This is ‘heart work,’ says Memphis Allies SWITCH supervisor His name is Earve Mathis, but around Memphis Allies’ South...
SWITCH Posts
Most Recent SWITCH Posts
Finding the Light
Step-by-step, SWITCH participant finding the light For decades, Gary was in hiding. He just didn’t know it. “Growing...
Nothing to Lose
‘These guys have nothing to lose’ is why Memphis Allies’ Tito Porter does what he does A gun, Tito Porter says, is...
More SWITCH Posts
SWITCH Hosts Community Event
Raleigh/Frayser SWITCH participants put on event for the community Call it a matter of give and take. Before entering Memphis Allies’ programming, many of the participants had been taking from their own communities. But now, as stage 3 SWITCH participants, their focus...
Helping Heal the Hood
Heal the Hood to provide ‘pro-social’ programming in support of SWITCH Youth Ladell Beamon’s Heal the Hood Foundation of Memphis, which impacts Memphis youth through the arts, is a new supporting partner of Memphis Allies’ SWITCH Youth program. As part of that...
Meet Case Manager Alejandro
Case Manager Alejandro Salinas 'goes the extra mile' Memphis Allies Case Manager Alejandro Salinas sees it all the time: trauma that impacts decision-making. The trauma might show up in the form of poverty and gun violence. It might be inspired by a lack of love and...
Outreach Never Stops
Memphis Allies: Interrupting the drumbeat of gun violence Life coach Briant Kelly, also known as B Radical, has a routine with the guys he works with in Memphis Allies’ SWITCH program: he calls them first thing in the morning and again before they go to bed at night....
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...
This project is funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee and with support of other funders