NZ Engage 2025 Was a Smash

Thank you!

Hundreds of supporters packed the Neutral Zone on Saturday at NZ Engage and raised over $20,000 for programs! Deepest thanks to all of you who attended, listened, funded and celebrated our teens and their project ideas.  NZ teens are already getting their work started.  

A whopping $17,230 was given directly to teen project pitches on Saturday

Visual Arts: Refurbish Art Room    $1,590
Game On: Arcade Cabinet    $1,335
Youth Now Climate Action: Rain Garden Workshops    $1,040
Riot Youth: Identity Closet    $1,665
Songwriting: Group Album    $1,205
Little Jams: Music Equipment    $3,100
Royal Players: Musical    $1,090
Consent Matterz: Workshops & Toolkits    $930
Unbound: Poetry Publishing    $1,115
B-Side: Concert Venue    $1,355
Future Corps: Food Pantry    $1,680
Future Corps High School: College Visits    $1,125

These projects are just some of what youth at Neutral Zone are working on.  Throughout the year, we engage young people in leadership and the arts, with regular programs daily after school, special events and workshops and weekend concerts and exhibitions.  We also partner with schools and community organizations with programs impacting thousands of teens in our community.  

Thank you for supporting our youth!

NZ Teen Art Call

Help cover Neutral Zone’s van with teen art!

Submit digital versions of your art to this juried opportunity using the form below. Selected works will be printed on vinyl stickers and put on the van. Imagery should reflect Neutral Zone’s values and/or community in some way. Artwork from any area high-school age teen welcome.

Questions? Email trevor@neutral-zone.org

NZ Engage Project Update

At our NZ Engage event last November, teens pitched their project ideas of what they dreamed of doing this school year.  And our community listened to their ideas and funded them.  Here are some highlights from those projects this year.

Consent Matterz: Youth launched a zine (mini-magazine) about building consensual relationships in their lives and hosted a release party to share with others. They plan to use it in the new school year for peer-to-peer workshops.  

Regardless of your age or where you are it is important and you will always need to know about consent and respecting people and their boundaries. - Yona, Sophomore

An image from the Consent Matterz Zine

Food Pantry:  Youth redesigned the NZ food pantry, including painting a mural, purchasing and organizing new shelving and purchasing a fridge for fresh food. With this, the food pantry was able to expand their offerings to cool and frozen food as well as dry goods and toiletries. 

Riot Youth Pride Prom: Youth hosted a “Garden Party” themed Pride Prom. Over 40 high school students in attendance decorated flowers, danced, ate, and teens who were able to stay had a sleepover at the Neutral Zone.

Riot Youth teens also worked with the Ann Arbor city council to issue a proclamation supporting LGBTQ+ youth in honor of Pride Month.

Expanded NZ Food Pantry

Teens with Pride Proclamation

Pride Prom Decorations

Little Jams:  Youth who participate in music instruction and weekly jam sessions purchased a new bass amplifier and multiple instruments for their programming.  Esh, the teen who led this effort, shared how much he valued being able to plan, budget, and use the gear to grow the program extensively.   

Teens from Little Jams rock out at an NZ benefit at HOMES     

Musical Theater Revue Performer with the Author

NZ Podcast on Spotify

Musical Theater Revue:  NZ youth Alejandra was able to write, produce, and direct a play, organize their peers, and bring a performance together. Afterwards Alejandra shared,

I felt very empowered by the experience and gained insight into what it meant to be a leader. Helping others and myself achieve our dream helped me realize that it’s possible, and I can do it again.

NZ Podcast:  The N Zone podcast is now LIVE!  Youth leaders Nick and Aiden worked to conceptualize, write, record, and release three episodes:  N Zone’s Valentine’s Day Episode,  April Fooling Around and Poetry, Pride & Britt the Poet. You can check out the completed recordings on spotify, links are at neutral-zone.org 

Poetry Anthology: Unbound, the newly restarted poetry program, has had fantastic success this year. Young poets gathered to write, share and perform their work, including a showcase of poetry and music hosted at NorthStar Lounge.  NZ youth worked with youth from 826 Michigan  to create a poetry zine.  Digital and printed copies of our zine will be available soon.         

(Above) Teen Poets and Musicians Perform at Northstar Lounge

Visual Arts Council:  NZ supported youth to host workshops with youth at Perry Elementary School-, attend a gallery hop in Detroit, and put on a show, Aquarium at the Ann Arbor Center gallery space.  

Teens Creating Luminaries

Art on Parade

Launching an Art Show at the Ann Arbor Art Center

Youth Now Climate Action: Youth participated in workshops to learn about sustainable farming practices, including hydroponic and aquaponic farming and urban gardening at Growing Hope. They developed a hydroponic workshop for their peers and featured it as part of Ann Arbor's a2Zero Week.          

Teens Propagating Seeds at NZ

Visiting Growing Hope

Thanks to our community, teen leaders gained a new level of agency as they conceived, visualized and carried out their own projects this year.  Many of these youth are now stepping into advanced leadership roles in the coming year, including positions on our Board of Directors, as facilitators of our Lead Team, and as leaders of regional youth-led projects.  And most importantly, they have experienced the power of their leadership in our community.    

Want to help fund the next round of projects? Please join us again next year for Engage 2025 on November 8th! 

Stream The N Zone Podcast

The N Zone podcast is now LIVE! This year, teens at the Neutral Zone launched the N Zone a new podcast for youth voice. Youth leaders Nick and Aiden Runchey worked to conceptualize, write, record, and release podcasts for three episodes -  N Zone’s Valentine’s Day Episode,  April Fooling Around and Poetry, Pride & Britt the Poet

You can check out the completed recordings - click to listen on spotify

Ann Arbor Pride Month Proclamation

Thank you, City of Ann Arbor for recognizing Neutral Zone for its LGBTQ+ community as we enter Pride Month. NZ Youth leaders Juniper Rooze and Aiden Runchey accepted the award and spoke about the upcoming NZ Rainbow Resistance Project.

Special thanks to Councilman Radina, LGBTQ Liaison Naomi Goldberg, and Mayor Taylor for this powerful proclamation. We love the part of NZ making it possible for LGBTQ+ youth to embrace their power to advance social justice and support one another, finding strength, creativity, and resilience to live as who they are.

Read the full text of the proclamation below the pictures.

Neutral Zone teen leaders Juniper Rooze and Aiden Runchey accept the proclamation from Mayor Chris Taylor

Left to right: Neutral Zone Program Director Hananiah Wiggins, NZ Teen Leader Juniper Rooze, Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor, NZ Teen Board Member Aiden Runchey

NZ Teen Leaders Juniper Rooze and Aiden Runchey hold up the proclamation in front of the Ann Arbor City Council Building

An official printed copy of the proclamation

Proclamation text version:

PROCLAMATION
June 2025 LGBTQ+ Pride Month in Ann Arbor

WHEREAS, each June, LGBTQ+ people and their friends and family recognize the journey toward liberation and those who have fought for equality, including the queer and transgender people of color who took to the streets in New York City at the Stonewall Inn and in cities around the country; and

WHEREAS, the City of Ann Arbor holds a historic place in the history of the LGBTQ+ movement for equality and continues to lead within the State of Michigan in working to advance equality and safety for LGBTQ+ people; and

WHEREAS, anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and policies are advancing rapidly across the country, with 27 states prohibiting transgender youth from participating in school sports consistent with their gender identity, 27 states restricting access to medical care for transgender youth, and 19 states censoring LGBTQ+ content in schools; and

WHEREAS, coordinated efforts are underway to erase transgender people, including youth, from public life and make it impossible for them to obtain accurate identity documents, to receive health care, to serve our country in the military, and to participate fully in life; and

WHEREAS, we recognize transformative, youth-led work that The Neutral Zone makes possible, including where LGBTQ+ youth in our community can embrace their power to advance social justice and support one another, finding strength, creativity, and resilience to live as who they are.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Christopher Taylor, Mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan, do hereby proclaim June 2025 as Pride Month and affirm our City’s commitment to working against discrimination and violence against LGBTQ+ people and ensuring that all LGBTQ+ people, including transgender and LGBTQ+ youth, in the Ann Arbor community have dignity, equality, and justice.

I hereby set my hand and seal this 1st day of June 2025

(signed)

Christopher Taylor
Mayor of the City of Ann Arbor

Washtenaw County Young Citizens of the Year have Neutral Zone Ties

From left, Hasini Anand, Zara Mian, Jaylah Cotton, Chava Baum Ferisse and Emily Hu pose at Hunt Park in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.Photo Credit Jacob Hamilton, MLive.com

While it comes as no surprise, we are delighted that several teens involved at Neutral Zone have been recognized for their community leadership as Washtenaw County Young Citizens of the Year.  The honorees are chosen for their service and dedication by the annual award given through the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation.

Chava Baum Ferris serves as co-president of the Neutral Zone board of directors and has served on the Washtenaw County Youth Commission as well as taken a variety of leadership roles since their first involvement at Neutral Zone nearly four years ago.  

Hasini Anand is part of several NZ programs including taking a lead role in the Youth Driven Spaces conference, as well as contributing to several area nonprofit organizations.

Jayla Cotton and Zara Mian were both contributors to Neutral Zone’s Youth Driven Spaces conference, where they presented on projects related to food insecurity and voting rights, respectively.  

Click below to read the feature article on Mlive, subscription may be required.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2025/05/these-2025-young-citizens-of-the-year-want-to-make-change-in-washtenaw-county.html

NZ Alumni Profile: Ryan Shea

Ryan Shea, center, red striped shirt, poses with youth poets and musicians who performed at Northstar Lounge in February

Ryan Shea was a high school freshman at Community High School, when he walked over to The Neutral Zone after school with a friend who was doing graphic design and screen printing that afternoon. He ended up joining a discussion with the members of Youth Owned Records. “(I joined) that group, the team for Breakin' Curfew, the Teen Advisory Council and the board of directors, as well as booking for the B-side, and helping to establish The Orpheum recording studio.” Ryan’s enthusiasm for music and events was tangible, even to Executive Director, Lori Roddy.

“I saw him pacing excitedly, he said he was having the best day ever because he had just signed with Youth Owned Records”, Roddy recalls, smiling.

Indeed, Ryan Shea would continue on to not only make an impact on Neutral Zone, but on the larger Ann Arbor community of musicians and performers.

Regarding his experience at Neutral Zone, Ryan asserts:

“It was a rare opportunity to have the expertise provided by the engaged staff, the permission to pursue the wackier ideas we had, and the resources to execute those ideas at a professional level. I learned so much at the Neutral Zone about leadership and communication, as well as professional-level technical skills in the behind-the-scenes aspects of the music industry.”

Ryan as a teen peforming with fellow alum and bandmate Jake Cinti

Under the tutelage of Ingrid Racine, the music coordinator at the time, Ryan was able to learn, not only the fundamentals of music performance, but the integration of creativity, and thinking outside the box. Support from staff who also maintained music careers was a huge factor in Ryan’s music industry experience at Neutral Zone. 

Years later, Ryan has alchemized the ideas and techniques he learned at Neutral Zone, and subsequently the University of Michigan, working at North Star Lounge as the Stage Manager.

“(It's a) small venue in downtown Ann Arbor. I am responsible for booking 6-8 acts per week, maintaining the sound system and running it for many of the acts, and helping with promotion, along with other things. The parallels between my roles at the B-side and North Star Lounge are fairly obvious, but I also lean on many of the connections that I made at the Neutral Zone as I evaluate which acts would do well in the space. My generation of Neutral Zone alumni has grown into a group that is well connected in local arts, events, and nonprofit scenes.”

Ryan was able to not only find purpose in his career, but was also deeply connected to the community and his peers after their days at Neutral Zone were done. 

When asked what advice he’d give to teens at Neutral Zone, Ryan offers:

“Find your community! No matter what form of art you are creating, it will be more fulfilling, enjoyable, fruitful, and interesting if you are able to exchange ideas with people that are excited for your growth as well as their own. From the early break dancing parties in the Bronx, to the experimental visual and sonic art scene in San Francisco, There are so many well documented examples across history of these pockets of artistic explosion caused by the sharing of ideas between young, creative people. Making art for the public is fine, making art for yourself is cool also, but much of the most rewarding and lasting art seems to be made keeping up with your talented friends”. 

Ryan has more than just advice for current Neutral Zone teens. On Feb 19th North Star Lounge and Neutral Zone collaborated on a teen community night, with poetry and acoustic sets from seven teens that frequent the space. With the opportunity to perform for the local community teens were encouraged and felt supportive - expressing their big feels and gratitude days and days later.

"A Bright Place for Our Brilliant Young People"

Thank you to Hilary Nichols from the Crazy Wisdom Journal for publishing a feature article about Neutral Zone for their recent issue.  

Nichols interviewed staff, teens and alumni for the piece, including NZ alum Sterling Field:

Image from Crazy Wisdom Journal

“I wouldn’t be who I am without the zone,” stated Sterling Field, now a Senior Research Specialist at Michigan State. “The experiences I had there have been invaluable, and they are still with me. It is fun there for teens, but they don’t realize that they are building the skills that they will fall back on to build our careers, impact our communities, and make the world a better place.”

Click to read the feature on Crazy Wisdom Journal's website

Support youth voice at NZ

Dear Friends of Neutral Zone,

You’ve already done so much.

We are so grateful that our donors, volunteers and advocates launched the monumental endeavor of the Neutral Zone. Because of you, our community of people who have stood behind us for many years, we have the opportunity to show up for our youth today and in the days ahead.

I don’t need to say our teens need us now more than ever, because you already know this to be true. What I want to talk about now is our commitment to them. Last year, we finalized our new mission statement to better serve our youth:

Our Mission

Neutral Zone is a transformative, youth-driven community where youth embrace their power, ignite their creativity, and launch their future to build equity, justice, and collective liberation.

This mission is our commitment to our youth. No matter what is going on in the world, youth will find within our doors a community who provides -

NZ teens at LEAD team, a leadership workshop series

• A space that is their own where they come together to find welcoming, acceptance and belonging;

• Artistic programming to express their feelings and cultivate a culture that reflects their values;

• Supportive transition programs creating pathways into college and career opportunities;

• Leadership experiences where they embrace their power to impact all of our futures. And, we will continue to celebrate our young people. We will listen, laugh, and share joy to reinforce that we are a powerful community.

Thank you immensely for all of your past support. I hope you will make a donation today - large or small - to protect this space that our youth so want and need.

Warm wishes to you and your loved ones,

Lori Roddy, MSW
Executive Director

Group photo after an alumni reflection on October 7th

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Calling All ALUMNI

Alumni donations mean so much to us. Make a gift to benefit today’s teens and let us know what you’re up to. We would love to hear from you!

NZ Launches New Mission Statement

Dear Friends,

Young people's experience in 2024 looks significantly different than in 2006 when our last mission statement was created. And it is even more different now than in 1998 when NZ was first founded. Today, youth seek a space where they can authentically show up as themselves. They need creative opportunities to be innovative. They need to know that they have a community that affirms their power. And, they need support and resources to navigate the structures and systems that too often serve as barriers. This work is transformational on many levels - for our youth, for our center, and for our community.

NZ teens, staff and teen board members

With the support of a consulting firm, Emergence Collective, the Neutral Zone convened its teens, staff, and board of directors for a day-long retreat in January of 2023 to reflect on our values, embrace our story, and identify key words to understand who we are today. With this reflection, we sought to identify our why for today.

A task force group convened over several months to reflect on the notes from the retreat to propose a mission statement. And finally, after several rounds of conversations with teens, staff, and our board, the NZ had created a new mission reflective of who we are today.

Jayla Fields, Skyline Senior and member of the Neutral Zone Board of Directors, took a lead role in the writing of the new mission. Jayla reflected on the experience:

NZ board member Jayla Fields

“The process was interesting. We looked at the old mission statement for reference and we took the most important parts. Then we wanted to incorporate the Neutral Zone’s main goals for teens and the main takeaways we wanted people to have when they left the building.

“It’s not just talking about how we can do creative things here, but outside the space. You’re allowed to be yourself and figure out yourself and I think that's important - it really is like a neutral zone. It allows people to be themselves and to figure out their interests and individuality.

“Not only does Neutral Zone help you to uncover your passions, it gives you resources to pursue them. It provides teens with the opportunity to walk away from the space and enter adulthood independently, with new-found knowledge of themselves, discovered at Neutral Zone.”

-Jayla Fields

Our mission is the compass that guides us to know who we are and that we rely on to guide our decisions that impact our culture, our programming, and the experience that youth have in NZ. This mission challenges us to ensure that we continue to partner with our youth to build community through equity and justice.

New Mission Statement 2024

Neutral Zone is a transformative, youth-driven community where youth
embrace their power, ignite their creativity, and launch their future
to build equity, justice, and collective liberation.

Neutral Zone board members and staff with a poster of the new mission statement

NZ board members and staff working together during a leadership activity

Second Mission Statement 2006:

The Neutral Zone is a diverse, youth-driven teen center dedicated to promoting personal growth through artistic expression, community leadership and the exchange of ideas.

Original Mission Statement 1998:

The Neutral Zone is a youth-oriented, youth-advised place which offers a fun, entertaining, safe environment for teenagers to meet with friends and meet new people, learn new things and satisfy their need for a home away from home; a place to call their own during high risk hours.

The Neutral Zone relies on donations from community for the funds to make these programs possible. Click the link below to make a gift today. Your support provides everything from the leadership experience for the teens serving on our board of directors to snacks and a safe space to unwind after school.

Neutral Zone Hosts Restorative Practices Professional Learning Series

Neutral Zone's Youth Driven Spaces introduces an exciting new webinar-based professional learning series focused on Restorative Practices.  Seminars are led by professionals in the field who are transforming education through school- and district-wide restorative practices implementation.  

The learning series will focus on applied strategies and case studies for implementing reforms with Restorative Practices. Check out our spring series.

Neutral Zone Receives Lewis Prize for Music Award of $500K

Thank you, Lewis Prize! We are overjoyed and deeply grateful to share this amazing news. Neutral Zone is a 2024 recipient of The Lewis Prize for Music’s $500K Accelerator Awards! Over $3 million will go to 11 Creative Youth Development organizations across the country. Our deepest thanks to all of the NZ staff, teens, alumni and community members who helped by participating in the application process.

We are excited to have more resources to connect youth with more community artists, host youth-driven creative projects, and build more partnerships for greater accessibility and community connections. These funds provide a sustained commitment to do the work that we know has an impact on youth in our community.

The funding also will go toward expanding Future Corps, which supports youth aged 14-24 by providing creative youth spaces and critical support in employment and education. Further, the funds will serve to build Neutral Zone’s capacity to grow our training, coaching, and consulting work to support and encourage local schools and youth-serving organizations to be more youth-driven.

We are tremendously grateful for the award and for all of the support our community has shown for NZ's mission for the past 25 years. We truly would not be here without all of the donors, staff, volunteers, leaders and advocates who have invested in and stood behind our community's youth.

About the Lewis Prize

The Lewis Prize for Music, a philanthropic music arts organization advancing systems change through Creative Youth Development, has announced its 2024 Awards distributing over $3 million. 11 Creative Youth Development (CYD) organizations nationwide have been selected for awards ranging from $150,000 to $500,000. 15 Semifinalists are receiving grants of $15,000 in recognition of their impact.

Since launching the first Accelerator Awards in 2020, The Lewis Prize has fulfilled its 5-year commitment of $20 million invested in CYD through awards, grants, and research. The foundation is excited to deepen philanthropic activity by forming new partnerships and collaborations that will advance the CYD field. Their recent partnership with Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies has increased distributed funds in the 2024 Awards!

The Lewis Prize is using its knowledge and experience to expand advocacy and support of young people in communities across the country.

Learn more about the 2024 Awardees: www.thelewisprize.org

NZ in the News

Click below to read feature articles from Ann Arbor News and Concentrate Media

Ann Arbor News MLive.com article posted January 9, 2024

Concentrate Secondwavemedia.com article posted January 20, 2024

NZ Launches Video for 25th Anniversary Celebration

Enormous thanks to filmmaker Toko Shiiki along with Donald Harrison who created this 12-minute film to commemorate Neutral Zone on our 25th Anniversary. Take a peek for a look into Neutral Zone programs, events, alumni and our leadership over the years.

Click here to make a 25th Anniversary donation!

Alumni - click here to share your alumni story with us

Support 25 years of youth voice

Dear Friends,

The Neutral Zone is celebrating 25 years!

It has been 25 years of creating a vision, finding a home, building our skills, developing structures, and facilitating program opportunities for thousands of youth in our community to thrive.

We know it has been worth it. As we walk through the building, we see youth in a space they call their own. They share their ideas–and realize them. Through projects, initiatives, and community work, we build meaningful experiences to support youth to lead their communities with equity and justice.

On October 7th, we hosted our 25th Anniversary Street Party featuring a stellar lineup of teens and alumni musicians and performers, interactive murals and art projects, live silk-screening, and most importantly alumni returning to NZ. It was a special moment for us to pause, connect, and recognize the valuable contributions of all of us who have worked so hard over the years as volunteers, staff, board, and community.

We asked our alumni why NZ has mattered to them. Here are a few of their comments:

I started working at a Neutral Zone when I was a sophomore in high school up until I was 23 years old. Everyone I worked with gave me so much knowledge for growing up that I’m still using to this day.

Sonya Robbins, NZ ‘02

I felt seen at the Neutral Zone, I could be myself. It was a safe place to get away from the pressures of school or home and provided an outlet for whatever emotions I was feeling.

Adam Cross, NZ ‘05

I just read that question and started tearing up. I'm a better writer, better community member, better leader and collaborator and human for my time there.

Harper Jocques, NZ ‘08

I think of community. The Neutral Zone gave me a space to be myself when I couldn't be who I wanted to be at school or home. I spent much of my time exploring myself, my identity, and my path in life.

Aidan McClogan, NZ ‘13

NZ is where I found my voice as an artist, community member, and citizen; met some of my closest friends, and often felt most alive as a young person.

Issac Scobey-Thal, NZ ‘16

Our letter today is full of gratitude to you. We shine a light on all of you who have believed in us, supported us, and continued offering endless encouragement. We hope you will continue to invest in young people by making a gift again this year.

Thank you for allowing us to continue showing up, supporting, and honoring our young people daily.

Thank you for 25 years of trusting us,

Lori Roddy, MSW
Executive Director

Group photo after an alumni reflection on October 7th

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ALUMNI & FAMILY DONATION MATCH

Don't forget - we have received an alumni challenge match of an amazing $25,000 from donors Ashley and Jon Oberheide.  This means that all donations made by alumni teens and alumni families through the end of the year will be DOUBLED.  Use the link below or the link in the RSVP form to make your alumni gift today!

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TELL US YOUR ALUMNI STORY

Click to let us know what you're up to and share memories of NZ.  We would love to hear from you and have the chance to feature your experience of NZ!

Alumni (& Family) Donations MATCHED through the end of the year!

Did you use to hang out at Neutral Zone when you were a teen? Or did someone in your family? Your donation from now until the end of the year will be matched, doubling the impact you can make for teens! Just use the link below or send us a note along with your favorite method of giving and we’ll make sure to double your donation. Thank you!!

Detroit Creative Na Bonsai Brings Heart and Beats to Neutral Zone and Educate Youth

Na Bonsai at Educate Youth

Neutral Zone's "Beats!" Project brings fresh energy that has teens feeling accomplished. Na Bonsai's strategy of leading with example and enthusiasm has teens lining up to take their turn at the Maschine drum pad, and 404 Sampler. With encouragement, teens have been bringing their own culture to reimagine into new tunes. Samples that range from Motown hits to Willie Colon's iconic Salsa horns can be heard drifting out of the studio on Monday afternoons, and evenings at Educate Youth in Ypsilanti.

Na Bonsai is a multidisciplinary artist based in Detroit, MI. Their main mediums of work are in music (songwriting, production, multi-instrumentalist, and arrangement), as well as visual artistry (printmaking, collage-work). Na’s work centers and depicts their experience as a Queer, Black Womanist. Through art they focus on our connections to each other in a technological age, among other things.

"Na's ability to make music a heartfelt and joyful experience is contagious - it inspires teens to lead with that same element. I believe that's the most important part." Says Danielle Yarmoluk, NZ's Artist in Residence Curator. Students from Neutral Zone and Educate Youth are working towards creating their own songs for Na's culminating project this Spring. The journey to that end has so far been full of smiles, head-nodding, and courage to try new ways of honoring culture and identity.

Na Bonsai

Neutral Zone's Men of Color Barber Shop Centers the Culture of Black Hair

R. Reed provides haircuts for D. Bigham, and young men of color at Neutral Zone

Thanks to Generator Z, a project of the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, we have been given the opportunity to host a series of special events for our Young Men of Color at the Neutral Zone: The Barber Shop.

Our guest barber is Romney Reed, an Ann Arbor native and former student at Huron High. He is an audio engineer in addition to his barbering expertise and small business “The Taper Truck” (a mobile barber service). Romney’s experience as a young man of color in Ann Arbor gives him a special insight into what the young men of this generation experience. He promotes discussion among the Gen X/Millennial Black Ann Arbor alumni, always sharing information, and positive insight to his large cohort of Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti followers on social media. The ability to inspire meaningful conversations among Black men makes Romney a dynamic collaborator with our Men of Color group.

Our Educational Coordinator Daniel Bigham curates these events and stresses the importance of retreat from “the white gaze”, or the feeling of being watched from a lens of otherness. The default perspective of white culture, whether subtle or obvious, creates a deep-rooted urge for some people of color to be constantly aware of, and adjust to being watched and judged.

Black hair has been a means of discrimination in educational settings and workplaces. Federal laws like “The CROWN Act” have been passed recently to protect people of color, and challenge the oppressive concepts of refined or professional appearance. Bigham seeks to connect teens of color to each other and reinforce cultural pride in the non-conformity of Black hair.

Aesthetics have long been a vehicle for creativity, and expression of identity for Black people. The varied texture, curl, and kink of Black hair, and the distinct effort and process of maintaining it, is a source of pride. Black hair care is an opportunity to establish individual style, make a statement, participate in current trends, and reimagine retro trends. From the blown-out afros of the 70’s to the high-top fades of the 90’s; from tapered lineups to intricate part designs, Black Barber Shops have been the catalyst for many hair revolutions and innovative hairstyles. The ritualistic process of grooming is equally as important as having a place to retreat and speak candidly about life, love, and the Black experience. We hope to provide both, so that our teens of color leave the chair feeling improved, renewed, and confident.

Thus far, our Barber Shop events have been full of laughs, food, conversation, and even jam sessions. We look forward to the next one!

-Danielle Yarmoluk

Register for the 2023 Youth Driven Spaces Conference

This year marks the sixth annual Youth Driven Space (YDS) Conference, which aims to connect youth-driven organizations from across Southeast Michigan and to provide a space for growth and learning. The YDS conference is a day full of community building, presentations, workshops, and project proposals.

The 2023 YDS Conference will take place on April 15, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m, at Eastern Michigan University’s McKenny Hall. Our theme this year is Transitioning into Adulthood. The conference will include workshops that prepare teens for the future, especially topics that aren’t taught in high school such as professional skills and how to be financially independent. Additionally, we will be giving out $5,000 to fund youth driven projects.

We would love for your organization to participate! Register by March 31st.

Seeking youth-led workshop proposals!

Topics may include: Important skills for success that are not taught in school, How to be financially independent, Planning for the future, Professional skills, Navigating healthcare, financial aid, transportation, and other tricky systems. Apply by March 3rd

Seeking youth-driven project ideas in need of funding!

We will be giving out a total of $5,000 to a few selected groups who apply to pitch a youth driven project. Project pitches do not need to be connected to the conference theme. Submit a youth driven project idea by March 3rd

New Artists-in-Residence Launch in February

We’re excited to announce the launch of two new projects through our Artist-in-Residency initiative. Starting the first week of February, these projects will meet weekly on Mondays and Wednesdays at 4:30 PM at Neutral Zone, and Beat Making will also meet Mondays at 6:30 at Educate Youth in Ypsi. Like all of our programs, these are free and open to any high-school-age teen.

Beat Making with Na Bonsai

Mondays
4:30 - 6 PM at Neutral Zone
6:30 - 8 PM at Educate Youth, Ypsi

Detroit-based sound worker Na Bonsai is a multi-dimensional force, and they move from the mantra of "creativity as spirituality" and "imagination as a radical practice". We’ll discuss how beats can be accessible to ANYONE. When we start from looking backwards, and listen to rhythms with guidance, we can transform the experience of sound into the creation of fresh new sounds. Oof, y'all not ready -- but get ready!  Two locations options are available for this program, Mondays from 4:30 to 6 we’ll meet at Neutral Zone in downtown Ann Arbor, and from 6:30 - 8 we are meeting at Educate Youth in Ypsilanti.

Art Studio with Merel Noorlander

Wednesdays 4:30 - 6 pm at Neutral Zone

Detroit-based artist Merel Noorlander is a multi-disciplinary artist who will focus on projections, animation design, screen-printing, and imaginative storytelling with reflective materials, and the world around us. Every Wednesday at 4:30pm starting Feb 8th. No experience necessary, materials provided!

Black History Month Events

Join us for events celebrating black history and culture all month long at Neutral Zone! See the event listings in our calendar for details on each event:

Friday, Feb 3rd - Blank Panther Movie Night

Weds, Feb 8th - Black Author Event

Tuesday, Feb 21st - Black History Month Celebration Open Mic and Art Shocase

Thurs, Feb 23rd - Barbershop