Inclusion by Design 2026: Creative Agency & Youth Art as Civic Power
For the fourth consecutive year, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan celebrated Detroit’s Month of Design with Inclusion by Design, held on Sept. 9 at the N’Namdi Center for Contemporary Art. This year’s panel, “Creative Agency & Youth Art as Civic Power” — shined a light on the young people already shaping how the region sees itself. Nearly 100 guests filled the space for a panel featuring DeLashea Strawder (Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit), Megan Shuchman (826michigan) and Siyeh Frazier (The Skillman Foundation), who explored how creative practice becomes a tool for young people to tell their own stories, advocate for change and participate in decisions about their communities.
The evening opened with a performance by the Mosaic Youth Theatre Teen Ensemble, whose work set the tone for everything that followed — a reminder that youth artistry is not a preview of talent to come, but a force operating in the present. The performance infused moving musical selections, poetry and rhythmic movement that left the audience in awe.
The panel was co-moderated by Leah Counts, director of Community Impact at the Community Foundation, alongside Celena Meng, a senior at Novi High School and returning member of the Community Foundation’s Youth Advisory Committee (YAC). Including Celena was an intentional choice to ensure that a conversation about youth voice was shaped by a young person interested in art and design.
Panelists described how their organizations center youth voice in shaping programs and drew a direct line between sustained funder support and long-term impact. Several returned to the same point: Young artists do their best work in spaces where they can show up authentically.
The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan is uniquely positioned to hold space for this conversation. Through our Arts & Culture focus area, we invest in strengthening creative contributions to the civic, social and cultural infrastructure that enhances the region’s vibrancy. Through our Youth & Education focus area, we support literacy, youth development and lifelong learning — from early childhood to adulthood. And through the Youth Advisory Committee, we put young people in the role of decision-makers, shaping funding priorities rather than simply benefiting from them. Inclusion by Design tied the threads together, emphasizing that resourcing youth creativity is not only an investment in the next generation of creatives, but a form of civic infrastructure.
“Philanthropy has a responsibility to do more than fund the work — we must help create the conditions for the work to take shape,” Counts says. “Investing in the arts helps build thriving communities with vibrant cultures. Young and emerging artists are the next generation of creative leaders, and by investing in opportunities for them to develop their skills, find their voice and exercise creative agency, we are also investing in the future of southeast Michigan’s creative economy.”
The Community Foundation remains committed to sustaining the organizations that nurture young artists, to creating forums where community voice drives strategy and to ensuring that youth are collaborators in the region’s future rather than an audience for it. If the evening made one thing clear, it’s that southeast Michigan’s young creatives are already at work and ready to lead.
Interested in supporting this work? Visit cfsem.org/give to learn more about how to give back to these amazing programs.
