The very first session in what officials envision as a district-wide program was held at Dallas ISD’s Dr. Frederick Douglass Todd Sr. Middle School last week.
Officers from the Dallas Police Department’s South-Central Substation, Dallas County Civil Court Judge Maria Aceves, former NFL player Damontre Moore, and more joined in a special community outreach project at the campus on Friday, reported Fox 4 KDFW.
The program session dubbed “There Is Life After Today: Building Confidence by Motivating the Future” aspired to help middle schoolers grow more confident, become more civically aware, and get better at resolving conflict. The day was structured around breakout sessions with speakers and groups of students, all aimed at imparting lasting messages of motivation, inspiration, and encouragement.
One student named Jonathan Velasquez said the sessions inspired him to change his community.
“Them telling us you can do whatever if you really put your mind to it, it really gets me the drive to do something of my own,” he told Fox 4.
As school principal Bobby Nevels explained, community-rooted events such as these can help guide students, many of whom come from low-income neighborhoods.
“It’s paramount for us trying to still grow these kids and show them that there are other options other than the crime and the violence that they see on a regular basis,” Nevels said, according to Fox 4. “Trying to get them to be more positive and stay on the right track now.”
The latest available accountability report for Todd Middle School from 2021-2022 showed that 96.1% of its student body of 431 came from low-income backgrounds, while 26.7% were emergent bilingual, and 21.8% required special education. Academically, only 23% of students were at grade level on that year’s STAAR exam — much lower than the lackluster district-wide average of 41%.
For DPD police officers, the event provided an opportunity to improve relations with students through not only a three-on-three basketball tournament but also through targeted discussions.
“Even though we’re police and we’re out here to catch bad guys, we are here to influence and to let you know that we are who? We are your friend,” said Officer Eva Gonzalez, according to Fox 4.