Safe Streets Campaign

Community mobilization-community mobilization community mobilization has organized many neighborhoods and community groups to take action in creating Safe communities and create opportunities for resident engagement. This work has been achieved by neighborhood and community organizing, leadership development, public education and presentations, and building partnerships for a Safe, healthy, thriving community. In 2022, we maintained 52 neighborhood groups involving 764 unduplicated group members. All program services are open to all at no charge. We have added waste wizards (litter cleanup and beautification) program to our menu of services. Safe Streets partners with city of tacoma, pierce county, tacoma public schools, franklin pierce school district, tacoma police department and pierce county sheriff's department.

Safe Streets was the lead organization hosting the imagine justice project until august 1, 2022. This included convening the youth-serving agencies network (ysan) and hosting the imagine justice americorps team. The ysan works to build coordination and collaboration among youth-serving organizations to maximize our shared positive impact on court-connected youth. From january through july 2022, the ysan engaged approximately 35 organizations in three bi-monthly network meetings and one community event. The americorps team is a career pathway in youth development and community leadership for individuals with lived experience and identities that reflect court-connected youth. The 2021-22 americorps team included 16 americorps members who collectively served 468 unique youth and young adults.

Youth leading change-youth leading change (ylc) is a free, out-of-school expanded learning program available to any high school youth in pierce county. Youth explore careers, build leadership and social-emotional learning skills and implement youth-led projects to improve their school and larger communities. Ylc strengthens protective factors for youth participants, an evidence-based strategy that supports prevention around violence, mental health and substance misuse disorders. The ylc program is active in the franklin pierce and tacoma schools and works with local youth serving organizations to work with all high school youth regardless of school attendance.