Women of Banglatown (WOB) is a neighborhood-based community arts organization that provides a supportive, culturally-sensitive space for arts and well-being programming for first generation and immigrant girls and young women (10-26 years of age) from the Banglatown neighborhood of Detroit and Hamtramck.
“WOB classes give me a chance to learn new forms of art, make new friends, and have fun right from my home. I feel comfortable sharing many things with them and asking questions because I know they won’t judge me. Everyone in WOB is also very kind.”
- WOB Member, 11
Programming
Workshops
& Events
Women of Banglatown hosts outdoor programming from April-October at our public park and home base site in Detroit. Online workshops are held monthly and are facilitated by WOB members. Our community is always interested in exploring different forms of art, nature and well-being practices. If you are interested in partnering with us, we invite you to fill out the form here. Below are some of our previous workshops.
paper making
natural dyeing
Native Plant Identification
Block printing
YOga / Stretching
“When I taught my embroidery class I was able to see the potential and passion you can unleash by simply teaching something you enjoy doing. It’s an unexplainable feeling that you have to experience firsthand.”
– WOB member, age 19
2025
A Year in Review
150+
Girls & Young Women
In 2025, more than 150 girls and young women from the Banglatown and Hamtramck neighborhoods participated in our workshops and community events. Our members range in age from 10 to 26, with the majority between 11 and 18 years old.
36+
In-person Workshops & events
WOB turned 11 years old this year and completed Phase 1 of our public park and home base build-out, which allowed us to host 33+ in-person workshops, 1 movie night, 2 festivals, and more. Programming ranged from cooking and watercolor painting to bouquet making, family programs, gardening, and building our outdoor kitchen.
15
Youth advisory council members
Our Youth Advisory Council grew to 16 members in 2025, up from just 4 members in 2020—a 300% increase in youth leadership. This dedicated group planned and led a wide range of initiatives, including a women’s health event, a neighborhood festival, community cleanups, and the creation of care packages, among many other meaningful projects.
68%
youth-driven programming and leadership
WOB is deeply committed to youth-driven programming and leadership. In 2025, more than 68% of our programming was led and facilitated by teens and young women—a 143% increase in youth leadership since 2023. These young leaders planned and facilitated in-person programs at our home base, led virtual workshops, and curated public festivals and events for the broader neighborhood.
Neighborhood PlacemakinG
& Beautification
WOB
Home Base & Flower Field
“a space by and for first generation and immigrant girls and young women to be unapologetically who they are and explore themselves through nature, art, entrepreneurship, and community.” - WOB members
PUBLIC PARK & HOME BASE
In 2020, Women of Banglatown received a Kresge Innovation Project Planning Grant to consult our neighborhood on WOB’s future. We held five community listening sessions that reached 39 girls and women (10-55y). In 2021, we launched a community design initiative, facilitating seven design workshops to date to envision our future home base. Three main findings emerged: 1) while members appreciated shifting online due to COVID-19, they long to return to a safe, in-person space. 2) participating girls and women recognize that women’s only spaces are limited. 3) all participants want public multi-generational space for families in their neighborhood.
In 2021, after terminating our commercial lease and leaving a beloved space due to the pandemic, we purchased three vacant lots in our neighborhood through the Detroit Land Bank Authority and launched a Community Design Initiative to reimagine our future facility, or “Home Base” at 2960 Lawley Street in Detroit.
In 2025, we completed Phase One of our public park and home base, transforming the space through community-led design and care. This included the creation of a two-sided mural with artist Amna Asghar, a sensory garden, butterfly garden, and welcoming seating areas. We also began construction on our outdoor kitchen, which will support art-making, gatherings, and neighborhood cookouts.
This project was made possible with support from Artspace, Grow Wayne County, Skillman Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Neighborhood Beautification Program, NeighborHUB, RCWJF and more. Located at 2960 Lawley St. Detroit, Michigan.
FLOWER FIELD
WOB purchased and transformed an additional three previously neglected Detroit Land Bank Authority properties, long used for dumping, into a thriving community garden. Working alongside neighbors and community partners, Women of Banglatown organized cleanups to remove debris and overgrowth, restoring safety, beauty, and dignity to the lots. We then hired and trained two local women to care for the space and learn to grow cut flowers. This work fosters economic empowerment, creative expression, and collective ownership, transforming the garden into a hands-on learning space rooted in community care and wellness.
Our new Flower Field Entrepreneurship Program (launching in 2026) will offer an 10-month paid position for a local resident, a 6-month paid position for a mother, and a 4-month paid position through our youth fellowship program. Bouquet subscriptions will also launch in 2026, extending this work into a sustainable, community-powered initiative.
This project was made possible with support from Cass Tech National Honor Society, Department of Neighborhoods, Neighborhood Beautification Program and The Kindness Collective Foundation and more.
In 2025, in partnership with The Greening of Detroit, 88 trees were planted in Detroit’s Banglatown neighborhood, enhancing green space and community well-being.
“Often times, connecting with others becomes hard due to many reasons. WOB has allowed me and many other people come out of their shells and meet new people. WOB host picnics and other gatherings where people can come
together and celebrate each other. Finding people who you can talk to and people who respect you and your identity is important to everyone and WOB’ social gatherings give us an opportunity to meet such people and connect with them.
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