Explore Environmental Justice with CCSW! 

The Coalition of Community Social Workers (CCSW), in partnership with Graft Living Studios, invites you to attend our event, “Interdisciplinary Approach to Community Change,” on Saturday, April 8th, 2023, from 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm. Space will be limited to the first twenty participants who register with the link provided. This event will provide attendees the opportunity to learn more about and volunteer with an organization taking interdisciplinary and multi-faceted approaches to place-based development in Detroit, and we will discuss how social work can contribute to a diverse array of community development efforts, especially those that promote the values of environmental justice. 

Graft Living Studios (GLS) is located in Springwells Village, a neighborhood in Southwest Detroit, and they have many different environmentally conscious programs and projects aimed at addressing the needs of residents. During the event, we will learn more about GLS’s work to promote sustainable living in Detroit through their creation of a Micro-Ecosystem, which houses their adobe-style greenhouse, community compost facility, urban food forest, and solar oven. Additionally, we will talk about GLS’s programs, which include musical and artistic events for local artists, a STEAM + Environmentalism Curriculum, and an eco-development project titled Unity House, which aims to create a green-engineered housing and community gathering model. 

Following a tour of their site, attendees will have the opportunity to do hands-on volunteering in GLS’s food forest (the volunteering activity may be subject to change depending on the weather), and we will have a discussion about social work’s role in interdisciplinary approaches to change. We will provide attendees with food and refreshments. If you are interested in attending, please include in the RSVP any dietary restrictions you may have, and we will do our best to accommodate. 

Space is limited for the first twenty individuals to RSVP. If you have any questions, please contact either of CCSW’s Co-Presidents: Casey Lee (gl0773@wayne.edu) or Tamara McQueen (hi3892@wayne.edu)