Last month, Not Sorry Apparel was excited to participate in a visioning session for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan (BGCSM). The organization recently announced a two-year campaign to reimagine the Clubs as world-class space, offering experiences to empower youth to become change agents for their life, Club, and communities. We were excited to participate in the visioning sessions and talk about our experience at Ponyride, a shared co-working space + light manufacturing co-op in Detroit.

  Co-Founder Jessica Minnick speaking with members of Boys & Girls Club and answering their engaging questions like, “What are the benefits of sharing a space with other entrepreneurs?”

As BGCSEM states on their website, “Visioning sessions are a connection point for key stakeholders to gather in one room for a series of dynamic workshop experiences including expert panelists, youth voice, visioning exercises, and visual note takers documenting the thoughts, ideas, and conversations that will ultimately create the blueprint for our new Club spaces."

Co-owner Dy-Min Johnson was invited to sit on the panel to discuss “How might we create a world class experience that equips members with the skills needed to be change agents for their clubs, communities neighborhood and life?”

After the panel discussion, participants broke off into smaller groups where Club members, staff, parents, entrepreneurs, and business leaders worked together through a series of moonshot activities and open discussions designed to cultivate the vision for the future of the Clubs.

With 7 Clubs in Southeastern Michigan, over 125,000 square feet of programming space, and more than 250,000 youth living within a five-mile radius of their Clubs, BGCSM is uniquely positioned to drive youth development and economic mobility in neighborhoods across Southeastern Michigan.

However, change of this magnitude does not happen without the involvement and investment of staff, community stakeholders, local business community, city officials, entrepreneurial thought leaders, and most importantly, local youth.

To stay up to date, participate, or contribute to #ReimgagineBGCSM campaign, visit www.reimaginebgcsm.org