New city/county office another step in the gun violence reduction effort Sometimes, collaboration is a synonym for...
Memphis Allies Posts
Most Recent Memphis Allies Posts
Think First
‘Think first’ is advice Terranze Sharp wishes someone had given him “You always have the right to choose. You choose...
Impact, Truth, Grind and Unity
Youth Villages employees learn about Memphis Allies’ tireless work to reduce gun violence Each year, the Youth...
More Memphis Allies Posts
The Power of Two
In SWITCH Youth, clinical specialists and life coaches team up to help high-risk youth Meet Memphis Allies Switch Youth Clinical Specialist: Taneshia Blackshire Growing up in a small town in Mississippi, Taneshia Blackshire always knew she had a fiery passion for...
Meet Memphis Allies: Life Coach Tony Matthews
A MEMBER OF THE LIFELINE TO SUCCESS SWITCH TEAM IN RALEIGH/FRAYSER Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, Tony is part of the Lifeline to Success Switch team serving Raleigh/Frayser community. Growing up, Tony’s life lacked family stability and normalcy....
Meet Memphis Allies: Life Coach Florence Brooks
A MEMBER OF THE LIFELINE TO SUCCESS SWITCH TEAM IN RALEIGH/FRAYSER Life Coach Florence “Flo” Brooks brings some much-needed light and support to participants in the Memphis Allies SWITCH program in Raleigh/Frayser. Developed by Youth Villages in consultation with...
Meet Memphis Allies: Brandon and Bryan Mathis, Life Coaches
The man was shot and killed in front of his 2-year-old daughter. It was another senseless homicide in Memphis; another child traumatized by gun violence. To Brandon and Bryan Mathis and the Memphis Allies team, this man, this incident was more than just a statistic....
SWITCH Team Members Have Earned the Right to be Heard
Troy Dotson’s face tells part of his story… there’s a six-point star with a ‘G’ for Gangster Disciples on his cheek. Two other tattoos there signify the “work” he put in for the gang and his high rank in the organization. He joined Gangster Disciples at 11 years old....
Youth Villages Launches $60 Million Gun Violence Reduction Initiative
For more than a year, we’ve been working with community leaders and national experts to build Memphis Allies to address one of our community’s greatest challenges: deadly gun violence. We appreciate your support of the initiative and our work. Read this morning’s...
Meet Memphis Allies James Kirkwood, Law Enforcement Liaison
James Kirkwood grew up wanting to be a pastor – and a police officer. He did both. Kirkwood served for more than 30 years with the Memphis Police Department, rising to the rank of colonel, leading two of the city’s police precincts. At the same time, he became the...
Helping Young Men Choose a Different Path
This week, Royal Chatman will be in court supporting a young man who’s facing an aggravated assault charge. The stakes are high. The teenager could face incarceration… Chatman has personal experience with consequential days in court. He was not yet 21 years old when...