How a 105-foot schooner is teaching teens the Detroit River’s story

The University of Michigan's Detroit River Story Lab runs a sixth-year program that takes Detroit-area teenagers out on Alliance, a 105-foot three-masted schooner, to learn the cultural and environmental history of the Detroit River. Students hoist sails, steer the ship, collect water samples, and study ecosystems while connecting with stories of the Anishinaabe, the Underground Railroad, and Black boating heritage in Detroit. The program also offers week-long boat-building workshops where participants construct and row their own skiffs.

Over 120 groups have sailed with the program, with more than 70% of participants rating the experience excellent. The initiative aims to break down historic barriers that kept people of color from accessing the river, grounding the learning in the belief that personal connection drives environmental stewardship. Some alumni have returned as crew leaders or gone on to careers in maritime and natural resources.