Each week, 30,000 school-aged youth in eight cities across the country walk into offbeat storefronts to play with spy equipment, research Bigfoot, stock up on robot milk and purchase unicorn tears. Or do they?
In the same spaces, thousands of adult volunteers help students publish their original writing in artful, professional-level publications, and demystify homework with one-on-one tutoring. It's civic engagement, though not the kind you'd expect.
The 2014 Richard C. Van Dusen Urban Leadership Forum at Wayne State University welcomes Dave Eggers, best-selling author and co-founder of 826 National, for a lively lecture titled "Buccaneers, Robots, Yetis and Other Agents of Social Change." The lecture will be followed by an interactive discussion with Detroit community leaders.
Eggers will discuss the success of 826 National's creative model and the ways civic engagement and social change are taking new shapes and challenging assumptions. Following his talk, Eggers will moderate a discussion with local panelists Sharnita Johnson, program officer of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation; Julia Putnam, principal at the James and Grace Lee Boggs School; and Amy Peterson, founder of Rebel Nell, a jewelry company that provides business training and employment for low-income women.
The lecture and discussion will take place on Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. (doors open at 5:30 p.m.) in Wayne State University's Community Arts Auditorium, 450 Reuther Mall, Detroit. The event is free and open to the public, and will be followed by a reception with drinks and appetizers in the adjoining McGregor Conference Center. RSVP at http://bit.ly/wsueggers.
The Van Dusen Forum, in partnership with 826 Michigan, will also hold a half-day workshop on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at Golightly Education Center in Detroit. Participants will team up with the masterminds behind 826michigan's new Detroit locale to explore how a Robot Factory in Detroit might differ from a Boring Store in Chicago or a Superhero Store in Brooklyn. They'll plot the course for youth education programming and volunteer opportunities, and envision the physical and programmatic possibilities. Space in the workshop is limited. Visit vandusen.wayne.edu to learn more.
Dave Eggers is the author of 10 books, including most recently "Your Fathers, Where Are They? And the Prophets, Do They Live Forever?," "The Circle and A Hologram for the King," which was a finalist for the 2012 National Book Award. He is the founder of McSweeney's, an independent publishing company based in San Francisco that produces books, a quarterly journal of new writing (McSweeney's Quarterly Concern), and a monthly magazine, The Believer. McSweeney's also publishes "Voice of Witness," a nonprofit book series that uses oral history to illuminate human rights crises around the world. Eggers is the co-founder of 826 National, a network of eight tutoring centers around the country, and ScholarMatch, a nonprofit organization designed to connect students with resources, schools and donors to make college possible.
During his visit to Detroit, Eggers will also be the featured guest at Sweater Weather, an 826michigan annual benefit dinner. A VIP reception is scheduled for 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Tickets are $100 to attend dinner only and $200 for both dinner and the VIP reception. Proceeds from this event benefit 826michigan's In-School Residencies in Detroit schools, including the James and Grace Lee Boggs School, Amelia Earhart Elementary-Middle School and Bunche Preparatory Academy.
Tickets for Sweater Weather may be purchased online at http://sweaterweather.brownpapertickets.com.
The Van Dusen Urban Leadership Forum at Wayne State University brings together national experts with existing and emerging local leadership to: demonstrate new ways of thinking, sharing and problem-solving; inspire individuals towards action; and provoke intergenerational knowledge transfer by intentionally driving diverse audiences into the same room.
826michigan is a volunteer-driven program providing free creative writing and tutoring services to students ages 6 to 18 in southeastern Michigan, specifically Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Detroit. Located inside downtown Ann Arbor's Liberty Street Robot Supply and Repair, 826michigan is based on the successful model of 826 National.
About Richard C. Van Dusen: Richard C. Van Dusen had a lifetime concern for and commitment to urban communities, particularly metropolitan Detroit. His life was characterized by distinguished public service in national, state and local affairs. He served as undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives and chaired the Detroit Regional Chamber. Van Dusen served as a governor of Wayne State University. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he spent his professional legal career at the Detroit law firm of Dickinson, Wright PLLC. Van Dusen's life reflected his belief that the private sector, as much as the public sector, could provide leadership and implement initiatives to enhance the quality of urban life.
Photo: Dave Eggers