foundation -- shares his thoughts about his father’s life and discusses the coming year’s activities that will commemorate the 30th anniversary of Stephen Biko’s death.

Remembering, commemorating anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

By MAGGIE I. JARUZEL

Internationally, 30 years after his death, Bantu Stephen Biko is memorialized as one of the most important activists of South Africa’s apartheid era, but in his hometown he is remembered as “Big Brother Bantu.”

In Xhosa, one of South Africa’s 11 official languages, “Bantu” means “the people’s person.” Those who knew Biko said it was a name that described him well, according to Nkosinathi Biko, CEO of the Steve Biko Foundation and the eldest of Biko’s four children.

Bantu Stephen Biko

It has been three decades since the police arrested, interrogated and beat Biko with enough force to cause his death September 12, 1977, yet the former medical student has not been forgotten. At home and abroad, there are buildings, statues, seminars, books, movies and songs that pay tribute to Biko.

Since 2000, the Johannesburg-based foundation that bears his name has annually commemorated his life. This year, it is honoring his memory with three months of activities under the name Biko 3030, which focuses on his legacy as a young leader.

"Steve Biko was only 30 when he died 30 years ago," said Nkosinathi Biko, who was 6 years old when his father was murdered. “I am extremely proud of him. He inspired thousands of people around the world, so it is not surprising that he would also inspire his own children."

"I look at all that he did in such a short time and realize it is important to not only lead a successful life, but also one of significance.”

In addition to founding the Black Consciousness Movement, the activist helped create the Ginsberg Educational Trust so black students could continue their education; the Zimele Trust Fund to provide assistance for political prisoners and their families; and the Zanempilo Community Health Centre, which still operates today. However, the trusts were among about two dozen organizations banned by the apartheid government shortly after Biko’s death.

“The appropriate way to measure his legacy is not by looking at the institutions he created,” Nkosinathi Biko said. “It was much broader than that. He led a movement.”

“Steve Biko may not have become the medical doctor he set out to be, but he did become a doctor of the mind and soul of South Africa for both blacks and whites.”

That movement impacted a wide range of South African institutions. Today, the majority of the nation’s leaders between the ages of 40 and 60 -- whether they are in the fields of education, health, politics, religion or trade unions -- were in some way affected by Biko’s activism, including the country’s top leader.

South African President Thabo Mbeki is scheduled to give the Eighth Annual Steve Biko Memorial Lecture September 12 at the University of Cape Town. The lecture is the final commemorative event of many that have been hosted by the Steve Biko Foundation since June. It is expected to attract about 3,000 dignitaries, including leaders from throughout South Africa, the African continent and elsewhere.

Since 2004, Mott has provided two general purposes grants totaling $210,000 to the Steve Biko Foundation.

Even though Biko was young, his leadership was powerful, said Nkosinathi Biko, who acknowledges that most of what he knows about his father he learned by reviewing media accounts, reading publications, and conducting first-hand interviews with his family, friends and fellow comrades opposed to the apartheid system.

Some of what he has learned was included in a 1997 hour-long documentary that he and a friend made called “Steve Bantu Biko: Beacon of Hope” to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his father’s death.

Ten years later, the public’s response to the Biko 3030 commemorative activities thus far has been “overwhelming,” including a “terrific” turnout for a June youth leadership conference in the Eastern Cape province, where many of Biko’s anti-apartheid activities were carried out while he was under house arrest in the 1970s, Nkosinathi Biko said.

Since the youth conference, there have been art, literature, music and film festivals in provinces throughout the country recognizing the 30th anniversary of Biko’s death.

The 2007 commemoration will culminate with three days of activities in September, including the “Consciousness, Agency & the African Development Agenda” conference September 10-12 in Cape Town, and the Former African Heads of State Roundtable and gala dinner September 11, before concluding with the annual lecture. It will be broadcast live and there will be two delayed broadcasts of the lecture, expected to be heard in 46 African countries.

“The irony is that, as the father of the Black Consciousness Movement, Steve Biko did a lot in terms of redefining white consciousness in South Africa. That was the other side of what he did -- help transform the assumption of white superiority in South Africa,” Nkosinathi Biko said.

“Steve Biko may not have become the medical doctor he set out to be, but he did become a doctor of the mind and soul of South Africa for both blacks and whites.”

"Walk to work" housing seeks to boost historic Flint neighborhood

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

By ANN RICHARDS

Within walking distance of a major medical center and two university campuses, Stone Street -- located in Flint, Michigan's historic Carriage Town neighborhood -- once was part of a bustling city neighborhood. Although it stands empty now, victim to disinvestment and neglect, the old street is poised to recapture its residential vibrancy, thanks to the Genesee County Land Bank Authority. Plans call for construction of several new, historically sensitive homes that will increase the housing stock available in one of the city's oldest neighborhoods.

An additional five units of housing -- donated by the Carriage Town Historic Neighborhood Association and the Atwood Authority -- also will be redeveloped by the Flint Neighborhood Improvement and Preservation Program. Altogether, this will account for $2.8 million in investment, 13 new homeownership opportunities, nine affordable housing units and two completely restored city blocks of housing in the Flint River District area, according to Amy Hovey, interim director of the Genesee County Land Bank.

"This project represents the first concrete step toward fulfilling the vision laid out by the Flint River District redevelopment plan," Hovey said, referring to one of four neighborhood redevelopment plans commissioned by city agencies from Sasaki and Associates, a Watertown, Massachusetts planning firm. "It will help improve the overall appearance of the Carriage Town neighborhood as well as provide new housing opportunities for employees from neighboring institutions who are interested in a 'walk to work' lifestyle."

Funded by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), the city of Flint, Brownfield Tax Increment Financing and a $125,000 grant from the Mott Foundation, the Stone Street Project will provide high-quality, single-family dwellings designed to appeal to middle-class families. Built on parcels acquired by the land bank to support comprehensive neighborhood development efforts in highly visible areas, the homes will be priced between $100,000 and $150,000.

"Recently, Hurley Medical Center completed an employee survey to determine interest in purchasing homes in the area surrounding the hospital. Of the more than 600 people responding to the survey, 162 indicated they were potentially or definitely interested in purchasing units in the target area. We're now waiting for this same survey to be implemented at the universities," Hovey said.

"More than 43 percent of those who responded to the Hurley survey had household incomes over $50,000 a year -- making them ineligible for subsidized housing. We plan to work with the Michigan State Housing Development Authority to bring pre-existing, Employer Assisted Housing products to area institutions as an incentive to purchase these houses."

The Stone Street Project is a small-scale example of a national trend toward "smart growth," a development philosophy used by urban planners that concentrates growth in the center of a city to avoid sprawl. Smart growth advocates compact, pedestrian friendly land use with a range of housing choices.

Flint's Carriage Town neighborhood is ideal for this type of development, says Hovey.

Characterized by housing stock unique to Flint and Genesee County, Carriage Town also has a strong neighborhood organization. According to 2000 Census data, it also has a higher concentration of knowledge workers and artists than most city and county neighborhoods.

Architectural designs for the houses have been approved by the Flint Historic District Commission. In addition to the new and rehabilitated houses, new sidewalks and streetlights will define the properties.

Increasingly, Michigan county governments are using land banks as a strategic planning tool for "smart growth" to preserve the physical attractiveness and identity of communities. Most of these land banks use a model developed in Genesee County, where Michigan's first land bank was created in 2002 with support from Mott.

During the past 18 months, the Genesee County Land Bank Authority has demolished more than 520 blighted structures, cleared titles on 47 properties, sold 260 vacant "side lots" to neighbors adjacent to land bank properties and initiated a number of new and rehabilitated housing projects.

"The land bank is attempting to improve market conditions for housing in central Flint through targeted investments designed to increase area housing values," Hovey said. "While economic conditions in Flint will be an ongoing concern, we hope efforts like the Stone Street Project will help stabilize neighborhoods and ultimately leverage additional private investment in the Flint River District and other city neighborhoods."

View a related article about the work of the Genesee County Land bank in the April 2006 issue of Mott Mosaic.

Patient equity playing key role in downtown Flint

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

By ANN RICHARDS

Detroit is not the only Michigan city attempting to bring back its downtown. Across the state, smaller metro areas such as Flint, Muskegon and Port Huron are working to restore the prosperity of their central cities.

In Flint, private investors are working to provide a vision and some “patient equity” to help transform the city’s once lively downtown into a place where people once again can work, live and be entertained.

Philip Shaltz is one of the original members of the Uptown Six LLC, which is a partner with Uptown Reinvestment Corporation (URC) that formed Uptown Investments. He is old enough to remember downtown Flint as a place that had heart and vitality.

“When I was a kid, it was a real treat to go into downtown,” he said. “In my memory it was like a kaleidoscope -- full of color and sound. It was full of people and life.”

That memory -- and the recognition that Genesee County needs a strong, central anchor if it is going to prosper -- prompted Shaltz to become part of revitalization efforts.

During its short history, URC has managed the Saginaw Streetscape, a redevelopment plan for Flint’s red brick main street; attracted investment from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation; and, partnering with the Uptown Six, has purchased downtown buildings and entered into partnerships to rehabilitate several of them.

Shaltz, CEO of a local automation company, is one of seven Uptown Six investors who currently are providing “patient equity” for these redevelopment efforts.

Patient equity plays a key role in real estate development finance, according to Christopher B. Leinberger, a national champion of progressive development, which embraces walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods.

“We’re not outsiders. We’re not interested in building something and walking away with a profit. We can’t walk away; it’s our reputation and our city on the line. Every one of us profited from Flint in some way, and this is our way of returning the favor."

“Today, many of our cities and older suburbs boast many of the artifacts of great development from the 1920s and earlier,” Leinberger said.

“Until the middle of the 20th century, real estate was considered a long-term asset class and was financed as such. The original developer built and held onto projects for a long period of time.”

Today’s real estate financing, with an emphasis on lower-risk, short-term returns, discourages quality construction that weathers the economic ups and downs endemic to the real estate industry, he said.

Profit -- short or long-term -- is not what motivates Shaltz and his Uptown Six partners.

“You can’t look at this investment in terms of money. Patient capital is the vehicle we have to use if we’re going to re-do downtown. If -- or when -- we start to realize a financial return, it’s going to be reinvested anyway,” Shaltz said.

“We’ve got a vision, we can help make it happen, but we can’t keep it going by ourselves. We need people to support it -- to come downtown, eat in the restaurants, shop the galleries, and live in the lofts.

“In our saner moments, we’ve asked ourselves why we’re doing this. But 25 years from now, I hope to look back and say we were a part of Flint’s resurrection. It’s going to be tough, but we have to make this work.”

Long-term benefits of leadership training please graduate of Summer Youth Initiative

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

By ANN RICHARDS

Brittany Peacock-Scott, a shy 14-year-old looking for a job, signed up for the Summer Youth Initiative (SYI) in 2001, hoping to earn a little money of her own.

What

A recent graduate of the Mott Foundation Leadership Academy displays her completed goal setting plan.

she did not expect was to become involved in the Mott Foundation Leadership Academy (MFLA) -- an experience she says has influenced her life in ways she never could have anticipated.

“The leadership academy brought out qualities I didn’t know that I had,” said Peacock-Scott, who is now a junior majoring in the elementary education at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant.

This summer, Peacock-Scott returned to Flint to serve as an assistant facilitator for MFLA, working with a diverse group of more than 200 SYI participants. She says the leadership training component of the SYI is of great importance to young people, many of whom are far more intimidated by new experiences than their surface behavior would indicate.

“They come into the program not wanting to interact with people they don’t know. They are afraid they won’t know how to respond to new situations, and it embarrasses them. We start breaking down that fear right away with games and other activities. It’s amazing how much you can learn while you’re having fun.”

MFLA was initiated in the summer of 2000, five years after SYI was created in response severe cuts in federal funding for summer employment programs for young people. Currently, it is administered by the Genesee Chamber of Commerce (See related story at mott.org).

Alice Hart, former vice president of the Community Foundation of Greater Flint, which originally operated the Mott Foundation-funded program, created MFLA in response to requests from young participants for something more than job placement and experience.

Hart tapped into an existing leadership development curriculum developed by Karianne and David Martus, who operate several youth leadership programs through contracts with a variety of Flint-area nonprofits.

“We wanted to incorporate something into the program that would help young people deal with what keeps them from succeeding,” Hart said. “We realized that we couldn’t change a young person’s outlook in eight weeks, but we could start them on a path -- and link them with other activities throughout the school year that would continue to motivate them.”

MFLA activities -- a combination of games, role playing, volunteer work, goal-setting activities and problem-solving exercises -- are designed to help students discover hidden strengths and talents and provide a safe environment in which to use them. Evaluation data (www.sph.umich.edu/prc/projects/past_projects.html) from past summers confirmed MFLA’s positive effects on certain risk behaviors, Hart said.

Practical information about time management, life planning and budgeting also are incorporated into the curriculum.

“I just blew through my first few paychecks,” Peacock-Scott admitted. “Through MFLA, I learned to set a little aside for later, how to set up a savings account. To this day, I save a part of every paycheck.”

MFLA

Karianne Martus, director of the Mott Foundation Leadership Academy, advises a student with goal setting.

participants also create their own road maps for the future, Peacock-Scott said.

“We write down what we want to do and list the obstacles that get in the way. Then each year, we update our map with things that we’ve accomplished, our new goals and personal obstacles that we need to deal with.”

The most important lessons she learned from her MFLA experiences are a little more difficult to describe, Peacock-Scott said.

“You don’t realize what you’ve learned until you have the opportunity to use it later, when you go to school or are hired for a real job. When you’re put in a new situation, you’re more confident about how to act and what to say. You understand what it takes to get along with people you don’t know.”

As a facilitator for this year’s program, Peacock-Scott witnessed similar behavior.

“It’s was interesting to watch how our students began finding things in common with each other,” she said.

“Through MFLA, they learn that it’s possible to work with anyone. Everyone thinks of teamwork as something you do in sports, not in real life. You have the opportunity to figure out what you do best in a situation. You learn you can’t always be a leader, but there are important roles for everyone.

“It’s about developing trust -- in yourself and other people.”

That comes in handy after leaving MFLA.

“MFLA isn’t just fun, it’s about learning. It’s about how to keep positive and stay focused. There aren’t many programs like this for teenagers.

Report highlights impacts of land bank model

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

By DUANE M. ELLING

A successful market investment is often thought of as one that yields a financial return. A recent report suggests that the Genesee County Land Bank (GCLB) is helping the greater Flint community realize similar rewards.

“Economic Impacts of Residential Property Abandonment and the Genesee County Land Bank in Flint, Michigan” finds that the GCLB spent roughly $3.5 million between 2002 and 2005 on the rehabilitation of abandoned and foreclosed properties in and around the city. It further suggests that those activities yielded $112 million in economic returns for Mott’s hometown.

A long-empty building in downtown Flint, Michigan, was rehabilitated to house the Genesee County Land Bank, the Crim Fitness Foundation and loft apartments.

Those returns, say researchers at Michigan State University’s Land Policy Institute (LPI), which conducted the study, include profits from the redevelopment and sale of properties held by the GCLB; the financial assets maintained in the community -- both among homeowners and the city -- by helping to keep habitable properties out of foreclosure and on the tax rolls; and the subsequent increase in value of adjacent homes and land.

The land bank model allows local public authorities to hold, manage and develop tax-foreclosed properties, with a focus on returning them to productive use.

Mott support for the model’s development -- including initial research that led to state legislation in support of land banks; implementation in Genesee County; and technical assistance by the GCLB to other Michigan communities interested in replicating or adapting the model -- has totaled more than $1 million since 1997.

Since its start in 2002, the GCLB has overseen the demolition of 759 structures that could not be rehabilitated and has coordinated the full renovation of 29 salvageable homes. The program has also sold more than 600 vacant lots to adjoining homeowners and helped to keep more than 1,700 properties out of foreclosure.

The LPI report suggests that such activities have helped stabilize and even increase the value of more than 26,000 residential properties in Flint. It also finds that, as of the 2006 tax year, GCLB programs had helped return more than $1.17 million in homes and land to the city’s property tax system.

The authors note that such outcomes are essential to helping the greater Flint community “restructure, redevelop and recreate value in declining neighborhood environments.” An estimated 5,000 housing units in the city are currently vacant or abandoned.

Dan Kildee, county treasurer and GCLB chairman, notes that the report’s findings help confirm the potential fiscal impact of land banks on their communities.

“This research verifies that while the ‘cost of abandonment’ of properties is quantifiable, the value of intervention can also be measured. This has important implications for future interest in -- and development of -- the land bank model.”

And while he is personally pleased to see the GCLB’s economic impacts confirmed, Kildee notes that the model’s rewards are more than financial.

“When a property is improved and returned to productive use, the morale in that neighborhood grows,” he said.

“And as surrounding properties are redeveloped, those feelings spread. Soon the entire community begins to sense the positive change under way.”

“Sparking that undercurrent of energy and hope is just one of the many benefits of the land bank model.”