ENGAGE ANNUAL REPORT U-M SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
2023-24
MEET OUR TEAM Trina Shanks
ENGAGE Director Trina Shanks is the Harold R. Johnson Collegiate Professor of Social Work. Since 2018, she has overseen the School’s strategic goal of community engagement and the evolving ENGAGE team. She is also the director of the Center for Equitable Family and Community WellBeing and serves as faculty advisor to the New Leaders in African-Centered Social Work Scholars Program. From 2010 to 2012, Shanks was appointed by Michigan Governor
Jennifer Granholm to serve on the State Commission on Community Action and Economic Opportunity. She is currently one of the national network co-leads for the Social Work Grand Challenge: Reducing Extreme Economic Inequality and a nonresident fellow at the Urban Institute. Shanks earned a PhD in social work from Washington University and an MS in Comparative Social Research from the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.
Sonia Harb
Sonia Harb is the ENGAGE team engagement strategist. She has decades of experience promoting the alleviation of poverty and development of communities of color across southeast Michigan and has served as a strategic advisor for the provost’s office on Detroit engagement. Prior to joining U-M, she led the establishment of a multimillion-dollar employment and training operation for ACCESS, developed youth and education programming and innovative
initiatives for the organization, and launched ACCESS Growth Center, a department focused on community and economic development. She has served on numerous boards and state commissions, most recently as present vice-chair of the Michigan League for Public Policy’s board of directors and past chair of Michigan’s Commission on Community Action and Economic Opportunity.
MEET OUR TEAM Ayesha Ghazi-Edwin
Ayesha Ghazi Edwin, MSW ‘10, is a political social worker and community organizer with over 15 years of experience in various social justice areas, including labor, healthcare, voting, immigration, housing and disability. Ghazi Edwin serves as an assistant clinical professor, specializing in community-based research, creating community-engaged courses, and fostering learning initiatives that link the university community to social change movements and public policy innovation. She is also the creator and co-director of the School of Social Work’s Disability Inclusion and Accessible Design (DIAD) Certificate Program. In 2022, Ghazi Edwin was elected to Ann Arbor City Council representing Ward 3 - a region that includes the School of Social Work - for a four-year term. She also serves as the Governor Whitmer-appointed Chair of the Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission, a role she was selected for due to her extensive engagement and advocacy for the Asian American community. In her
prior roles, she has served as the executive director of American Citizens for Justice, a civil rights organization rooted in the legacy of Vincent Chin; deputy director of Detroit Disability Power, an organization focused on building the political and organizing power of people with disabilities; and clinic director of American Indian Health and Family Services, Inc., a federally-funded health clinic dedicated to serving the spiritual, communal, and health needs of the American Indian and Alaskan Native communities in southeast Michigan and beyond. In addition to her MSW, Ghazi Edwin holds a Lean Six Sigma from U-M’s School of Engineering. Her contributions to the university community have been acknowledged with awards that include U-M’s 2024 James T. Neubacher Award, the university’s highest distinction for advancing access and inclusion for people with disabilities, the 2021 DEI Impact Award and the Provost’s Teaching Innovation Prize.
MEET OUR TEAM Fatima Salman
Fatima Salman, MSW ’15, is the program manager for ENGAGE’s Employment Equity Learning and Action Collaborative. Salman completed her undergraduate education at U-M in 2000 and taught language and linguistics at a local private school. For three years, she lived in Madison, Wisconsin, and worked as the principal of a local elementary school. She returned to Michigan to complete her MSW in Community Organizing and Management and then served as the Muslim Students Association’s Executive Director
upon graduating. She is currently the Vice President of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). Fatima is an LEO Lecturer for the University of MichiganSchool of Social Work, serves on the board of the Guidance Center in Detroit, Michigan, and is a Racial Equity Fellow with Detroit Equity Action Lab. She sits on the Community Advisory Panel for Detroit Public Television and was appointed by Governor Whitmer to be on the Growing Michigan Together Council Higher Education Workgroup.
Saria Bechara
Saria Bechara, MSW ’23, is an ENGAGE team program assistant. She recently earned her MSW in the Program Evaluation and Applied Research Pathway. As an MSW student, she completed her field placement at the U-M Organizational and Community Multicultural Praxis Lab and worked in the School of Social Work’s Office of Global Activities. Prior to that, Bechara studied and worked in Lebanon.
She completed her undergraduate education at the Lebanese American University in psychology and biology. She also worked and volunteered in both academic and nonprofit spaces, where her positions included research and program development and evaluation roles as well as direct practice roles in psychosocial support provision.
MEET OUR TEAM Zihui Adams
Zihui Adams is a Field Student Intern and a current MSW student in the Community Change and Interpersonal Practice in Integrated Health, Mental Health, & Substance Abuse Pathway and pursuing a dual degree in public health with a concentration in Health Behavior Health Education. She is also a Community Scholar
in the Community-Based Initiative in Detroit. Previously, Adams studied at Ithaca College in an accelerated five-year occupational therapy master’s program. She was a Martin Luther King Scholar and minored in African Diaspora Studies. She has done research on structural racism and environmental and educational injustices.
Savanah Elias Rayyan
Savanah Elias Rayyan is a field student intern and a current MSW student in the Community Change Pathway and a scholar in the Community-Based Initiative in Detroit. She is the Secretary of the Student Government at the School. Rayyan graduated from Wayne State University in 2022 where
she received her BS in Public Health and a BS in psychology, with a minor in philosophy. She has worked in program evaluation at Wayne State University’s School of Social Work. She has been involved with multiple organizations and research teams and hopes to continue her work within social work.
2023-24 OUTCOMES 2024 Academic Year: September 2023-June 2024 CREATING CONNECTION AND ENCOURAGING ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY AND THE UNIVERSITY Community Engagement Small Grant Program ENGAGE launched the Small Grants Program in 2018 to encourage School of Social Work faculty to work with community partners to support their social justice goals. Each year we partner with the Detroit Urban Research Center (DURC) from the School of Public Health to review community-based participatory research proposals and select the winners. These awards are supported by the Office of the Provost and are part of the school’s strategic effort to connect Detroit engagement efforts and increase impact in the city. ENGAGE partners with the Ford School’s Detroit Urban Research Center in the administration of the small grants program. This year’s grant recipients received a total of $10,000 dollars. Congratulations to our 2024 Small Grant Recipients!
Project Title: Empowering Detroit Together: Building Community Impact Partnerships Faculty Member: Clinical Associate Professor Abigail Eiler Community Partner: Yusef Shakur, Co-Executive Director, Michigan Roundtable
Project Title: Black Ecclesiastical Intervention to Help Equip Affected Lives Enduring Mental Disorders (BE HEALED) Faculty Member: Professor Rich Tolman and Associate Professor Addie Weaver Community Partner: Pastor Charles Williams, Community Investigator, INSIGHT
Visit our website to learn more about the funded projects.
2023-24 OUTCOMES 2024 Academic Year: September 2023-June 2024 ENGAGE Conversations and Course ENGAGE facilitates periodic online conversations open to the public on pressing equity issues and movements for social change. The events feature elected officials, experts and community leaders who are spearheading efforts to address disparity and promote justice for all. These online conversations are part of our ENGAGE: Community mini-course, which gives students an opportunity to explore the work of local advocacy organizations, discuss topics in social work practice that center equity, apply social work principles they are learning in the classroom to work happening in the field, and explore their own professional goals and passions as future social workers. Since Fall 2023, ENGAGE has hosted six virtual conversations, including one in-person event at the School. Our virtual discussions were attended by over 150 people virtually, and viewed countless times on our Youtube channel. Lecturer and ENGAGE staff member Ayesha Ghazi Edwin also taught SW 759 mini-course during the Fall 2023 semester, ENGAGE: Community. This course is taught in conjunction with the virtual discussions, allowing students to delve deeper into virtual discussion topics and connect with community organizations and activists working on featured topics discussed. ENGAGE partnered with and co-hosted sessions with the Ford School of Public Policy’s Science, Technology and Public Policy program, the CASC undergraduate minor, among others. We featured 32 panelists ranging from clinical practitioners, elected officials, urban planning researchers, scholars studying inclusive social work practice with transgender clients, local and state nonprofit leaders, and scholars and elected officials studying and spearheading reparations initiatives around the country. Visit our website to learn more. Below is a snapshot of our virtual conversations during the last year.
WINTER 2024 The Case for Reparations April 18, 2024 This session focused on the case for reparations for Black Americans, and local and other cities beginning reparations initiatives. This discussion was influential in the passage of a resolution directing the City of Ann Arbor to begin exploring reparations. Panelists included Stacey Deering, Wayne State University political science professor; Michael Steinberg, professor
2023-24 OUTCOMES 2024 Academic Year: September 2023-June 2024 and director of the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative at the University of Michigan Law School, Justice InDEED, and the Washtenaw County Advisory Council on Reparations; Chris Watson, Ann Arbor city council member; Lauren Hood, assistant professor at the Taubman College for Architecture & Urban Planning and former co-chair of Detroit’s Reparations Task Force; and Cynthia Harrison, Ann Arbor city council member. Safe Cities: The Movement Against Facial Recognition Technology March 21, 2024 This discussion explored the rising use of facial recognition technology and its growing controversy – specifically regarding frequently misidentifying people of color, women, and trans people in comparison to white men. This session was watched by City of Ann Arbor law enforcement, and was influential in informing the passage of local policy related to limiting the use of facial recognition technology. Panelists included: Molly Kleinman, managing director, Science, Technology, and Public Policy program, The University of Michigan; Ramis Waddod, ACLU staff attorney; Alejandro Navarrete, research director at Detroit Action; and Eric Williams, attorney and resident expert on FRT, Detroit Justice Center & managing director of Economic Equity Practice.
FALL 2023 What can you do with your MSW degree? Exploring a Social Justice Career Path December 7, 2023 This panel was co-hosted by CASC and ENGAGE, and featured panelists with MSW degrees from a variety of professions discussing the diversity of careers available to MSW graduates. Panelists included Victoria Peebles, Mathematica Health researcher; Yusef Shakur, deputy director of Strategy & Innovations Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion; Megan Gunnell, clinical social work/therapist, LMSW; and Justin Hodge, clinical associate professor of social work.
2023-24 OUTCOMES 2024 Academic Year: September 2023-June 2024 The Importance of Transit Equity November 9, 2023 Car-dependent metropolitan areas divide and isolate people from one another. Strong public transit systems and walkable and bikeable city infrastructure helps to make communities more accessible and fosters connection. This virtual discussion focused on the impact of public transit and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure on equity, and how inaccessible, car-centric cities disproportionately marginalize and endanger BIPOC and other vulnerable communities. The discussion looked at how cities have been shaped by historic and ongoing discriminatory housing and transportation policies, and how transit advocates are helping to transform urban planning in cities like Ann Arbor and Detroit. Panelists included Molly Kleinman, former chair of the Ann Arbor Transportation Commission and managing director of the Ford School’s of Science, Technology, and Public Policy program; Donnell Wyche, Ann Arbor transit advocate, pastor of Vineyard Church, and an Ann Arbor planning commissioner; and Idrees Mutahr, former activist of Motor City Freedom Riders and project manager with the City of Detroit’s Joe Louis Greenway. Beyond Pronouns: Cisnormativity in Social Work Practice October 12, 2023 This virtual discussion was co-created and co-facilitated by our former ENGAGE intern, Parker. The discussion explored decentering cisnormativity, while centering the expertise of trans social workers in fields of knowledge. This session also focused on how challenging typical notions of “deviance” can transform our field and how we work with others. Speakers included Bec Sokha Keo, Shanna K. Kattari, and Isaac M. Akapnitis, LMSW, among others. History to Present Day: Race and Housing in Ann Arbor September 14, 2023 This virtual discussion explored the history of discriminatory housing policies and practices, specifically in Washtenaw County, and its impact on the local racial and economic demographics of
2023-24 OUTCOMES 2024 Academic Year: September 2023-June 2024 housing and our current housing market. Panelists included: Jess Letaw, community organizer and policy advocate for housing and affordability, and a board member of Ann Arbor’s Downtown Development Authority and co-host of the Ann Arbor AF podcast; Professor Matthew Countryman, chair of Department of Afroamerican and African Studies; and Alex Thomas, Ypsilanti Township, community advocate, and YpsiNICE co-chair. Visit our website to learn more about our past and upcoming conversations. Equity in Advanced Mobility Call to Action Symposium Detroit Future City and the Employment Equity Learning and Action Collaborative (EELAC) joined forces to host a symposium that promoted employment equity and economic opportunity in the advanced mobility sector for historically excluded communities across the southeast Michigan region. More than 120 participants — including thought leaders, government officials and senior executives — worked together to create strategies aimed at promoting greater equity and achieving better outcomes. The symposium featured a keynote speaker and panelists composed of industry leaders, advanced mobility workers, and entrepreneurs, giving participants the opportunity to network with key stakeholders in the advanced mobility sector. Noteworthy speakers from the event included: Keynote Speaker: Justine Johnson Chief Mobility Officer, Michigan Economic Development Corporation
2023-24 OUTCOMES 2024 Academic Year: September 2023-June 2024 Panelists: Clarinda Barnett-Harrison Director, Michigan Central Bertram L. Marks Chief Operations Officer, Technology Aerospace Program (TAP k12) Anne Pentiak State Administrative Manager, Industry Engagement Division of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity Cheryl Thompson Founder & CEO, Center for Automotive Diversity, Inclusion & Advancement (CADIA)
In the Community: Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Projects with Community Organizations Brightmoor Up from the Infant Out The Brightmoor Alliance in northwest Detroit contracted ENGAGE to design and evaluate an early education and community change program. This project, called Brightmoor Up From the Infant Out, seeks to shift the culture in the community towards a mutual aid mindset where community members work together to support children, promote family well-being and advocate for policies that meet the needs of families in the neighborhood. ENGAGE worked with the School’s marketing and communications team to produce an introductory video for the community, program-related educational materials and easy-to-use program management tools for agency staff. MSW students participated in the creation of the program design and evaluation, and gained practical experience using their social work skills as they worked alongside the Brightmoor team
2023-24 OUTCOMES 2024 Academic Year: September 2023-June 2024 Community Liaison to the University The ENGAGE team is a trusted and reliable partner for community-based organizations and activists seeking support from the school and university. ENGAGE is always creating new connections and collaborations between faculty and community that could potentially bear fruit in the future. “We had the privilege of working with the U-M School of Social Work during something called the Good Neighborhoods Initiative by the Skillman Foundation, and the thing about them is they cared about what we had to say, they listened and responded to what we had to say, and we came over time to trust them. That’s a huge deal in this neighborhood. Actually, I think it’s a huge deal everywhere. We trust them.” — Reverend Larry L. Simmons, Executive Director, Brightmoor Alliance Detroit Employment Equity Learning and Action Collaborative (EELAC) Designed and administered by ENGAGE, EELAC is a collective of 65+ organizations learning, performing, and working together toward employment equity for Detroiters. We convene on a monthly basis, bringing in speakers and presenters from all over the country and region to inform our collaborative on employment equity and economic opportunity. We intentionally connect workforce development efforts across the region and frequently work together with
2023-24 OUTCOMES 2024 Academic Year: September 2023-June 2024 national organizations such as the Population Change Institute, Aspen Institute, Brookings, National Skills Coalition and PolicyLink. Our local partners include Detroit Future City, the Detroit Regional Chamber, the Detroit Workforce Funders Collaborative, The Michigan Poverty Task Force and the city of Detroit. EELAC published a series of briefs this year that are a summation of focus groups conducted with Detroit workers and job seekers. Detroit workers and job seekers are the experts we all need to turn to as we work together to improve systems and create opportunities for all Detroiters to thrive. EELAC is partnering with Detroit Future City on an action-oriented symposium to be held at the beginning of 2024. This Symposium will bring in workforce providers, workers, policymakers and philanthropy to move forward the recommendations in the Focus Group Briefs and the DFC 2023 Growth Equity Report. EELAC also launched a pilot program to address economic and employment disparities in Detroit. A team of EELAC members including Henry Ford Health (HFH), the UM SSW, the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce, and Detroit at Work are contributing existing resources to ensure incumbent workers advance along a career pathway within the HFH system. Finally, EELAC is also currently working on mapping the ecosystem within the collaborative community to encourage interagency referrals between EELAC members. We are working with Data Driven Detroit to move this project forward. “Being a part of the EELAC table is a great way to stay plugged into what’s going on in workforce and economic mobility in Detroit’s community development scene and more. I can engage with organizations doing the work every day in Detroit; and a few funders and policymakers who are listening and providing real-time opportunities and informational exchanges.” — Karen Tyler-Ruiz, Executive Director, Center for Community Based Enterprise
2023-24 OUTCOMES 2024 Academic Year: September 2023-June 2024 Detroit Equitable Development Workgroup ENGAGE facilitates the Detroit Equitable Development Workgroup, a collaborative designed to leverage resources and foster just and equitable development in the city of Detroit. Focus areas include developing an equitable development scorecard for the city and examining the pros and cons of tax abatement programs in the communities. Partners include Economic Growth Institute (EGI), Doing Development Differently in Detroit, Building Community Value, Community Development Advocates of Detroit, ENGAGE Our workgroup believes that just and equitable development in the city of Detroit is where Black people (the majority of Detroit’s population) and all people are equitably represented • in the development process, • In their access to wealth creation and distribution, • In the benefits of land use, including both residential and commercial development. PROMOTING ENGAGEMENT ON CAMPUS ENGAGE and Student Learning and Teaching ENGAGE team members teach Social Work fundamentals courses, infusing community engagement best practices and engagement opportunities into their courses. • • • • • •
SW 759: Advanced Topics in Community Change - ENGAGE: Community SW 649: Practicing Policy with Current Events SW 509: Essentials of Community and Organizational Practice SW 590: Introduction to Social Work Practice SW 689: Social Work Capstone - Macro SW 769: Advanced Topics in Management & Leadership - Show Me the Money: Why Financial Capability Matters in Social Work
ENGAGE team members also provide field instruction both to students who are placed with ENGAGE as a field site and by serving as field instructors at community partner locations who otherwise do not have a licensed social worker on staff. This year we worked with Community Connections Grant Program, Community Development Advocates of Detroit, and Detroit Disability Power. Their field students engaged in innovative macro practice social work and were provided excellent exposure to community change, policy practice, and advocacy. ENGAGE works closely with the Office of Field Education and fosters connections between the School and the community-based organizations that are interested in becoming an official field placement site.
2023-24 OUTCOMES 2024 Academic Year: September 2023-June 2024 WE COLLABORATE WITHIN THE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK AND ACROSS THE UNIVERSITY The ENGAGE team is a public engagement resource, partner and facilitator for faculty, researchers, students and groups within the School. ENGAGE also develops, facilitates and participates in initiatives and conversations across U-M’s many colleges, units and campuses. Listed below are just a few examples: •
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Papa Was a Rolling Stone Project - We provided Professor Rich Tolman with guidance and referrals to the U-M Detroit Center as he planned a fatherhood-centered storytelling and performance project in Detroit. ENGAGE also provided funding and provided assistance at the event and encouraged student involvement. University of Michigan Center for Innovation in Detroit - The ENGAGE team is providing support and expertise in the development of this new facility, which will be a home for graduate education, talentbased community development and community engagement — all in the service of economic development and job growth for Detroit. Detroit Month of Design - As part of DesignCore’s Month of Design series of events, the ENGAGE team co-designed a workshop in collaboration with U-M units from three schools on campus: Business + Impact (B+I) at the Ross School of Business; the Community Enterprise Clinic at Michigan Law; and the Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project at the Ford School of Public Policy. This workshop introduced equitable models of business that empower employees and foster community development. School of Social Work DEI office - The ENGAGE team conducted a study to examine faculty and staff perspectives concerning equity and inclusion. The information was used as a resource by the DEI team to inform the DEI 2.0 planning process. SSW Strategic Planning - Two ENGAGE members were selected to sit on Dean Angel’s SSW strategic planning committee table, which will help strategic community engagement to be centered in the planning process. Post-MSW Fellowship Planning - We initiated a discussion with the Field Office, Daicia Price, Beth Sherman, Todd Herronkohl and his TIPPS team about a post-MSW fellowship in the area of IP/Mental Health case management. This conversation is continuing with the School of Nursing and the School at Marygrove and will likely start with a field internship that will hopefully bear fruit as a formal initiative.
2023-24 OUTCOMES 2024 Academic Year: September 2023-June 2024 ENGAGE Team Contributes to the Greater Good The ENGAGE team members are • active in the community, • practicing and strengthening the field of social work, and • sharing their expertise and modeling reciprocal and meaningful community engagement. A highlight of our team’s contributions to the greater good include: Fatima: NASW-MI President, National Council of Chapter Presidents Chairperson for NASW, Grow Michigan Together Council Higher Education Workgroup - uplifting and representing the Social Work profession. Ayesha: Ann Arbor City Council and Governor-appointed Chair of the Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission (MAPAAC) - modeling SW values in municipal government and state policy advocacy on behalf of marginalized populations. Sonia: Michigan League for Public Policy Board Vice-Chair - advancing policies that support all of Michigan’s families. Saria: Developing programs to support refugees in Lebanon, including an upcoming PhotoVoice project with Syrian refugee youth who do not have access to formal education. Trina: Serving on the University’s Detroit Advisory Council, and on the advisory board for the My Future Fund – Washtenaw County’s Universal Child Savings Account program.
2023-24 OUTCOMES 2024 Academic Year: September 2023-June 2024 Thank you! Thank you for joining us on this journey of civic and community engagement throughout the last year. We look forward to our continued work together! Trina Shanks Sonia Harb Fatima Salman Ayesha Ghazi Edwin Saria Bechara