This October the Detroit Phoenix Center team attended Point Source Youth’s 4th annual National Symposium on Solutions to End Youth Homelessness. Usually hosted in person in New York City, due to the ongoing pandemic, this year’s event was held virtually. The two day event was filled with presentations from community leaders and advocates, on many topics, with some of our favorites being: “Liberation, Abolition, and Ending Youth Homelessness,” “Philanthropy’s Role in Ending Youth Homelessness,” and “Cross-System’s Prevention for Ending Youth Homelessness.”
An important theme of the symposium was the importance of making sure that the community and those served is the foundation of philanthropy. Throughout the presentations, it was stressed that we cannot try to prevent and end youth homelessness without listening to the youth directly affected by it. Detroit Phoenix Center implements these practices daily by surveying and directly asking our youth what they need; however, it is always important to make sure to truly uplift and elevate these voices whenever possible.
The symposium was a great experience for the entire DPC team. We reaffirmed the benefit of our work in the community and also learned many new ways to help those we serve while also finding growth opportunities to mold our organization into the best it can be.
Detroit Phoenix Center is on the rise for our Detroit youth. Come back soon to see updates about what we are doing