community collaboration

The father/son-led nonprofit, Odindi Youth Action Village (OYA), has been actively working in and alongside the West Willow neighborhood community since 2022. And as their numerous successful initiatives and programs continue to evolve and grow, the support from the community members and local partners grows as well. Concentrate Media's Rylee Barnsdale speaks with OYA co-founder Akin Oluwadare about his and his father's organization and their unwavering commitment to the community that they serve for this week's "On the Ground Ypsi."

Many area residents don't know that the tangle of shrubs, saplings, and wildflowers on the south side of Prospect Park in Ypsilanti once was the location of a showcase, crescent-shaped pond called Luna Lake. Decades later, it was home to a native plant garden. The garden suffered neglect, especially during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, but area residents and neighborhood association leaders are hoping a public workday in October will provide needed rehabilitation. Rylee Barnsdale discussed the event and its goals with organizer, Rachel Blistein.

Founded on the principles--both simple and often overlooked--that concerts should be radically welcoming, accessible, and inclusive, a "Third Place Music…

On this edition of "On The Ground Ypsi," Lisa Barry and Sarah Rigg talk with Jerard Delaney, aviation program coordinator for Eastern Michigan University,…