‘Keeping it 100’
Last week Rally Up Winston-Salem invited more than a dozen adults and young people to come together and keep it real about some of the issues hindering our local schools and communities during the second “Keep It 100” Parent/Youth Forum.
Rally Up co-founder and operations manager Corey McCann said the purpose of the forum was to create a space where parents and their children can have serious conversations about issues hindering our local schools and communities. McCann, who is a city native and graduate of Winston-Salem State University, said, “Keeping it 100 means keeping it real.
“We wanted to bring the adults and youth together to have an unparalleled unrestricted talk because we need to have that. What we try to do is bridge that gap between adults and youth alike, not only dealing with senseless violence, but other nuances that we deal with in the community as well,” continued McCann.
To begin the forum, attendees were instructed to introduce themselves to someone they didn’t know and learn as much as possible about them in five minutes, then introduce their new friend to the entire group. After the icebreaker, parents and children openly answered questions posed by Rally Up coordinators Antoinette Aiken and Ceonica Clark.
From bullying to gangs, drug use and conflict resolution, nothing was off limits during the forum held at Hanes Hosiery, and parents and children were encouraged to say what was on their minds. At a place in time where we are more likely to share thoughts and feelings on social media and less likely to sit down and have a conversation with someone face to face, it was assuring to see parents and children conversing in such an open setting.
Rally Up Winston-Salem is a local grassroots organization focusing on ending street and gang violence by bringing individuals within the community together to share their thoughts, feelings and solutions to issues plaguing communities across the city. Meetings are held at 6 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month at Hanes Hosiery Recreation Center.
For more information, visit Rally Up Winston-Salem on Facebook or contact Cory McCann at (336) 602-9844.
