Surrounded by outdoor entertainment and educational activities, nearly 40,000 children gathered on Belle Isle Wednesday, July 12, for the 39th annual Metro Detroit Youth Day, the largest youth-focused event in Michigan.
As Youth Day organizers urged peace and unity, participants ages 8 to 13 enjoyed more than 300 activities, including sports clinics in golf, boxing, basketball, tennis and football, along with horse-and-buggy rides. Other events included singing and dancing competitions and anti-bullying workshops.
The five-hour program, which Wayne State co-sponsored, also featured a scholarship and awards ceremony. One of the students who received a scholarship will be attending Wayne State, said LaJoyce Brown, Wayne State senior associate director of admissions and an organizer of the event.
“This day is so important because it started as a result of an altercation between youth and Detroit merchants in the summer of 1980,” said Brown. “Founder Ed Deeb met with the late Mayor Coleman Young to formulate the goal of bringing together metro Detroit-area youth for a day of fun.”
In a statement, Deeb, also founder of the Michigan Food and Beverage Association, said “When we help our kids, we provide meaning and service to humanity, which is the best work of life.”
Brown noted that Metro Detroit Youth Day has grown exponentially since its first year, when it hosted about 1,100 students, to nearly 40,000 in the last few years. The program was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As it does each year, Wayne State had a significant presence at Youth Day. Staff from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions helped students craft timelines for their college plans. Members of the Department of Environmental Science and Geology gave a presentation on rocks and minerals. Faculty from the Department of Chemistry demonstrated explosive “vinegar volcanos” by combining baking soda and vinegar.
The event included more than 260 sponsors, 360 participating community groups and 1,800 volunteers.
For more information on Metro Detroit Youth Day, please visit miyouthfdn.org.