Today we’d like to introduce you to Anthony Townsend.
Anthony, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
In January of 2012, I began my Practicum for Social Work/Youth Development at a Non-Profit Housing Development in Bronzeville. I started a male responsibility group, mentoring boys ages 11-20, called Men of Distinction. My practicum ended with the semester in June but I stayed in contact with many of the boys and their families for the following year.
When (2) 8th-grade boys were shot in July of 2013, I was called, on contract, to help deal with the growing violence in the community and lack of opportunities being taken advantage of by youth deemed “at risk” on the south side of Chicago. After reintroducing my model for mentorship and reactivating Men of Distinction, I was soon approached by several young ladies in the community who felt as though I paid too much attention to the boys in the area and wanted to express their feelings on the lack of opportunities and concern for young women.
In September of 2013, three young ladies between the ages of 13 and 15 wanted to start a program comparable to the Male Responsibility Mentorship Program, Men Of Distinction. Beginning with donated books from Southwest Youth Collaborative, which had recently closed, these young ladies set out to start their very own book club. Aside from reading and socializing, they began a weekly practice where each girl would bring in lyrics from a verse of a poem, rap or song and discuss the meaning of the words and the impact it could leave on today’s youth.
In January of 2014 and partnering with their close counterparts, Men Of Distinction, they decided to do something special for their community. On Dr. Martin Luther King’s Holiday, they hosted their 1st Monthly Poetry Café.
Every month, they began taking on topics and causes to give voice to young people around the things that affected their everyday lives; Education, Healthy Relationships, Community Violence, Hunger, Domestic Violence, Childhood Cancer, “Bring Back Our Girls” and Smoking to name a few. They would soon discover that April, which is National Poetry Month as well as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, would prove to become one of their closest and dearest Poetry Cafés.
Over time, the youth-led, youth-driven events began to stretch beyond that of the stage to include a Violence Prevention Initiative in Summer of 2014 affectionately called The Flag Project, consisting of a peace march and rally in their Bronzeville neighborhood that brought out over 8,000 community members and stakeholders including the Mayor, several Alderpersons and State Legislators. Soon after the young men of MOD and the young ladies of Safe & Sound decided to merge groups and maintain the name Safe & Sound. Here is a partial list of some of their beginning accomplishments:
Jan. 2014 – 1st Annual MLK Poetry Café
April 2014 – 1st Annual Sexual Assault Awareness Café
Aug. 2014 – The Flag Project
Sept. 2014 – Youth Fall Program Fair
Oct. 2014 – Winter Clothing Drive
Dec. 2014 – 1st Annual Holiday Holla Back (Simultaneous Poetry Café and 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament)
Jan. 2015 – Training in Balance and Restorative Justice and Certification as Peace Circle Keepers
Jan. 2015 – Presenters at UIC Youth Development Summit
Nov. 2015 – Generation Take Over in partnership with Solace Souls Coalition
The Flag Project
In Spring of 2014, a close cousin of one of our members was shot and killed.
When our friend walked into our meeting space, we immediately knew something was off. Once we found out what was bothering him, someone suggested holding hands and praying for the family. After a good group cry, we had a long, deep debate about what could be done to minimize violence in our communities. Some of us thought that as teens, barely in High School, it was not our job to stop the violence. That was up to the adults. Some of us thought that it was just a fact of growing up in Chicago. Most of us, however, felt as though we not only could do something but had a responsibility to take action. So that’s what we did. After brainstorming possibilities, The Flag Project was born.
“For the next several months, we researched the 180 deaths of young people between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old, attributed to gun violence in 2013, in Chicago.”
In response to the overwhelming violence in the city, Safe & Sound Girls and Men Of Distinction mentoring groups joined efforts in a youth-led, youth-driven campaign against violence. Partnering with 2nd District Police CAPS on National Night Out, we led a march against violence from Mandrake Park to Ellis Park engaging and growing community members and support along the way with King College Prep marching band, squad cars and fire trucks close behind. These young activists were joined by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, State Reps, several City Aldermen, 2nd District Police Commander and over 8,000+ community residents. The march culminated in Ellis Park where people of all ages took part in a ceremony planting handmade stick flags for the 180 youth between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old killed due to gun violence in 2013. Activities included bounce houses, game trucks, spoken word performances and special acknowledgment of the families of the some of the victims who were also allowed to customize the dated flags of their loved ones to plant.
Not only did we want to memorialize those who lost their lives to gun violence, we wanted the display to serve as a wake-up call to the youth in our city to put the guns down. The Flag Project display stayed in Ellis Park for the remainder of the summer and proved to positively affect the culture of the park. We learned that summer that young people could make a difference.
All anyone needed is a reminder that someone cared…
Generation Take Over Weekend
#GTO
Generation Take Over began in 2014 as a project of Solace Souls Coalition.
The coalition of adult poets, singers and musicians wanted to end their successful year of performing and blowing away audiences at their Solace Souls Sundays Open Mic with giving. They planned out a 3 day weekend consisting of a youth open mic, a day of service to the homeless and a trip to church to reflect and give praise for all that they were grateful for.
The Hunger Project
The same year, we began doing what we called The Hunger Project, preparing bag lunches for homeless shelters 3 times per year. These projects would align with the conclusion of Spring, Summer and Fall After School Matters programming; we would partner with the Mock Trial program that was being led by Dr. Ramona James at the time.
In fall of 2015, we were asked to partner with Solace Souls for #GTO Weekend. The rest is history.
Generation Take Over has fed over 2,500 individuals since its inception.
We expanded the giving by including toiletry bags, winter clothing, books, and toys.
It 2016, it expanded further into #GTO Kankakee, IL with the same model of giving, led by
Solace Minds, to include a blanket drive and give-away.
Sexual Assault Awareness Month (S.A.A.M.)
Like many of the issues addressed during the Safe & Sound Poetry Cafés, they begin from a place of truths and realities that have affected at least one member of the group. The rest of the members will immediately and intimately seek to comfort or help their friend in understanding, coping with and conquering what may very well be a most traumatic period or circumstance. Not until references of sexual assault begin to develop in some of the young people’s writings, was there a clear understanding that it had touched so many young lives. After a round of several discussions, we discovered that 8 out of about 10 core young women involved in our afterschool programming had admittedly been affected by some form of assault. While being primarily hurtful to young girls, it is also a reality of some young boys.
The first year that we decided to address the issue, we had no knowledge of how to help, what to do or where to turn. We only knew that if we did not respond, we would be perpetuating the harm already done. We planned our first Sexual Assault Awareness Café and invited people with no idea of the impact it would have. There were women who shared testimonies of abuse for the first time, aloud in front of family members, only to have their daughters stand and share instances of abuse in their own lives. There was crying, there were hugs, there were real conversations with supportive relationships and friendships being built before our eyes.
After several months passed and we continued to address new topics each month, it became increasingly apparent that this was not an issue that could be spotlighted for a day and swept under the rug. More young people who were coming forward seeking help that we were unequipped to handle. We began reaching out to people, organizations and anyone who would listen. We were and are in need of a year-round campaign to not just create awareness, but to get information in the needed hands about where help can be found. We need mentors willing to take phone calls when a survivor just needs to talk to someone who understands. We need printing and materials for distribution beyond the month of April. We need clinicians or counselors who can deliver or help devise a trauma-informed response to the many possible scenarios that sadly exist.
For now, we continue to raise awareness every April via the Sexual Assault Poetry Café…
And pray.
(We just finished our 5th Year.)
As with every issue or initiative has taken on by our team, each and every topic addressed has been the result of wanting deal with something directly affecting one of the members or someone very close. As our youth were growing older and started to graduate from H.S. and head for college, we started seeing several instances where after a semester or two, students would return because of the stress of financial burden on them and their families.
Education became our new focus.
In October of 2017, we decided to start our inaugural Safe & Sound Arts and Activism Scholarship.
The goal was to grant 10 Awards of $500 to graduating seniors with a 2.5 GPA who excelled or showed great interest in Volunteerism, Dance, Spoken Word, Singing or Visual Arts. Because we also understood that college may not be for everyone, we decided to grant awards for assistance with 2 or 4-year college/university or trade schools. (Awards presented July of 2018.)
This set us on a path to apply to become a more official community benefits organization and working to gain Not For Profit status.
Has it been a smooth road?
Over the years we’ve encountered several challenges. These may have been our top two.
Funding.
As a small, unknown organization primarily made up of high school students from various schools and parts of the city we find ourselves ALWAYS fundraising. To avoid risking our passions for change becoming a burden on others, we sometimes have to make due with zero resources. We normally attempt to balance a lack of funds with advanced planning, community partnerships, and good old-fashioned sweat.
Adultism.
Many adults unconsciously look at young people as incapable. We’ve been successful at most things we’ve undertaken and honestly, I get more things done with my youth team than I do in certain all-adult arenas.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Safe & Sound – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We are a volunteer-based, Community Benefits Organization.
Our Mission: To create a culture of genuine concern through the activation of young voices.
Our Vision: To live in a world absent of harm.
Our Cause: We are driven by the belief that the human response to hurt is a help.
I am most proud of the fact that we have primarily operated with a core team of 80% youth.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Chicago is a city that is extremely rich in culture and the arts. Oh, and the Lakefront!!
I hate the politics here.
Pricing:
- Summer Sponsorship of Safe & Sound Radio – $50 – $125 (Platform giving voice to youth around topics that matter.
- Arts and Activism Scholarship Sponsorship – $100, $250, $500 (Scholarships for 2018 – 2019 School Year)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.safeandsoundconnect.org
- Phone: 773-647-8394
- Email: info@safeandsoundconnect.org
- Instagram: @safeandsound.connect
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/SafeAndSound.Connect/
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
