Mission: It is the mission of Safe Alternative Foundation for Education, Inc. (SAFE) and its partners to provide the middle school aged youth of Baltimore City a platform for dialogue that will allow the voices of our future be heard and recognized. By creating this opportunity, it is our goal to find out the needs, issues, concerns, and desires of our youth which will result in establishing trust, providing solutions, creating positive change, and a better quality of life for all residents in Baltimore City.
On April 27, 2015, the city of Baltimore experienced a cry so loud that it was heard all across the world. The cry that was heard was a residual visual of the internal pain that is felt by the residents of Baltimore City, especially its youth every single day. Surprisingly, many were shocked by the actions the youth took on the day deemed as “Baltimore Riots”. However, to the contrary of the world’s perception, there need not be any misconception, as the youth of Baltimore have been crying out for years.
Getting bad grades in school, our youth cry out. Misbehaving in school, our youth cry out. Skipping school, our youth cry out. Disrespectful towards authority, our youth cry out. Committing petty crimes, our youth cry out. Dropping out of school and joining gangs, our youth cry out. Sexual promiscuousness and teen pregnancies, our youth cry out. Fighting against police brutality, our youth cry out. Excessive violence among youth in the community, our youth cry out. Rioting and looting local community stores, our youth cry out. These are all cries of the youth that have been deemed as problems in the community. The true problem is choosing ignorance by not recognizing, focusing, and resolving the causes of these effects.
For far too long the cries of our youth have gone unanswered, however, Safe Alternative Foundation for Education, Inc. is dedicated to responding by showing our youth that their voices matter and improving Baltimore City. On Friday, May 1, 2015, S.A.F.E and partners held an open forum for the middle school children at Franklin Square Elementary and Middle School providing the students a safe place to express themselves regarding the current events in Baltimore City and in their community. The event was successful and was appreciated by the students as they were shown that their voices matter and will not be discredited.