Youth Villages employees learn about Memphis Allies’ tireless work to reduce gun violence Each year, the Youth...
SWITCH Posts
Most Recent SWITCH Posts
Not Left Behind
Not left behind, Calvin Sanford finds his mission as a SWITCH Youth life coach In 2010, Calvin Sanford was staring at...
Memphis Allies at Autozone Park
Memphis Allies visits the ‘pitch’ at AutoZone Park Awareness knows no bounds. So, it does not matter that in the...
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Leadership Promotions at Memphis Allies
Memphis Allies announces two leadership promotions As Memphis Allies moves into its third year of providing direct services to those most at risk for gun violence, Executive Director Susan Deason has announced two staff promotions: Jevonte Porter has been promoted to...
Meet Regional Supervisor Aviance
Right where she is supposed to be, Aviance Brown-Austin was meant for this work Aviance Brown-Austin was born to a 15-year-old mother, and partially raised by a youngish grandmother. “Technically, I raised myself,” she said. “Along with the streets.” Aviance made her...
A ‘Peacekeeping’ Mission
Memphis Allies: A ‘peacekeeping’ mission in progress Recently, Antonio Dowdy’s phone rang in the middle of the night. Dowdy, as a Memphis Allies outreach specialist, works to establish relationships with young people most at risk for gun violence. That means...
Meet Christina
Behind the Scenes with Memphis Allies: Christina Gann, a guiding light When the Memphis Allies initiative to reduce gun violence launched in 2021, the enormity of the challenge was understood: People on the front lines would be working with a high-risk population,...
Meet Randy
Elite Boxing and Randy Dixon Partner with SWITCH Youth Psychology student, college basketball player, and gang member. Randy Dixon was all three and not necessarily in that order. In fact, Dixon paired what he had learned in psychology class with his innate court...
Meet Cody
Meet Cody Brown: Helping Memphis Allies participants enter the workforce Creating strong community ties is critical when it comes to the work of Memphis Allies and that is just what Vocational Coordinator Cody Brown does. “My job is to do all the behind-the-scenes...
Meet Portia
Connecting high-risk individuals to the right services: Meet Portia Memphis Allies is increasing services to individuals at highest-risk for involvement in gun violence. Every day, Portia talks to youth, families and young adults, helping them connect to the right...
Playback Memphis
Playback Memphis brings drama therapy to Memphis Allies’ SWITCH participants As they work through the five phases of the SWITCH -- Support With Intention To Create Hope -- program model, our mission is to help participants change the trajectory of their lives....
Meet Life Coach Angelo
MEET MEMPHIS ALLIES: ANGELO, LIFE COACH, LIFELINE TO SUCCESS SWITCH TEAMCHANGING LIVES IS HIS CAREER Angelo was facing a really tough situation. He was living in a hotel and didn’t have the money to pay for even another night. He and everything he owned was about to...