Mayor Dave Bing, The man with thousands of developers, politicians and community activists pulling his coat sat down with more than 20 Detroit teenagers for two hours and simply listened.

Detroit will be a hotbed of technology, culture, music, art, and social justice as three pioneering gatherings: Allied Media Conference, Hip Hop Congress, and US Social Forum take place over the next few weeks.

Become a Youth Health Ambassador for the Youth Building Healthy Communities campaign and you will gain valuable leadership and community organizing skills to fight health disparities and push for social change.

Our goal here at IAYD has always been to highlight young Detroiters and the issues they care about. In our few months of existence we’ve had the opportunity to meet several young people who spearhead initiatives that are taking tremendous leaps towards making Detroit a better place for our youth.

“I was raised here in Detroit, so Detroit is my home. I think the stronger Detroit is politically and the more active and engaged Detroit residents are in local and state politics can help our state and city emerge from this economic downtown”.

President Obama will deliver the University of Michigan spring commencement address on May 1st. While that is certainly newsworthy, a lot of the buzz surrounding the president’s visit is due to a new campaign, called Obama4IMU.

If you haven’t heard today, 3/13 has been unofficially declared Detroit Day! You don’t have to let today’s dreary weather keep you from celebrating. Here’s (Three)13 ways that you can show some Motor City Love today without even leaving the comforts of your couch…

“In 2005, as a part of my second semester work in Wayne State University’s Honor’s Program, I developed The Free Store, a place where those in need could obtain clothing, food, and other necessities at no cost. Since our beginnings in the Cass Corridor, the event has moved around Detroit and has run on a weekly and monthly basis in donated spaces within Detroit, Highland Park, Hamtramck, and currently, Romulus, Michigan”.

We told you this was a movement! Model D’s February Speaker Event is called This is Young Detroit and asks “Are we making Detroit a place where young and talented people want to be?”

“Sometime in the not too distant future, John wakes up in suburban Chicago on a Saturday morning and heads to a White Sox game…in Detroit. Join him on a 300 mile journey to Detroit’s Comerica Park as he experiences the transportation options of the future: a neighborhood electric car share program, smart phone ticketing, high-speed rail, and connecting light rail.”

The interwebs have been buzzing with a new political blog campaign called Detroit Declaration. The blog features media and documents urging locals to sign the petition that will ” work towards what Detroit can become tomorrow”.