Inclusion by Design: Creative Agency & Youth Art as Civic Power

Inclusion by Design 2026: Creative Agency & Youth Art as Civic Power is a free community event hosted by the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan (CFSEM), celebrating Detroit's young creatives as active civic leaders.

The program features a panel discussion moderated by Leah Counts, director of CFESEM, and includes DeLashea Strawder (Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit), Megan Shuchman (826michigan), and Siyeh Frazer (Skillman Foundation). The panelists will share their insights on how art and design serve as tools for youth agency, civic engagement and community transformation in Detroit. Guests will also experience a youth art showcase featuring original work by Detroit students, live artistic performance, DJ, light bites, and a social hour.

The event reflects the Community Foundation's commitment to two core focus areas, Youth & Education and Arts & Culture, and centers a powerful belief that when young people are given the space and support to create, they make art and build community. It brings together leading voices in Detroit's arts, nonprofit, education, and philanthropic communities to explore how young people are using creative practice to tell their stories, advocate for change and shape the future of our community.

Come connect with fellow design enthusiasts, artists, educators and community members for a night dedicated to celebrating Detroit's next generation of creative leaders.

This event is free and open to the community. Don't miss your chance to be part of this inspiring conversation - and to witness firsthand the civic power of Detroit's young artists.

UN SUSTAINABILITY GOALS

We use Detroit's UNESCO City of Design designation as a call to action for Detroiters to embrace the Sustainable Development Goals in their own communities, contributing to the active effort of solving global interconnected issues.