Whiz Kids: Local Youth Group Examines Racial Barriers During Weeklong Camp

Each week, Birmingham Patch spotlights young people in the community who are successful, talented and just plain awesome. Today, we introduce this latest Whiz Kid:

Kensington Community Church youth group, Birmingham campus

• Ages: 15-18
• Schools: The Birmingham branch of , which meets at , attracts young people from Berkley, Bloomfield Hills, Royal Oak, Marian, Brother Rice, Groves and .
• Achievement: More than 120 young people from Kensington Community Church campuses throughout Metro Detroit — including 22 youths from the Birmingham branch — gathered July 25-29 to attend Detroit Reverse, a weeklong program at Wayne State University that aims to breaks down the cultural and racial disparities between those who grew up in the city and those who live in the suburbs, said Justin Warns, youth leader for Kensington's Birmingham campus.
  
  "There's a reality that there's a separation (between city and suburb), and kids don't get to experience things out of their culture," Warns said.
  
  Students from the suburbs lived for a week at Wayne State alongside about 150 young people from Detroit. There, they participated in various discussion sessions with local church leaders, participated in basketball tournaments, talent shows and scavenger hunts and developed relationships Warns hopes will stay with them for a lifetime.
  
  "This is a lifestyle change," he said.
  
  
• Key to awesomeness: This is the second year for the program, Warns said, and he doubts it will be the last. With school about to start back up, Warns said the Reverse experience will serve as a catalyst for service programs and ministry opportunities during the rest of the year. He said a few students have already approached him, asking to extend their Reverse experience with service projects co-led by Kensington students and young people they met in Detroit.

Do you know a special kid in the community who deserves applause because he volunteers after school? Or maybe your daughter's science club challenges how we think about the environment? Or perhaps your son's team won its first game in three years. Everyone deserves a little attention, and we want to tell these stories.

Email nominations to Editor Laura Houser at laura.houser@patch.com, provide the information given above and include a photo with names and ages. Come back every Tuesday for our Whiz Kid spotlight.