Summer in the City

Summer in the City strives to improve and expand community service in Metro Detroit. By bringing a diverse group of young people together to invest their energy in Detroit, Summer in the City programs address the immediate needs of city neighborhoods and foster a regional mindset. Summer in the City was founded in 2002 to change the way young people volunteer in Detroit and the impact their work has on the city and region. The organization's work is concentrated in the summer months, when we Paint, Plant, and Play - creating murals, building and maintaining urban gardens, and running youth enrichment programs. Summer in the City is "fun, flexible, and fulfilling" for volunteers and "practical, productive and purposeful" for community organizations. Volunteers can participate any or every day of the summer with no commitment, simply by coming to one of our ten carpool sites throughout the region. Summer in the City values collaboration and regionalism. All projects are done in partnership with organizations in Detroit - from nonprofits to community development corporations to schools - and are designed to best meet the needs of the people these groups serve. Further, SITC brings together volunteers from all across Metro Detroit, (and sometimes even across the country) to engage each other and invest their creativity and compassion in Detroit. Last summer, an average of 200 volunteers per day contributed their time and energy to projects throughout Detroit. Since Summer in the City began, over 5500 volunteers have performed 175,000 hours of high-impact community service. While the program has grown dramatically since its inception, it has always maintained the core principles of youth empowerment, diversity, inclusiveness, and sustainability.