Detroit organization dedicated to helping youth heal celebrates grand opening
(CBS DETROIT) – A Metro Detroit organization committed to helping Detroit's youth heal is celebrating the grand opening of its Healing Hub on Detroit's east side.
"If we're all [traumatized] and broken, then that means the world is going to be filled with broken people, and we don't want that," Amye Head said.
Head, a student at Renaissance High School, prioritizes working with her peers at Detroit Heals Detroit. The organization's belief is when young people heal, the community heals too.
"This is a space that young people decide for themselves what healing looks like for them; it's not decided by adults," said Sirrita Darby, executive director at Detroit Heals Detroit. "They can heal daily here. If you need just a safe space to just take a break from your reality, you can come here and build community with us."
Darby says the group was created by Detroit youth for Detroit youth, ages 12 to 21, five years ago. Initially, they gathered in borrowed spaces, but after a few years of fundraising, they finally have a neighborhood Healing Hub of their own.
"This is a community-funded space. We have an open-door policy," Darby said. "The youth is the biggest demographic in this neighborhood, but it's also the highest crime rates as well which kind of translates to the highest trauma rates."
Trauma is something the National Institute of Health reports 62% of teens ages 13 to 17 have experienced at least once. That's why Darby hopes for Detroit youth, the hub feels like home and respite from the harsh realities of our world.
