Youth SOUP drew an all-ages crowd on Sunday, March 2nd.

Detroit SOUP hosted a Citywide SOUP on Sunday, March 2nd, featuring all youth projects, selected by the Youth SOUP board to compete for the SOUP pot. Even up against the final throes of a never-ending winter—Detroit’s harshest in 50 years—and the Oscars, SOUP got a great turnout, with communities showing up to support their youth as they contended for the evening’s prize.

The crowd on hand for the evening’s first presenters, Hilbogo Design.

Organizer Amy Kaherl turned things over to the evening’s youth emcees: Trevon Stapleton, president of Youth Voice, and Uribi Araque (Bibi), a senior at Grosse Point North and a long-time SOUP attendee who urged organizers to get a Youth SOUP started to bring the focus to youth in Detroit who are working to lift up their city. The emcees handled themselves like consummate professionals, moving presenters seamlessly through their pitches and the following Q&A with the hungry crowd.

The evening’s youth emcees, Trevon and Bibi.

Organizer Amy Kaherl gives the rundown on some of SOUP’s 4-year stats.

On tap for the evening: Hilbogo Design, a mother and daughter team that connects with youth by making crafts and accessories from recyclable materials; Young Educators Alliance, an active group of youth leaders who tackle social and environmental justice issues in Detroit; America Defeating Adolescent Obesity (ADAO), which employs special coaches to fill the gap being created by the removal of physical activity from public school curriculum; and Radical Productions, a youth-led technology start-up in Southwest Detroit, which employs young Detroiters in the provision of tech services and online promotion to small businesses that otherwise could not afford to support a tech component.

Presenters from Young Educators Alliance, who took the SOUP prize for the evening, going home with more than $1K.

As usual, the SOUP was an abundance of good causes and goodwill, with the crowd called out to provide contacts and ideas for all the projects, rather than just financial backing for the winner. The evening was the 66th SOUP dinner, as SOUP just celebrated their four-year anniversary with last month’s Celebration SOUP, having provided more than $72K in crowd-sourced funding during its time. This is money from Detroiters to Detroiters, with participants funding the change they want to see in the city. Congrats to SOUP for a great run, and here’s to many more to come! You can see more about the winning project and future Youth SOUP here.

Citywide SOUP takes place at the Jam Handy Building on Grand Blvd.

Catch up with the next SOUP on April 6th, from 6-9 p.m. at the Jam Handy Building: 2900 E. Grand Blvd., Detroit; detroitsoup.com.