INSIDEOUT LITERARY ARTS PROJECT
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Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Writer-in-Residence
InsideOut's in-school programs places professional writers in schools to conduct creative writing workshops that engage students' imaginations and introduce them to the pleasure and power of writing. The residencies consist weekly sessions, allowing writers to become an integral part of students' experiences. InsideOut writers serve as models of the creative life and help students to take themselves seriously as writers. InsideOut has served Detroit Public Schools since 1995.
Citywide Poets
Citywide Poets is a literary community for young people to explore their lives through the written and spoken word. By participating in intensive artistic mentorship, publication, and performance opportunities, Citywide Poets cultivates a youth-driven narrative for the future of Detroit, rooted in their creativity and artistic vision. Citywide Poets students meet weekly at different sites across the city. In 2009, Citywide Poets received a Coming Up Taller Award, the prestigious national recognition for outstanding arts and humanities programs serving youth.
Where we work
Awards
Coming Up Taller Award 2009
President's Committee on Arts and Humanities
Humanities Award 2007
Wayne County Council for Arts, History and Humanities
Arts Educator of the Year 2001
Michigan Youth Arts Festival
Gold Medal in Poetry (to Will Langford) 2007
Columbia Scholastic Press Association
External reviews
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of Facebook followers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of donations made by board members
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
We have had 100% Board giving 2018-2021
Number of after school program sites
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Age groups
Related Program
Citywide Poets
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Founded in 1995, InsideOut’s primary goal is to transform the lives of students in Metro Detroit through the written and spoken word. Our team of professional artists and performers provides high-quality, life-enhancing literary arts experiences in the classroom and in the community, and make possible our mission to “inspire students to think broadly, create bravely and share their voices with the wider world.” InsideOut amplifies authentic youth voices across Metro Detroit. In 25 years, we have served over 65,000 students. Nationally recognized for having a lasting impact on young people’s lives, InsideOut leverages language and poetry to provide opportunities that are vital to the well-being of young people when they most need it.
InsideOut has identified four main goals that guide the structure of our programs:
Grow students’ self-confidence and effective self-expression
Facilitate the writing process and build critical thinking skills
Foster artistic excellence through mentorship and practice, and
Elevate youth voice in Detroit and beyond
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
InsideOut offers a wide range of programming opportunities for young people in Metro Detroit as the primary strategy for achieving our mission. In the unique school-based Writer-in-Residence program, InsideOut places professional writers in classrooms to engage students in the power of the literary arts, and enhance core academic and social and emotional skills. The program infuses poetry, spoken word, and other multimedia arts experiences into academic skill-based instruction that builds reading and writing competencies, particularly for Detroit's most vulnerable students. In 2019/20, we provided creative writing residencies to K-12 students in classrooms in Detroit, Dearborn, Highland Park, Oak Park, Redford and River Rouge. The program was designed to align closely with standards set by the state of Michigan, incorporating social-emotional learning. Every participating student is featured in a professionally published literary journal that highlights the skills that the students have gained over the course of the year as well as their own personal growth as writers.
Outside of the classroom, InsideOut’s award-winning Citywide Poets program provides teens with weekly creative writing workshops, publication, and performance opportunities in an after-school format that encourages teens to embrace creative expression as a tool for self-development and civic engagement. Over 90% of program alumni go on to post-secondary institutions, and past participants have won scholarships to colleges locally and nationally. Scratch the Page and First Draft are programs that allow students to share their voices with their community through spoken word poetry at open mic events. In 2019/20, Citywide Poets served teens at 16 sites in Detroit, Dearborn, Oak Park and Redford.
InsideOut continues to build programming centered around social and emotional learning and trauma-informed education to best address the specific needs of our community. Detroit students are more likely to experience trauma that can interrupt their education and impact their futures. InsideOut is investing in training for our teaching artists that will help to lessen the impact of trauma in the classroom and for students long term. These programs, in combination, effectively promote our mission to not only support student’s growth educationally, but also help them to discover their own sense of self and build confidence.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
InsideOut’s programming is dependent on supportive donors who believe in our vision and ability to positively improve the lives of students in Metro Detroit. We are proud that we have a rich diversity of funding from individuals, foundations, and corporations, and support from volunteers and community members, that allow us to achieve our goals and effectively expand our outreach. InsideOut currently generates $900,000+ annually to deliver our programming, supporting a core staff of nine and a cadre of roughly 25 Writers-in-Residence. Additionally, InsideOut leverages the experience of professional artists in our community to teach our youth and contribute to the arts economy of Metro Detroit. InsideOut has partnered with over 100 schools in the Detroit area over 25 years to implement the Writers-in-Residence and Citywide Poets programs.
InsideOut’s team includes nine staff members from diverse backgrounds. Several key staff started in our program and graduated from the Detroit Public Schools Community District. They have achieved success as writers and leaders in their own fields, including competitive slam champions and Kresge Literary Arts fellows. InsideOut’s Executive Director, Suma Karaman Rosen, has 25 years of experience in the education, corporate and non-profit sectors, and has participated in numerous leadership cohorts, including the 2019-2020 National Arts Strategies international Chief Executive Program. Ms. Rosen is subject to the governance of the 12-member Board of Directors. Board members bring a variety of skills, including legal, development, finance, marketing, and the ability to liaise with different groups; 100% of the board donates to InsideOut annually.
The InsideOut Executive Team administers fiscal operations and manages the organization’s budget with multiple funding sources from regional and federal government, individuals, corporations, and private foundations. Beyond charitable giving, InsideOut receives earned revenue from program fees paid by schools’ Title 1 funding and from other cultural institutions (ie. Detroit Institute of Arts and the Detroit Zoological Society) for distinct program offerings. Internally, checks and balances are in place to distribute responsibility for safeguarding assets and maintaining financial records. The Development Associate manages the donor database, processes donations, oversees development activities and performs a monthly reconciliation with accounting. Monthly financial reports are shared with the Board Treasurer, and a financial/budget review, as well as discussion of funding projections, is a standing agenda item at every board meeting. A board-led financial committee provides additional guidance and fiscal oversight. An outside certified public accountant conducts an annual financial audit.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since the organization's founding in 1995, InsideOut has had the privilege of helping over 65,000 of Detroit’s youth across over 100 Detroit-area schools. InsideOut was awarded with the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award in 2009 for its commitment to Detroit students, and has had many program alumni who have been chosen to continue to explore their love of writing professionally. Most notably, Michael R. Jackson, an InsideOut alumni, was recently awarded with the Pulitzer Prize.
We are confident in the effectiveness of our programming, and analyze a wide range of metrics to measure our impact. Not only are students learning new creative writing skills that they can apply both in school and throughout their future through InsideOut, but they are also building confidence in their own voices.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have shifted all of our programming to a virtual format that ensures the safety of our staff, writers, and students. Our writers have innovated to develop online lesson plans and recorded videos that can allow students to continue practicing their writing skills from home. Our Citywide Poets program is now being conducted virtually through Zoom, and bi-weekly virtual “open-mic” opportunities are available to participating students. As always, our mission remains the same: to inspire students to think broadly, create bravely and share their voices with the wider world.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, In virtual program deliver it can be difficult for students to provide feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
INSIDEOUT LITERARY ARTS PROJECT
Board of directorsas of 06/22/2023
Teresa McAlpine
Plante Moran (Retired)
Teresa McAlpine
Plante Moran (Retired)
Kevin Rashid
Wayne State University
Laura Stevens
Maureen Clinesmith
Samantha Walls
Juliette Antwan
Flagstar
Ali Hijazi
Plante Moran
Susan Knoppow
Shannon Garth-Rhodes
SEIU
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 06/03/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.