The Detroit Community-Based Research Program (DCBRP) is a summer internship program run through the University of Michigan Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program. The DCBRP matches students with community-based organizations in Detroit and offers them full-time research positions for ten weeks. Students conduct research projects initiated and identified by the organizations, addressing issues such as social and environmental justice, food security, human rights, urban development, public health, youth development, and sustainability. During the program students live together at Wayne State University in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood, attend weekly seminars taught by community partners about current topics affecting Detroit and the region, blog about their experience living and working in Detroit, and lead weekly group meetings to build a greater sense of community among program participants. Each year the program conducts exit interviews with students, and in summer 2015, 100 percent of respondents reported having a positive experience. The effectiveness of the DCBRP can be attributed to several factors, including the fact that students and community organizations benefit equally from the program, community partners are left with a tangible product at the end of the program, students live in the city where they are conducting research, and students take part who would otherwise not be able to participate in community work or summer programs due to financial restraints, contributing to a more diverse range of participants and a richer overall experience for all involved.
