By Emily A. Hay

The Challenge is on, the Challenge is here…  it’s time for Challenge Detroit.  Challenge Detroit (@ChallengeDet) is an outside-the-box initiative by The Collaborative Group, which is a diverse gathering of entrepreneurial thinkers from throughout southeast Michigan who have the capacity and desire to improve greater Detroit.

Challenge Detroit is a year-long program designed to reinvigorate the city and is a tangible example of the entrepreneurial spirit present in the area.  The Challenge is made up of 30 motivated individuals, dubbed the “Participants,” who will live, work, play and volunteer in Detroit.

The rubber has met the road for these individuals as the program recently kicked off with an extensive orientation and warm welcome to the Motor City.  Recently, I had the opportunity to conduct the social media orientation for the Challenge Detroit Participants and am excited by the role social media can play in this initiative and in the city’s revival.

THE SOCIAL MEDIA MEGAPHONE

Clearly, social media is an opportune platform for the Challenge Detroit Participants to speak from.  Through the use of Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, YouTube, Instagram and more, these individuals have the unique opportunity to broadcast their experience to an exponentially greater audience.  Participants will use the social media megaphone to tell a significant personal story about the city that will reverberate for years to come.

FOLLOW THE JOURNEY VIA SOCIAL MEDIA

In an effort to help the Participants chronicle their activity, we discussed at orientation the use of a variety of hashtags– take a look!

#LiveDetroit

Participants received incentives to live in selected areas of Detroit and will be sharing their first-hand experience of what it’s like living within the city limits.  From day-to-day activity to nightlife, follow #LiveDetroit for personal reflection and insight from these individuals living in the D during its revival.

#WorkDetroit

All 30 Participants will work approximately 32 hours per week at their host company for the entire year.  Tune in to the #WorkDetroit hashtag, to learn about the companies involved in Challenge Detroit and how the Participants are each contributing to the professional environment in the city.

#PlayDetroit

As the expression goes, “work hard, play hard.” What better way to strengthen the camaraderie among Participants than through monthly social and cultural activities?  At the #PlayDetroit hashtag, Participants will share the positive qualities of what the region has to offer.

#GiveDetroit

Challenge Detroit recognizes the need to give back to local charities to revive the D. Participants will come together for monthly team challenges designed to positively impact the community.  Through the #GiveDetroit hashtag, Challenge Detroit followers alike will see how these individuals are helping non-profits forward.

As you can see, Challenge Detroit is a social movement.  Through the power of social media, this movement can encompass more than the Participants, the host companies and the charities involved; it can bring together our entire city, region and state both online and offline.  With every RT, reply, share, comment or “Like,” we can pass along a virtual high-five to these individuals sure to propel them and our city further.

A huge congrats to The Collaborative Group for launching this significant effort.  I encourage you to follow Challenge Detroit and the Participants activity at the hashtags above and spread the word to your social networks.  People in the D are passionate to begin with and members of the social media community are particularly supportive of big ideas.

Thanks for reading!