FLINT, Michigan — The next installment of Flintside’s neighborhood-based reporting series ‘On the Ground’ expands and revisits all five previously covered areas. Flintside writers and photographers will revisit and cover the neighborhoods of Civic Park, Brownell-Holmes, Eastside Franklin Park, Sarvis Park, and Ballenger Hwy for several months.

Coverage will focus on the people, companies, organizations, initiatives, and programs implementing solutions to the local challenges and making it their mission to impact their community positively.

Flintside intends to host several community forums to reintroduce the publication to the community, collect local history, and gather residents’ ideas for future stories. The ‘On the Ground’ coverage will also see stories published by selected community members called 'Community Correspondents' during the series. Expect weekly coverage in our newsletter under ‘On the Ground.’

On Wednesday, May 15 from 5 to 7 PM at the Gloria Coles Flint Public Library, Flintside will host an editorial advisory meeting to gather specific ideas to help us tell the stories about the five neighborhoods, their communities or regions, the area’s history, and listen to residents’ ideas for what they would like to see within the series.

RSVP here to let us know that you’re able to join. If you are unavailable, please extend this invite to a colleague who can help to inform this meeting on behalf of your organization.

Tia Scott, a Flint native and Managing Editor of Flintside, will oversee the ‘On the Ground’ series. Scott has led Flintside for three years and writes poetry, bios, and mission statements in her spare time. 

The series will have articles written and photographed by multiple Flintside contributors.

Xzavier V. Simon, Flintside staff writer and author, will lead the city-wide coverage as Project Editor. The Beecher resident is currently a master’s student at Central Michigan University and owner of The Modern Queer L.L.C., a magazine and podcast.

Initially a Flintside Community Correspondent, Jerimiah Whitehead will join Xzavier to conduct interviews and write articles. The Flint native from the Ballenger Hwy area is an author, poet, actor, and cancer survivor. Whitehead brings his emphatic storytelling abilities to the series.

“Being a part of OTG will impact me in such a positive way,” says Whitehead. “It will be a rewarding experience to connect with my community and shine a light on the unsung neighborhoods here in Flint.”

Photojournalist Anthony Summers will lead photography for ‘On the Ground.’ Summers is pursuing an Associate of Arts at Mott Community College and runs Always Photography, a personal photography business.

“I look forward to joining the OTG crew and shining a light on Flint and its amazing people,” says Summers. “Having the chance to photograph the places where Flintstone culture is born and raised is an opportunity I won’t take for granted.”

Flintside’s parent company, Issue Media Group, brings ten years of experience with similar 'On the Ground' projects in other communities nationwide. These projects were launched in May 2012 as a pilot program in four Philadelphia and New Jersey neighborhoods. Since then, they have expanded into other areas such as Memphis, Detroit, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, and Ypsilanti.

The Ruth Mott Foundation and the Community Foundation of Greater Flint support Flintside's 'On the Ground' series and serve as the project's fiscal sponsors.