The Land I Love

The Great Lakes Center for Youth Development has partnered with Northern Initiatives on a project that brings youth voice to economic development in the Upper Peninsula. The result is a collection of youth-produced slideshows which capture the authentic voice of young people about the places in the U.P. that are special to them.

In summer 2009, GLCYD launched “The Land I Love” a multi-media project that focuses on the publicly accessible natural, cultural and historical features of the U.P. that young people feel are unique, distinctive and cherished. The project encourages youth ownership of the land and other natural assets while building leadership and media skills in youth.

GLCYD partnered with youth-serving organizations to engage small groups of youth, ages 8 to 18, to create the slideshows. The young people chose the areas to cover, shot and edited the images, and wrote the narrative. Linda Remsburg, GLCYD Youth Development Associate, facilitated the project. Partners include Alger County MSU Extension, Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes Troops 5126 and 5296 of Gwinn, Luce County MSU Extension, Superior Watershed Partnership, and the U.P. Children’s Museum.

The project is part of Northern Initiatives’ efforts in the People and Land (PAL) Regional Prosperity Initiative. As a PAL partner, Northern Initiatives is developing a U.P.-wide economic development strategy anchored by the expansion of the Great Waters nature and culture-based tourism initiative.

Northern Initiatives is a private, nonprofit community development corporation that provides rural entrepreneurs with access to capital, information and markets.

I Spy a Waterfall in Alger County

Five Mile Point

Bay Furnace

Mouth of the Big Two-Hearted River

Crisp Point Lighthouse

Founders Landing: Where the Whetstone Brook Meets Lake Superior

Dead River Falls

A Journey Through the Michigan Iron Industry Museum

Negaunee Township Cemetery: A Study in History