An Introduction: GR Walks

[Author's Note: Last semester, I was asked to write an introduction to the work that I do in the S-LC. Later, we decided it might be a helpful piece for the blog--so here it is.]

Hi, my name is Maaike Mudde and I'm a sophomore at Calvin studying psychology. In the S-LC, I help with the development of the phone application, GR Walks. 

So what is GR Walks?

First, let's back up. It is 2013, my senior year of high school. While making my college decision, I was perusing the Calvin website. I came across an article about GR Walks, a smart phone app featuring self-guided walking tours of Grand Rapids neighborhoods. I read about such names as Josh Leo, Noah Kruis, and the Service-Learning Center.

I remember thinking that GR Walks was really cool.

Fast forward. It's a year later, and I'm a freshman at Calvin and working in the S-LC. In the office, we were talking about the jobs that students could do for next year, and Noah mentioned GR Walks. I jumped at the idea. 

On the GR Walks website (http://grwalks.com/), Josh Leo, the founder of the app and alumnus of Calvin, wrote the following: "GR Walks all started with an idea in 2010 for an easy way to walk around the city and learn about what you were seeing." In his travels, Leo had experienced audio tours in Europe and wondered if he could create something similar for the city of Grand Rapids.

From the beginning, Leo was looking for help with the project, and found a partnership with Noah Kruis, associate director of our Service-Learning Center. To help with the app, Noah has secured grant money through the years for students to research and find pictures for the tours.

So here I am, joining a short legacy of S-LC amateur local historians, researchers, and enthusiasts.

GR Walks currently has 2 tours, the Eastown and East Hills Tour and Heritage Hill North Tour. Last spring, Professor Du Mez of Calvin's History Department integrated the app into one of her courses. Students researched and created content for two or more tours: a Riverwalk Tour along the Grand River and Ramona Park Tour along the coast of Reed's Lake. So far, my job has been tying up loose ends for the research of these tours and finding pictures to go along with them.

What I love about the app is that it has multifaceted value and purposes. To Grand Rapids citizens, it's a way to learn about and affirm their neighborhood in a new way. To those participating in service-learning, it's a way to give context to the community in which they are serving and learning from. To Calvin history students, it's a way to develop their research skills and apply their knowledge in a practical way.

To me, I just think it's really cool.

mm