2025 Community Forum Recap
“Climate Justice and Tree Equity”, “Sustainable World Conflict Resolution”, “A Place in Time – From Glaciers to an Outdoor Kindergarten” – these are just a few of the 50 youth-led presentation titles from this year’s SEMIS Coalition Annual Community Forum. On May 19th, we had the immeasurable joy of gathering with over 200 young people from across Southeast Michigan who had prepared presentations for their peers, teachers, and over 100 community members on their place-based learning and action projects from the past year. This year’s youth presenters ranged in age from 6 to 18, came from 13 different schools across our region, and brought many different reasons for why they have channeled their learning and passion this year into getting to know and caring for their communities.
Students from Ypsilanti Community High School participate in the ‘Watershed Wave’, demonstrating how water moves through watersheds in our region and connects us all. (Photo Credit: Leisa Thompson)
We started our day, however, by exploring what we had in common – namely the ways that we are all connected through water and how, even though our schools are located in 7 different cities from Detroit to Dexter, we all share a home in the Lake Erie watershed. We also recognized the importance of the long term impact of the work each class and each teacher does by awarding two Legacy Awards to educators who are leaving or have currently left their roles with SEMIS Coalition schools, but whose legacy of advancing place-based and ecojustice education in our region will continue to impact young people and our communities for generations to come.
Jessica Krueger-Koupal (left) and Katie See (far right) receive the SEMIS Coalition Legacy Award at the 2025 Community Forum (Photo Credit: Leisa Thompson)
After our opening session ended, it was on to the main event of the day – student presentations! This year, instead of having dedicated poster sessions, every student team formally presented their work to an audience in either a ‘Spark’ Session, which included three 6-minute student presentations, or ‘Blaze’ Sessions, which included one 20-minute student presentation. Both Spark and Blaze sessions included time for audience Q&A and a facilitated conversation that encouraged young people and community partners to reflect on points of connection between the work they’re doing in their different communities.
From left to right, high school students from Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men present on using drone and GIS technology to map heat islands on their school campus, first graders from Ford STEAM Early Learning Center present on their project exploring composting at a local community garden and on their school campus, and students from Hamtramck High School and other Community Forum attendees review photos and data from a resilience survey the students conducted in their community. (Photo Credit: Leisa Thompson)
Student project presentations covered many different topics from gentrification, to outdoor learning, to community storytelling, rain gardens, food waste, sustainable home design and more. They also included many different formats, such as teaching and playing an ecosystem web game, demonstrating traditional practices for processing manoomin at an interactive “rice camp”, or inviting participants to create their own bee hotels, seed bombs, or other take home activity (I myself have over 10 tomato seedlings at home growing happily in a self-watering container thanks to the help of some very patient 3rd graders from Holmes STEAM Elementary!) As audience members, students asked thoughtful questions of each other and community partners helped make additional connections to resources or how these projects could potentially benefit additional communities.
Students, teachers, and community partners enjoy some time to eat and reconnect during the Community Forum. (Photo Credit: Leisa Thompson)
When presentations wrapped up, we all got to relax and enjoy a delicious lunch together, supported by the amazing event and catering teams at Eastern Michigan University’s Student Center. Lunch also provided some space for students, teachers, and the SEMIS Coalition staff to catch up with old friends and connect with new ones!
Young people and adults reflect on the challenges and unique opportunities for young people to create change in our communities today. (Photo Credit: Leisa Thompson)
Before we wrapped up the day, all 350 Community Forum attendees participated in a final “River of Unity” activity that encouraged intergenerational dialogue about what it means to care for our communities and each other right now. Ideas were shared on posters that moved around the room and eventually presented back to the full group by both young people and adults.
We eventually said our goodbyes and students boarded buses back to their schools, but this year, that’s not where the celebration ends. For the first time, we have also gathered student presentations from nearly all of the presenting schools and will be hosting them all year on the SEMIS Coalition Virtual Gallery for anyone across our community (and beyond!) to see and learn from! We encourage you to check out the many incredible questions, learning, and action projects posed by young people across our region – and to share your thoughts with them in the comments!
We want to share another heartfelt thank you to the young people, teachers, administrators, parents, community partners, individual event donors, and our event sponsors Ann Arbor SPARK, Toyota Driving Possibilities, the Bosch Community Fund, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Engage @EMU for the persistence, love, and deep generosity that make this event possible.
Until next year!
