Mayor Woodfin announces city partnership with non-profits to promote conflict resolution
BIRMINGHAM – Mayor Randall Woodfin announced Tuesday, July 9 that the City of Birmingham will be extending its efforts to encourage conflict resolution among youth in Birmingham.
The Mayor’s Office is partnering with at least 15 community organizations. More than $107,000 will be distributed among those groups.
Each organization submitted a plan which was reviewed by the Division of Youth Services and the Office of Peace and Policy. The work of these groups goes hand-in-hand with the city’s three-pronged strategy to increase peace in Birmingham by putting an equal emphasis on prevention, enforcement and re-entry, Mayor Woodfin said.
“Conflict resolution is a cause we believe in because we are committed to the safety and well-being of our neighborhoods, as well as molding the young lives that will serve as the future leaders of those very same neighborhoods,” Woodfin added.
The program, launched in spring 2018, is committed to creating opportunities for mentoring, counseling, and character building through academics, the arts and athletics.
Woodfin had declared gun violence as a public health crisis in Birmingham, stating that solutions “goes much deeper than policing.”
“Real solutions start with making connections with our young people on a fundamental level. It’s listening to their stories, understanding their journey, and breaking down the root causes of the violence that plagues our city,” he said.
“It’s not incarceration that will save us. It’s the restoration of hope. And I believe conflict resolution is the key ingredient to erase violence in our communities.”
The community organizations include:
The Surge Project ($7,000): The Surge Project will facilitate community spaces for dialogue and instruction for topics such as conflict resolution strategies, leadership development, civic engagement, etc. There will be two types of sessions, “The Listening Room” and “The Lab.”
A Friend of Mind ($7,000): A Friend of Mind is a local public health non-profit that offers suicide prevention trainings and structured meditation and yoga programs to inner city youth and their families. Their purpose is to empower youth and destigmatize mental illness, thereby improving their mental health and chances of successfully contributing to society.
SONG “Saving Our Next Generation” ($5,000): A community based organization that uses credible messengers to provide high risk youth with mentoring that stresses the consequences of violent and illegal behavior through their lived experiences.
The Diaspora Collective ($8,500): “Mapping the Margins: Conflict Resolution through an Intersectional Lens” will serve as a framework for individuals, community, and law enforcement to gain a basic understanding of historical mechanisms that create conflict learn evidence based strategies to resolve conflict, and shift the cultural paradigm to one of collaboration.
The Maddie Foundation ($5,500): The Maddie Movement is a citywide anti-bullying initiative, in memory of nine year old Maddie Whittsett. They will work in partnership with the A.G. Gaston Boys and Girls Club and the National Center for Safe Supportive Learning Environments on bullying prevention training toolkits, community action toolkits, implement a no bullying “I Promise” petition, create safe spaces in A.G. Gaston Boys and Girls Club, and develop an incentives program with benchmark goals on days of no bullying.
The S.T.R.A.P. “Stop Throwing Rocks at the Penitentiary” Foundation ($7,000): The STRAP Foundation will facilitate a pilot program to address youth violence by working with local community centers, and kicking off at Ensley Park. Community events will include the “Bootcamp on Wheels,” featuring youth basketball camps and tournaments.
Family Guidance Center of Alabama ($7,500): The Family Guidance Center is dedicated to strengthening families. Teens in the conflict resolution program will cover the Real Deal Anger Management for Adolescents curriculum as the basis for the conflict resolution activities. The curriculum helps involve teens in role play, individual assessment of anger triggers and responses, and effective ways to better self-manage.
The Dannon Project ($7,500): The Dannon Project helps restore lives through providing supportive assistance including short term training and certifications, job prep and placement to youth, unemployed, underemployed and re-entry services to previously incarcerated persons to repair, restore, and renew not only their lives, but the lives of their families too giving them second chances for achieving life success.
College Admissions Made Possible (CAMP) – Birmingham Summer Institute (BSI) ($7,500): BSI is a summer learning experience for rising 3rd-6th grade students. The mission of BSI is to empower students to become agents of change in their schools, communities and beyond through data-driven, holistic education. CAMP forges community partnerships that bring resources into schools and help remove barriers to student learning.
A4One ($7,500): A4One is a Birmingham-based athletic group that believes athletics is one of the only things in the world that breaks down all barriers and allows you to connect with people in an organic way. They use athletics and recreation to be consistent in one another’s lives. They do it through coaching, mentoring, training, financial support, and using their workspace to empower people and enrich lives.
Southwest Alliance Association ($7,500): The mission is to restore pride, honor, and respect to the youth of the community by providing purpose, motivation, and direction through athletic service to the community and cultural awareness.
Dream Girls Academy (DGA) ($7,500): DGA is a Christian mentoring program for females ages 9-18. The academy has cultivated a high impact environment for faith–based services, parental seminars, summer camps, and other Christian life changing activities. DGA’s services and seminars are structured to illuminate self-awareness, build spiritual knowledge, promote cultural awareness, and endorse academic excellence and social development.
YMCA Youth Center (Soccer, Basketball, & Football Camps) ($7,500): With long-standing relationships and physical presence, the YMCA cannot just promise but to deliver lasting personal and social change. In communities across the Greater Birmingham area, the Y is a leading voice on health and well-being. With a mission centered on balance, the Y encourages good health, brings families together, and fosters connections through fitness, sports, and other shared interests.
Together Assisting People (TAP) ($7,500): TAP is an education and career-focused mentoring program for inner-city youth. Participants commit to a year-long schedule that includes activities such as after school tutoring and professional development, university and corporate site visits, and weekend community service events. TAP accepts students in grades 8-12 and helps them prepare for standardized testing, submitting college applications, and securing scholarships.
STREAM Innovations ($7,500): STREAM addresses the need to introduce students from undervalued and underserved communities to Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STREAM). STREAM is committed to helping students to develop and explore their passion by providing exposure, experiences, and engagement thru a six-week coding camp, STREAM Saturdays, and Check out STREAM
