Summer Safe, Inc.
Atlanta, GA
With funding provided by Heal America’s Summer of Healing grant, Summer Safe coordinated more events to provide resources and opportunities for youth in the community. Two annual events: Dodgeballs not Bullets and Shoot Hoops Not Guns, both 7-week creative summer courses promote giving kids options to making better decisions when it comes to violence.
In tandem with Summer Safe’s other programming, Ride Don’t Slide discouraged youth from perpetuating gun violence while offering safe, alternative outlets for learning and growth, aligning with Heal America’s vision to end cycles of violence. Summer Safe hosted the third installment of their Ride Don’t Slide initiative, allowing kids to travel to a horse ranch to experience riding and caring for horses, and learn more about ranch employment opportunities.
By empowering youth, Summer Safe is disrupting violence in their community and promoting alternative solutions to gun violence through creative outlets that increase self-worth and catalyze transformation with mentorship and institutional community support.
In support of their program expansion, the Summer of Healing grant also allowed Summer Safe to increase staffing which expanded the reach of their programs and resulted in greater impact. Summer Safe was able to capitalize on SOH social media visibility and continuing returns from 2022 SOH success to attract national community partners that can champion future initiatives.
BARRIER
Despite ongoing efforts to curb youth gun violence in Georgia, the problem persists. More than 100 Georgian teens and children were killed by gun violence between January and September 2023, at least 12 of whom were in Atlanta. The youngest victim was a 6-month-old caught in the middle of a “targeted shooting,” according to police accounts. Atlanta leaders expressed concerns that without the routine of school, summer break could lead to an increase in gun violence among teens. Summer Safe provides a solution: a safe environment for youth to stay busy while expanding their horizons.
SOLUTION
While creating Summer Safe programming that allows youth to explore career opportunities, Dawson draws on his own experience. As a kid, Dawson’s passions were stifled because he was limited by his lack of resources. Dawson explains, “I didn’t know that my love for the Sims and building stuff was called architecture… If I could’ve tapped into that early [in life], I may have bypassed a lot of the stuff that got me in trouble.” Summer Safe’s Give a Kid an Option program allows youth to explore their passions, opening doors to career paths and interests often seen as inaccessible due to a lack of awareness or resources. From politicians to musicians to aerospace engineers, Summer Safe elevates diverse partners to ensure youth are provided with a variety of role models, offering insights into unique careers with various pathways to success.
Summer Safe’s messaging relies on turning “a negative connotation into a positive affirmation,” as described by Dawson. Summer Safe gears programming to children with relatable terminology to keep them engaged while introducing opportunities for personal and professional growth. With their Ride Don’t Slide program, youth participants learn how to manufacture skateboards from scratch, blending their creativity with engineering. During the event, Summer Safe hosted an agricultural workshop, teaching kids how to grow their own food and provide for themselves. To teach financial literacy in an engaging way, Summer Safe creates “credit cards” for kids to use at Summer Safe events. Before receiving food or merch at an all-day event, participants swipe their cards to develop a healthy understanding of spending and budgeting.
Summer Safe’s programming is ultimately inspired by Dawson’s personal experience, participant feedback, and community needs. When gun violence occurs in Atlanta, Cure Violence Atlanta, a local organization combatting gun violence, reaches out to Dawson to request Summer Safe programming in the affected neighborhoods. Dawson credits his connection to Atlanta communities as a primary reason for Summer Safe’s success. By presenting an array of experiences and opportunities as achievable, Summer Safe facilitates opportunities for youth to self-actualize and dream bigger than their environment would allow. Summer Safe was identified by the Mayor of Atlanta as a youth program that contributed to the 30 percent drop in homicides in the first half of 2023 compared to the same time period in 2022, the first violence reduction in four years. Summer Safe provides youth alternatives to participating in violence, ideally giving every kid an option for a better, safer future.
