COURAGE IN MOTION
YOUTHTANK DETROIT'S SIGNATURE ART INITATIVE FUSES CREATIVE EXPRESSION WITH THE SPIRIT OF MOBILITY.
In a series of collaborative installations inspired by community voices, Detroit youth are telling powerful stories of movement, resilience, and transformation. These works reflect the challenges and possibilities of getting around our city—from buses to bikes to future tech. More than art, Courage in Motion is a youth-led call to action: a vision of a city where everyone has the freedom to move, dream, and thrive.
Elton Monroy Duran, 45, of Detroit, helps plan out the "Build a Street" workshop with YouthTank Detroit coaches Libby Post, left, and Jace Danielewicz, during the Detroit Youth Mobility Summit at Newlab on Tuesday, March 5, 2024.
Kimberly P. Mitchell, Detroit Free Press
WHY MOBILITY?
In a sad irony, young residents living in the city that “put the world on wheels” cannot access affordable, reliable transportation to get to work and school. At YouthTank’s Mobility workshops, young people share stories: waiting hours for one public bus to take them to another school bus - with no seats or turning down an offer to a great school or a coding program because they don’t have a ride. We believe transit for youth to opportunities that build their future is a basic human right.
COURAGE IN MOTION
THE LION
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COURAGE IN MOTION
THE CUBS
Hope, Joy, Community, and Abundance
Detroit Youth
April 2025,
Paper Mache, Acrylic Paint Pen
The Lion Cubs sculpture celebrates the courage it takes to bring bold ideas into the world. YouthTank interns worked with Detroit artist Elton Monroy Durán at Corpus Art Studio to create four alebrijes—colorful figural guides rooted in Mexican folk art and seen as spiritual protectors.
At the Detroit Youth Mobility Summit (DYMS25) , interns led community workshops where Detroiters decorated the cubs, reflecting on mobility, guardianship, and collective imagination.
