On Jan. 25, the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Detroit Drives Degrees team welcomed nearly two dozen representatives from partnering regional college access stakeholders at its inaugural Summer Melt Convening. “Summer melt” refers to the time between high school graduation and postsecondary matriculation when many students change their plans and choose not to enroll. Meeting attendees included representatives from community-based organizations, funders, and businesses.
With a goal to increase college access alignment and collaboration between organizations, the convening invited each organization to share updates on their current summer programming, participate in a demonstration of Detroit Drives Degrees’ student-facing AI-powered chatbot, and work together to identify strengths, gaps, and potential opportunities in our regional space.
During the meeting, attendees reached a consensus to bring together key stakeholders more frequently, with the next engagement being May 2, 2024, at the Detroit Regional Chamber.